Sunday, November 2, 2025

 

Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed
(Wisdom 3:1-9; Romans 5:5-11; John 6:37-40)

Now, in November, the cold winds have begun to blow, at least in northern climes. The days grow dark early, and the trees have shed their leaves. Death is in the air, and some of us can feel it in our bones.
At seventy or eighty years of age, we no longer have the same energy we once had. We cannot work all day and stay out late at night. Many people we once knew —relatives, teachers, and friends— have already departed from this world. Moreover, modern times, with its endless novelties, can leave us feeling lost, as if we awoke one morning in a foreign land.

It is time to prepare for death. Death takes us away like a moving truck carries away our furniture when we relocate. It is a passive act which we can resist for a while, but eventually to which we must yield. Yet death can also be a positive act. We are not speaking here of suicide, which is merely an acceleration of the passive. Rather, we can see death as an opportunity to encounter Christ. In his Letter to the Philippians, Saint Paul writes: “For to me, life is Christ, and death is gain” (Phil 1:21). The apostle awaits his death as a bride awaits her beloved. Our goal, too, is to live with the Lord forever. Today’s Gospel shows us the way: Jesus says that those who see him and believe that he is the Son of God, will have eternal life.

Sadly, there are forces in our society that work against our desire to see death as the doorway to eternal life.  They trivialize death, as if it were merely the end of living, with little meaning in itself. Such people do not place their hope in Christ as their eternal Savior. For them, life is confined between birth and death, and its value is measured only by what happens within those limits.

One of the factors that trivialize death can be seen in how Halloween is now celebrated. It is no longer the eve of All Saints’ Day, when restless souls were permitted to wander the world in search of comfort. Now the day is filled with images of violent death designed to frighten the gullible —until, like Santa Claus at Christmas, no one believes in it anymore.
Assisted suicide also darkens the meaning of death as the threshold to meeting the Lord. Those who choose this path see life as worthwhile only so long as it has promising, earthly rewards. They fail to see that human life has a transhistorical dimension which calls for the sacrifice of self in order to do the will of God.
Finally, we see death trivialized in the “celebrations of life” that many now prefer instead of a funeral. These gatherings often overlook the sins of the deceased and make little mention of their virtues. Too often they focus on the incongruences of a person’s life that make way for laughter.

Our Catholic tradition is rightly more solemn. We bring the body to church, surrounded by family and friends. We come to console one another for the loss of a loved one. Our presence acknowledges the good deeds of the deceased while our hearts give thanks to God for their virtues. Equally important, we pray that their sins may be purified so they may enter the presence of the Lord.

Today, on All Souls’ Day, we have another occasion to pray for the dead. We ask God not only for our deceased loved ones but also for the countless anonymous souls who have gone before us. We pray that the Lord will forgive their sins and cleanse their faults. And in return, we may hope that others at some future time and place will pray for us.

 

Friday, October 31, 2025

 

Friday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 9:1-5; Luke 14:1-6)

Yuval Noah Harari is a Jewish historian living in Israel but known internationally for his sober account of the future.  Not long ago he spoke of how Israel and Judaism were fighting a war for their soul.  Harari explained that after the fall of the Temple in 70 A.D. the rabbis assembled to shape a new concept of Judaism based on collaboration and compromise in the quest of peace.  Now, he said, Israel is more determined to become a superpower with a will to dominate other nations.

Harari’s statement rhymes with St. Paul’s assessment of Judaism in today’s first reading.  He lists the grandeur of the Jewish tradition: “adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises”.  Paul also mentions that from this transcendent tradition came the Savior, Jesus Christ.

What Harari sees happening in Israel, we might see occurring in our society. Take Halloween for example.  In recent years our society has altered the meaning of this holiday in a similar way to how Harari describes the recent turn of perspective in Israel.  We no longer think of Halloween as All Saints Eve when the unpurified dead have a free day to roam the world seeking relief.  Now images of violent death and ruthless warriors prevail.  The Christian tradition at the base of virtually all Western societies is no less built on a vision of peace than the Jewish tradition.  For this reason, we should pray and work that a worldview of dominance through violence never takes root in our society.

