Wednesday, August 12, 2026

 

Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Ezekiel 9:1-7.10:18-22; Matthew 18:15-20)

The scribe with the stylus makes a “Thau” sign on the foreheads of faithful Israelites.  The “Thau” is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet and has the shape of an “x” in the Canaanite script.  It was likely seen as a simple mark like a check or an “x” that people use today to indicate the presence of something.  In Ezekiel’s vision the “Thau” distinguishes faithful believers in God from the syncretists of the time who mix their belief in God with pagan elements.  The paganisms were received from non-Jewish neighbors. 

The “Thau” should remind New Testament readers of the seal of God in the Book of Revelation.  The seal was given to distinguish true “Servants of God” from the heathen masses.  The Servants of God are to be spared the impending slaughter of unrepentant sinners.  Church Fathers equated the “Thau” with Christ’s cross which the minister of Baptism makes on the foreheads of those about to be baptized.

All of us have been marked with Christ’s cross.  The symbol represents the expectation that we will be faithful to Christ by not mixing our beliefs with pagan elements.  It is a daunting challenge today with so many wondrous goods competing for our allegiance.  We must remember to put Christ first and foremost in our lives and not give ourselves over to abominations to which the Internet gives us access.

Tuesday, August 11, 2026

 

Memorial of Saint Clare, Virgin

(Ezekiel 2:8-3:4; Matthew 18:1-5.10.12-14)

“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” This sounds like a question people today would ask.  Superbowl champions, World Cup winners, Academy Award recipients – these are the greatest in the world today.  But who is the greatest before God?

Jesus gives a surprising answer.  The greatest is not a figure like Peter who recognized Jesus as the Son of God.  Rather the greatest is more like St. Clare whom the Church remembers today.  Clare became “humble, like this child” as she imitated Francis, “il poverello.”  Both these great saints personified humility, not only because they lived simply but also because they recognized goodness in others.  They found worth even in those who might be considered the dregs of humanity.  This lesson might be drawn from the gospel parable. 

We recall that the “Parable of the Lost Sheep” is found in the Gospel of Luke as well as that of Matthew.  In Luke it is introduces chapter 15, which leads to the “Parable of the Prodigal Son.”  The parable is misnamed, of course, because it is really about the prodigal love of the father representing God Himself.  Matthew, however, focuses more on the lost sheep who is worth the risk of losing ninety-nine to find.

Today the lost sheep include our friends and relatives who no longer come to church.  They have settled for striving to be great in the world.  That is, they work to satisfy their desire for money, pleasure, prestige, and power.  We call them back to church by telling them of their goodness and bidding them to thank God for who they are.

Monday, August 10, 2026

 Memorial of Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr

(II Corinthians 9:6-10; John 12:24-26)

Like many of the early martyrs St. Lawrence is more of a personage than a person.  I mean that there is not much factual history about him, yet he is famous for other reasons.  First, there are several charming legends about him.  Then, a church dedicated to him became one of seven important churches in Rome. Finally, his intercession is credited for a victory of Christian armies in later ages.

Lawrence’s martyrdom, nevertheless, was real and costly.  As Jesus reminds us in today’s gospel, Christian martyrdom becomes the seed of growth for the Church.  Today Christians may undergo a kind of martyrdom by adhering to Church teachings.  It is difficult not to join the majority by disregarding Church teaching on artificial contraception and in vitro fertilization.  Giving to the needy not just from one’s abundance but from one’s basic allowance also is challenging. 

Saints are not only to be imitated; they are also to be petitioned.  So we pray to St. Lawrence that we give testimony to our faith as true martyrs and that we assist the needy poor as the gospel requires.

Sunday, August 9, 2026

 NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

(1 ​​Kings 19:9, 11-13; Romans 9:1-5; Matthew 14:22-33)

“War is hell.” We have all heard this lament. But it doesn’t seem to be widely believed. If it were, there wouldn’t be so many movies glorifying war. There wouldn’t be so many children’s toys highlighting battle gear. Perhaps there wouldn’t be so many young people seeking a military career.

However, “war is hell” makes sense when we recognize hell as the worst of all situations. It is so horrific that many times soldiers who have participated in combat don’t want to talk about what they have experienced. Nevertheless, sometimes we get inklings of its conditions: the sights not only of blood but also of torn and exposed organs; the stench not only of clothes worn for days in extreme weather conditions but of vomit and rotting flesh; the sounds not only of bombs exploding but of sirens at full volume and men wailing.

We begin this reflection with reference to war because Elijah in the first reading has just come from a kind of war. There has been religious combat in Israel. Elijah himself a few days before slaughtered 450 prophets of the pagan god Baal. He had to flee to Horeb, the mountain of the Lord, in the south to avoid the vengeance of Jezebel, the queen of Israel. She, a foreigner devoted to Baal, vowed to take Elijah's life for his audacity. The prophet seeks refuge in a mountain cave when the word of God comes to him. He tells the Lord that the Israelites, following Queen Jezebel, have put all the Lord's prophets to the sword so that only he remains alive. God responds that he should come out of the cave and stand on the mountain. There He will come to him.

A hurricane of the kind in which God revealed himself to Job passes by. However, in this case, the storm produces no divine revelation. Then, an earthquake of the kind that preceded the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses shakes the earth. But, once again, God does not reveal himself. Finally, Elijah hears “the whisper of a gentle breeze,” through which God discloses his will.

With a gentle voice, God most often reveals himself as a lover of peace. Yes, he can come with fury, but he prefers to come with tenderness. He is near to support the weak and to encourage the discouraged. This is what happens in today's Gospel. The disciples are returning by boat to the other side of the Sea of ​​Galilee. They left Jesus on the mountain to pray alone. It is night, the symbol of evil. The waves rock the boat pouring water into it and threatening the disciples' lives. The disciples become completely terrified when they see what appears to be a ghost walking on the water. Jesus reassures them: “'Take courage and do not be afraid,' he says, 'it is I.'”

Just as the first-century Christians, we today can find comfort in the gentle voice of the Lord. In the early Church, Christians faced persecution from without and discord from within. The apostles taught them with this story how Jesus remained close by and spoke in a gentle voice. Today, we are challenged by increasing violence and indifference toward religion.  And there is always the threat of war. But Jesus remains with us. “'Take courage and do not be afraid,' he tells us in the gospels and through our companions in the Church, 'it is I.'”

Friday, August 7, 2026

 

Friday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Nahum 2:1.3.3:1-3.6-7; Matthew 16:24-28)

To appreciate the drama in today’s gospel, one must remember that Peter has just recognized Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”  Jesus approved of the title but warned that it will not bring him the glory Peter imagines when they arrive in Jerusalem. Because Peter could not tolerate defeatist talk, he argued with Jesus.  The Lord had to reproach him.

Now Jesus tells of the costs of following him.  As he will be crucified so his disciples must bear their crosses.  This is only another way of saying that the hardship and suffering they will inevitably face as they carry out his will must not be shunned but accepted and even embraced.

Tomorrow we will celebrate one of Jesus’ true disciples.  St. Dominic did not flinch from suffering for Jesus’ sake.  Fra Angelico pictures him embracing Jesus’ cross. As a boy, Dominic sold his books to provide for the poor in midst of famine.  As a friar, he gave himself day and night to preaching the gospel.  By day whether by word or action he proclaimed God’s love in Jesus Christ.  By night he sacrificed sleep as he prayed that Jesus’ mission in the world might be extended by his brothers and sisters.