Thursday, October 30, 2025

 

Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 8:31b-39; Luke 13:31-35)

Today’s gospel, the proximity to All Souls Day, and, for those living in the Northern Hemisphere, the season of autumn suggest a reflection on death.  In the reading Jesus indicates that he has reflected seriously on his death.  He does not flinch in fear when the Pharisees tell him that Herod wants to kill him. Rather, he proceeds to Jerusalem to meet the death of his destiny.

Death is the last act of human life.  To make it advantageous requires a realization, a decision, and a choice.  We must realize that its inevitability is not centuries in the future but relatively soon.  Even youth should realize the need to prepare now for death’s arrival.  Now is the time to decide what we want to live for. Do we want to limit the meaning of our lives to ourselves?  Or do we want our lives to impact others?  Jesus, of course, was aware that he would die for the sake of all humanity.  Finally, we need to choose how we are to live in accordance with our decision.  The choice is multi-faceted.  It includes the work we do, the kind of family we have (traditional family, religious community, or possibly a school or other type of institution), who will be our intimate friends, etcetera.  If we have decided to live for ourselves, these choices are not difficult.  We will strive to maximize pleasure, power, and prestige.  But if we have decided to live for others, we will deliberate on the choices carefully.

If we have chosen to follow Jesus to Jerusalem, we too will suffer martyrdom.  It will be difficult but not likely gruesome or lonely.  We will find ourselves among good people whose friendship will give us comfort and hope.  Most importantly, in the end our spirits will be opened to the reception of eternal life.

Wednesday, October 29, 2025

 

Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 8:26-30; Luke 13:22-30)

It was Sunday evening when a young woman was waiting tables.  She was singing to herself but was not timid about sharing her heart with clientele.  She said that she had been to church that morning where evidently her pastor referred to the Book of Revelation.  The woman said that she wanted to be among the 144,000 people whom Revelation says are sealed for salvation.

Although Revelation also mentions an uncountable multitude standing before the heavenly throne, some still believe that in all history only a relatively few number of people reach salvation. In today’s gospel Jesus does not abuse the crowds of this idea. He explicates that people who “ate and drank” with him – we can think of Catholics who come to Mass and Communion here – are not necessarily heaven-bound.  He adds that inheritors of the Kingdom include those from faraway places.

In the gospels Jesus continually says that we must practice charity to the needy if we are to be saved.  We have to wash one another’s feet, feed the hungry, show compassion on the poor if we hope to have a seat in the banquet hall of the saved.

Tuesday, October 28, 2025

 

Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

(Ephesians 2:19-22; Luke 6:12-16)

In today’s reading from Ephesians, St. Paul (or his disciple) tells the people that they are no longer “sojourners.”  This description contrasts with the first Letter of Peter which calls Christians “aliens and sojourners.”  The difference should not be taken as a contradiction.  Rather it represents different ways biblical authors view the Christian life.

In one sense followers of Christ are sojourners living like pilgrims in route to heaven.  They love God and neighbor in accordance with the Savior’s command.  When they gather for prayer, they find themselves in the company of others with a similar goal and similar ways of living.  In another sense, however, Christians live among unbelievers in the world with whom they share a minimum of values.  They must take care not to be influenced by the vices of these neighbors.

Certainly, Saints Simon and Jude were fellow travelers.  The celebration of their feasts seems to be placed toward the end of the liturgical year because like so many faithful Christians little is known of their lives.  Jude may be the most popular of the apostles, but it is not certain what he accomplished and where he died.  Simon’s life is also obscure.  He was called a “zealot”, but no one knows exactly why.  They too gathered with believers in prayer and found themselves among hostile people at whose hands they were martyred.

Monday, October 27, 2025

 

Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 8:12-17; Luke 13:10-17)

It’s a sin against the first commandment to put one’s trust in another god, but does this mean that I cannot keep a tiger tooth for good luck?  It’s a sin against the second commandment to take the Lord’s name in vain, but does this mean that I sin by saying “Oh God” when I see something awesome?  It’s a sin not to honor one’s father and mother, but what am I to do when they tell me that they do not want to hear from me again?  These questionable situations are similar to what Jesus faces in today’s gospel.

Apparently nothing in the Mosaic Law forbids healing on the Sabbath.  However, certain Pharisees at the time of Jesus interpreted such an act as violating Sabbath observance.   Following such an interpretation, the leader of the synagogue chastises the crowd for seeking cures from Jesus.  Knowing that the leader’s criticism is an unsubstantiated interpretation, Jesus corrects him.  He sees the Father’s activity among His people as essentially liberating.  He knows that God’s hand freed the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt and constantly liberates the people from ignorance with the Law.  So Jesus is only imitating his Father by freeing the woman from a particularly gruesome malady.

It would be unfair to say that Jesus is rationalizing his action.  Again, the Law does not expressly forbid Sabbath healing.  However, he is appealing to the people’s sense of justice and prudence in interpreting the Law.  Always, he indicates, we have to use our intelligence aided by the virtues to determine what the Lawgiver demands or prohibits with any given statute.

Sunday, October 26, 2025

 

XXX Sunday in Ordinary Time 
(Sirach 35:12–14, 16–18; 2 Timothy 4:6–8, 16–18; Luke 18:9–14)

The parables in the Gospel according to Luke are like ballads on the radio: they often convey wisdom in an engaging way. In today’s gospel, Jesus offers yet another fascinating parable. This time he teaches us how to pray through the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector praying in the Temple. Both men lived under very different circumstances from ours, yet when we see ourselves reflected in each of them, we can draw great benefit from the lesson.

Although the Pharisees often appear as villains in the gospels, they actually saved Judaism from extinction. After the fall of the Temple, the Pharisees reorganized the religion around the Law of Moses. To ensure its observance, they developed customs known as the oral law. Jesus opposed this new law because it was overly concerned with details. He said that in trying to fulfill it, the Pharisees would forget the primacy of compassion. He accused them of burdening the poor with unnecessary practices.

Jesus had some Pharisees as friends, but for the most part, he regarded them as arrogant and unmerciful. That is why in today’s gospel he presents a Pharisee as an example of how not to pray. He portrays him with the faults that often afflict reformers: thinking himself better than others, harboring prejudice, lacking humility before God, and being overly concerned with appearances.

Even though we dislike the attitude of the Pharisees, it is not unusual for us to act like them. Like them, we practice our religion regularly — and there is nothing wrong with that. Yet, also like them, we tend to justify our faults. We are also inclined to think of ourselves as better than most people, and almost as good as the truly holy. We are slow to acknowledge our faults but quick to notice the faults of others. We want to be recognized as intelligent, attractive, hardworking, and generous — even when we are not — and so we sometimes fake those qualities.

Tax collectors worked for the Roman Empire. While most were Romans, some Jews were given the position. For collaborating with the oppressors, Jewish tax collectors earned the people’s resentment. Their position also gave them the opportunity to extort money, which caused even more hostility.

Jesus spent considerable time with tax collectors in his mission to proclaim God’s mercy. He may have found them more open to repentance than others. At least Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, showed a sincere desire to repent when he met Jesus in the gospel we would have read next Sunday if it were not for All Souls Day.

Like the tax collectors, we too are inclined toward greed. We may even find ourselves participating in small deceptions for the sake of gain. Yet, like the tax collector in the parable, we strike our breast at Mass and ask the Lord’s forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

But asking for forgiveness is not enough to be justified. Sinners must reform their lives. In the case of the tax collector in this parable, reform is assumed. In the story of Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector promises to give half of his possessions to the poor before Jesus declares him saved.

On one Sunday this past summer we learned from Jesus that we are to serve others like the Good Samaritan. Then, the following Sunday, he taught us that it is better to listen to him like Mary than to serve like Martha. Jesus was not contradicting himself but inviting us to discern the proper times to listen and the proper times to act. In much the same way, the gospels of last Sunday and today are coordinated. We remember how he taught us last Sunday to pray persistently through the parable of the widow and the corrupt judge. Today he teaches us that constant prayer is not enough unless it is accompanied by humility before God.

Even though we are proud like the Pharisee and greedy like the tax collector, we are not lost. Through the humility of repentance and the prayer of a contrite heart, Jesus Christ will justify us. Without repentance, prayer becomes presumption; with repentance, prayer leads us to salvation.

Friday, October 24, 2025

 

Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 7:18-25a; Luke 12:54-59)

Some people think that when they do something for their own good, they are acting selfishly.  They say that they must always act on behalf of others, never for themselves.  Today’s gospel shows that such a frame of reference is both wrong and right.

It is wrong because Jesus tells the crowds that they should be as intelligent about working out their own salvation as they are in forecasting the weather. As they know when it will be hot, they should know how to do God’s will.  The frame of reference is correct in as much as humans work out their salvation by caring for others.  When, influenced by the Holy Spirit, they fulfill family responsibilities, assist the needy, and treat all people with respect, they merit salvation.

Jesus also tells his listeners that it is never too late to begin the work of salvation.  Even with a judgment imminent, they can turn from carelessness to care for others.  God does not weigh every negative entry in our moral ledger against a positive one but accepts us as we have chosen to be in the end.  If we settle well with Him before we die, He will not refuse us eternal life.

Thursday, October 23, 2025

 

Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 6:19-23; Luke 12:49-53)

Jesus speaks of setting the world ablaze as if he were General Sherman on his march to the sea.  But he does not wish to harm anything except the evil that intoxicates human desire.  When this is done, humans will be able to love as God loves.

The human desire for what is lasting and all-satisfying is very often amalgamated with corrupt inclinations.  Instead of seeking the eternal good, people crave power, pleasure, and prestige to quench their thirst for fulfillment.  But God is not found in self-aggrandizement.  Rather He is present in the offering of self in love for others.  Jesus will demonstrate this self-sacrificing love in his “baptism” on the cross.

Burning away the dross of our desires may cause discomfort and even pain.  It is hard to give up illicit relations or to stop using stereotypes to judge others.  But the result is worth any difficulty we experience.  We become freer people with a more intimate relationship with our Creator and Redeemer.  The relationship will bring us the glory of eternal life.

 

Wednesday, October 22, 2025

 

Wednesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 6:12-18; Luke12:39-48)

In today’s first reading St. Paul addresses a question that most of his readers ask.  If followers of Christ are freed from the Law of Moses, may they do as they wish without consequences?  What the human being’s conniving heart means by this question are the pleasures of lust, gluttony, and avarice.  Without taking back his statement about Christ’s freeing the person from adherence to Torah, Paul defends the need to refrain from sin and to live virtuously.

Paul understands the human need for support.  Freed from the Jewish Law, the human being will look for another way of anchoring one’s life.  Most people choose some form of sin like overindulgence in pride, pleasure, or power.  But some will choose a life of moderation, service, and humility.  Choosing sin, Paul says, can only lead one away from Christ to death.  Choosing virtue will bring one to Christ, who is eternal life.

We should not seek an easy life.  Jesus never offered it to his followers.  We can look to him for support in life’s challenges.  He is a model to imitate, a brace to support us, and a goal to be aspired.

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

 

Tuesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 5:12.15b.17-19.20b-21; Luke 12:35-38)

Forest fires can be devastating.  They often leave acres of vibrant, green woods a black and grey wasteland.  But after a few years the same places of desolation become like a garden teeming with life.  Today’s first reading reports a similar tale of destruction turned into abundance.

St. Paul follows the Book of Genesis in his account of sin.  Although the woman was the first to eat the forbidden fruit, God blames Adam for disobeying his command.  Adam received the command before Eve came to be.  All humans descending from this man have inherited the guilt. Jesus Christ was the most notable exception to this rule.

Christ ended the reign of sin with his death on the cross.  Sinless, he stood in the place of every sinner to say “basta” (no more).  Sin will no longer have free reign over human hearts.   Men and women can now freely choose to do God’s will and to enjoy His eternal blessing.

Monday, October 20, 2025

 

Monday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 4:20-25; Luke 12:13-21)

Greed stems more from a lack of trust than a lack of money.  Greedy people seek to accumulate more goods because they fear that they will run out of them soon.  Jesus invites his listeners to trust more in God and not so much on their own resources in today’s gospel.

His parable describes a successful farmer who thinks only of himself.  His bountiful harvest does not move him to share anything with the needy or even to make a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God.  His plan to build additional granaries proves to be short-sighted as God calls him to judgment.  He has nothing to show of good deeds or heart-felt praise.

Catholic Social Teaching takes a remarkable position on personal wealth.  It says that what we have attained has two outlets.  First, it is to be used to pay for meeting personal and family needs and for maintaining social position.  Second, any goods in excess of what is required to meet these needs belongs to the poor.  Living according to this rule, we please God and assure our full happiness in eternal life.

Sunday, October 19, 2025

 

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Exodus 17:8-13; 2 Timothy 3:14–4:2; Luke 18:1-8)

Reflecting on today’s readings should lead us to a richer and deeper spirituality. They move us to change the way we think about God and, more importantly, how we relate to Him. Before examining the readings, however, we should set aside a mistaken way of thinking about God.

Jesus himself taught us to think of God as our “Father in heaven.” But this Father does not need our gratitude and love as our earthly parents do. As a spiritual being, God does not have human emotions. His love is not the kind that seeks affection, for it is complete in itself. He allows and urges us to love Him not for His benefit but for ours. When we love Him so deeply that we avoid offending Him, we grow as human beings, with perfect happiness as our ultimate destiny.

In the book of Exodus, when God revealed His name to Moses, He showed us what He is in Himself. He said, “I am who I am.” These words may seem mysterious, yet they indicate that God has always existed and always will. He is the source of all being, the One who created everything from His own essence. When He became man in Jesus Christ, He showed beyond all doubt that He is not only the Creator of all humanity but also its loving protector. Moreover, He gave the earth to men and women to help them come to know and love Him.

Now let us look at the first reading, also from Exodus. The Israelites are being attacked by the Amalekites—an unprovoked and unjust aggression. Moses wastes no time in asking the Lord’s help to defeat their enemy. He receives that help while keeping his arms raised in prayer. But when he lowers them, the Amalekites begin to prevail. This does not mean that God is capricious or that He insists on being prayed to before helping. Rather, He wants His people to seek His aid so that they remain faithful to Him. Just as the Amalekites are destined to perish because of their injustice, the Israelites will endure through their closeness to the Lord.

The parable of Jesus in today’s Gospel seems as provocative as the one we heard a few weeks ago. We remember how Jesus praised the dishonest steward for being shrewd about his future. In today’s parable, Jesus compares a corrupt judge to God. Of course, His intention is not to suggest that God is unjust. Instead, He wants to show that we must act like the widow who persistently pleads for justice. That is, we must pray to God unceasingly to obtain what we need. Once again, Scripture reminds us that we are on the right path when we do not withdraw from the Lord, but rather give ourselves fully to Him.

Surely Saint Paul would agree on the need for perseverance in prayer. In the second reading, from the Second Letter to Timothy, the apostle urges his disciple to remain firm in what he has learned and believed. He also confirms the power of Sacred Scripture as the source of right living.

We should not end this reflection without commenting on Jesus’ striking question at the end of the Gospel: “…when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” With so many people drifting away from the faith community, the question feels particularly relevant. Will people remain faithful when Jesus returns, or will they be lost because they have forgotten their provider? The readings clearly urge us to pray constantly that Jesus may find faith when He comes again. But it does not depend on our effort alone. More importantly, we are assured that God, in His love, is always seeking us. Like the father of the prodigal son, who scans the horizon each day for a sign of his lost child, God continually calls us to return to Him.

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Friday, October 17, 2025

 Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr

(Romans 4:1-8; Luke 12:1-7)

Today’s patron, St. Ignatius of Antioch, lived in a time of Roman persecution of Christians.  It is said that Christians then would walk up to a stranger and make a line on the ground with his foot.  If the stranger would draw a line through the first to make a cross, the two would know that they could talk freely.  If the other did not respond, then the conversation would not mention faith in Christ.  The gospel today seems to reference such a custom.

Jesus says that what has been whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on housetops.  He apparently means his Lordship, which his disciples knew of but did not understand well.  After his resurrection with the coming of the Holy Spirit, they will see clearly and profess openly that in Jesus sins are forgiven and people are destined to experience eternal life.

Today religion has been privatized.  Social pressures intimidate people from talking openly about how God has affected their lives.  Ironically, it is a message that others not only need but often want to hear.  When we give testimony to our faith, we strengthen others’ resolve to live righteous lives.  That benefits society and leads to personal salvation.

 

Thursday, October 16, 2025

 

Thursday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 3:21-30; Luke 11:47-54)

Today’s first reading might be called, like John 3:16, “the gospel in miniature.”  It is not as concise as saying, “God so loved the world…”.  But it expresses more completely the gratuity of human justification through the martyrdom of Jesus Christ. 

St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans has already established the need of justification by explaining how all people sin.  Whether recognized as “good” or “bad,” humans have participated in Adam and Eve’s disobedience.  They could hardly help from doing so because their nature was distorted by sin.  To be justified, they needed more than a model but a representative totally innocent.  This was the Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth.  His sacrifice of self on the cross won justification for all who believe in him.

We respond to the gift of justification with thankfulness.  We make sacrifices of gratitude for what Jesus did for us in prayer and good works.  When we go out of our way to help another – by telephoning someone whom we know to be in distress, for example – we imitate Christ and give God a high form of praise.

Wednesday, October 15, 2025

 

Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

(Romans 2:1-11: Luke 11:42-46)

In her reform of Carmelite nuns, St. Teresa of Ávila had her critics.  She understood the need to return to basics. The sisters were living under such relaxed conditions and with such intrusions from the outside that the monastery was hardly monastic at all.  But some sisters preferred the status quo and denounced her to the Inquisition. Nevertheless, the reform started in her own convent and then spread to others. 

Teresa’s trajectory parallels Jesus in the gospel.  He too led a reform of Pharisaical Judaism.  He criticizes the Pharisees for faking a positive impression while they overburden the poor.  He calls the Pharisees “like unseen graves” because they appear as firm ground that could be trusted.  But in truth they are more like a plot of earth with a corpse buried beneath that will eventually give way to despoil those who step on it. The Pharisees, of course, could not tolerate such criticism.

Jesus’ critique of the Pharisees may be extended to some clergy today.  Priests must take care that they not only teach sound doctrine but that they also give example of true holiness.  Like Jesus, they should advise those who transgress God’s will to reform their lives.  Even more important, priests should exhibit true expression of love for God by devotion to prayer and kindness to all.

Tuesday, October 14, 2025

 

Tuesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 1:16-25; Luke 11:37-41)

Since Vatican II many Catholics have reasoned that if God loves us, He would not condemn anyone.  Rather He will give everyone a ticket to eternal life.  Often people hold to this line of thought without even postulating the need to believe in God.  Such thinking clashes with the thought of St. Paul, especially in today’s reading.

Paul does not refrain from writing about the wrath of God.  Wrath should be understood here as an anthropomorphism, a description of God with the attributes of a human.  God does not get angry with humans as we often become irate with one another.  But He has respected human free will to accept Him or to reject Him.  Acceptance is more than lip service, but an intention and an effort to live like His Son, Jesus Christ.  Rejection is the deliberate choice not to live Christ-like.

Sounds like a challenge, no?  It is difficult to follow Christ although not impossible.  We need to pray regularly so that we might avoid the temptations of living irresolutely.  We also pray to always imitate the love of Jesus, our Savior.

Monday, October 13, 2025

 

Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 1:1-7; Luke 11:29-32)

Jesus says in today’s gospel that his generation “seeks a sign.” He means that it wants Jesus to prove his identity.  In today’s world he would provide a driver’s license, a telephone number, or his birthday.  These are the signs our society uses to verify that one is who he or she says.

Jesus calls the generation “evil” because it refuses to repent after he preaches to them.  His sign then is his preaching the mercy of God at which humans are to acknowledge their sins and be forgiven.  The city of Nineveh did exactly that when Jonah preached repentance.

That a generation refuses to repent should not surprise us.  Most everyone has trouble admitting that she or he has acted wrongly.  People make excuses for their failures to avoid being criticized and chastised.  We should note, however, that God loves a repentant sinner.  Any shame we may incur for sinning is more than compensated for by God’s mercy.  But we must trust that God loves us enough to want to see us correct our ways.

Sunday, October 12, 2025

 

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
(2 Kings 5:14-17; 2 Timothy 2:8-13; Luke 17:11-19)

Many Americans recognize today’s Gospel because it is read at Mass on Thanksgiving Day. It reveals the natural desire of the human heart to give thanks to those who have done good to us. It also shows God’s expectation that His people express gratitude to Him. Let us first reflect on gratitude as the foundation of our thankfulness toward our benefactors.  Then we shall look at today’s readings for examples of this virtue

Gratitude is both an emotion and a virtue. We feel it most deeply when someone helps us out of goodwill, not obligation. Each of us has our own story of having been helped by someone who didn’t even know us. A man once told how he was stranded in a distant city when his car broke down on the night before Thanksgiving. By chance, he met an African-American mechanic. The man opened his shop early the next morning to repair the traveler’s car and charged him only for parts.

Like love, gratitude is also a virtue. It is a way of life shaped by our choice to be thankful and also by constant practice. It has been called “the foundation of the moral life” because it acknowledges a world of grace. In an act of faith, we recognize that God has given us life and everything we have. When we choose to respond to our Provider with words and actions giving thanks, we practice gratitude. By repeating this positive response whenever good is done to us, we develop the virtue to become kind, gracious, and loving people.

Yet it is possible to reject the goodness of others. Some people believe that everything they have has come solely from their own efforts. If they have ever received anything from others, they think it was owed to them. In an episode of The Simpsons, Bart is asked to say grace before a meal. He says something like, “Dear God, thanks for nothing; we paid for everything on this table.” We laugh because we recognize how absurd Bart’s words are.

Gratitude does not always come naturally. Some suffer so much in life that pain overwhelms any thankfulness. How can those with Huntington’s disease—an illness that attacks the brain and leaves its victims completely incapacitated in a short time—see God as good? How can the family of a child murdered in a random act of violence say “thank you” to God? Especially for them, gratitude is a conscious choice—an act of faith that affirms St. Paul’s teaching in Romans: “We know that all things work for good for those who love God.”

Memory also nourishes gratitude. Sometimes, after many years, we recall the kindness others have shown us. It may cause us to feel sorrow that they are no longer with us to receive our thanks.

With this background, let us examine today’s readings. In the first, the Syrian general acknowledges that the Lord God has healed him of leprosy. It is instructive that the prophet refuses the general’s gift. Elisha clearly wants to show that God acts freely, not out of obligation or for payment. In the second reading, it is the memory of Christ’s death and resurrection that moves St. Paul to respond with gratitude. Even though he suffers “to the point of chains,” he gives thanks to God for knowing Timothy. Finally, in the Gospel, the Samaritan leper returns to Jesus to show his gratitude as soon as he realizes he has been healed. Jesus expects all the healed to return with the same gratitude. He does not need their thanks, but such gratitude would mean that they have become people of virtue. Then Jesus could say to them, as he says to the Samaritan: “Your faith has saved you.”

Even the secular world recognizes the value of thanksgiving. Canadians celebrate their Thanksgiving tomorrow, and Americans next month. We Catholics give thanks to God every time we celebrate the Eucharist. May we, with the help of grace, be transformed into people of deep gratitude, ready to recognize every act of goodness that comes our way.

Friday, October 12, 2025

 

Friday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

(Joel 1:13-15.2:1-2; Luke 11:15-26)

Recent surveys show that more than four-fifths of the Church in the United States leave for other churches or no longer practice any faith.  Today’s gospel indicates why.

Jesus is warning the crowd following him not to test him by seeking signs.  He tells the people that it should be obvious that he works for God.  If he were in league of the devil when he casts out demons, the devil would be defeating himself.  Then Jesus delivers a critical message.  Once a devil has been cast out, the person who was possessed must take care to follow Jesus closely.  If not, the devil who was cast out will find in that person a vacuum which he and other evil spirits could enter.

Although few of us have been possessed, as we think of the term, by a devil, all of us have had our sins forgiven.  Jesus’ message then applies to us who have been freed from sin.  If we dawdle in fantasies of unbelief or of corrupt pleasures, we will find ourselves sinning worse than before.  Once forgiven of sin, we should continue praying and participating in the sacraments so that we do not sin again.

Thursday, October 9, 2025

 

Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

(Malachi 3:13-20b; Luke 11:5-13)

In a city known for its corrupt government a building inspector insisted that a poor widow give him a bribe before he would approve the sale of her house.  The woman made all the improvements the inspector called for, but the official would not sign off without being paid.  The widow knew that it was useless to seek recourse with the city’s managers.  Paying bribes to inspectors was the way the city functioned.

The first reading today paints a similar picture of global corruption.  The prophet Malachi writes in the last part of the fifth century before Christ. The idealism that accompanied the rebuilding of the Temple a century before has given way to defiance of the Law.  Malachi notes that the people question the value of following the Law’s commands.  They would rather extoll depravity and evil doing. 

Only a small number of the citizenry care to live righteously.  Their names are etched in the Lord’s book of life.  God promises that the sun of justice will arise and heal them of the wounds they suffer.  Like in the Canticle of Zechariah of Luke’s Gospel, the “sun of justice” refers to Jesus Christ.  He brings about the defeat of evil with his resurrection from the dead.

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

 

Wednesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

(Jonah 4:1-11; Luke 11:1-4)

The story of Jonah testifies to the universal mission of God’s chosen people.  God called Israel to bring all the nations of the world to Himself.  This is another example of God’s care for creation.  Close to God, who is love, people thrive.  God’s unifying will is memorably expressed in the Isaiah 2: "All nations will come and say, 'Come, let's go to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob's God. He will teach us his ways, so we may walk in his paths'". 

Jonah rebelled at the thought of Israel’s enemies being converted and enjoying God’s favor.  In today’s first reading God reproaches Jonah for his narrow and spiteful viewpoint.  God tenderly expresses His love for all with His question to Jonah, “…  should I not be concerned over Nineveh, the great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot distinguish their right hand from their left …?”

Jesus Christ has brought God’s mission to its climax.  His death on the cross and resurrection spurred the preaching of God’s love to all the world.  We like Jonah have a role in this universal mission.  God wants us to tell others of His love in both with both words and deeds.

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

 

Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary

(Jonah 3:1-10; Luke 10:38-42)

Today’s Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary recalls the victory of European naval forces over the Turkish fleet in 1571.  Pope Saint Pius V called on Europe to pray the rosary in hope of stopping the Muslim incursion in Europe.  The prayer was granted with the combined European forces decisively defeating the Turkish navy at the Battle of Lepanto.

Prayer is effective.  The first reading demonstrates how even the Ninevites, Israel’s antagonists, secure the Lord’s favor through prayer and fasting.  The gospel too hints of the power of prayer.  Martha goes to Jesus with her complaint that Mary should be helping her.  The Lord answers her petition although not in the way Martha imagined.  He explains that Mary helping her is not needed so much as her joining Mary in listening to him.

The rosary is a tedious prayer which Catholics do not pray as much as they used to.  Nevertheless, it does focus the mind and heart on Jesus and his Mother.  It might be done while exercising or working to fend off tedium.  Often during the day we perform mindless tasks which might be combined with effective prayer forms such as the rosary.

Monday, October 6, 2025

 Monday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary time

 (Jonah 1:1-2:2.11; Luke 10:25-37)

 Several years ago a leading Catholic university removed the crucifixes from its classrooms.  Having a multi-ethnic student body, the university administration reasoned that the crucifixes might offend students of other religious traditions.  One Muslim student, however, was bothered by the removal.  After all, he asked, what kind of guest would he be if he could not respect the symbols and artifacts of his hosts’ religion?  Eventually, the crucifixes were returned to the classrooms, and their removal, no doubt, was attributed to political correctness.

 The Book of the Prophet Jonah similarly testifies to people from other religions showing greater sensibility to true religion than they of the dominant tradition.  Jonah, the Jew, is disgusted with the Lord for his parallel love of other peoples.  He flees when God commands him to preach in the city of Nineveh, Israel’s captors.  In his flight the sailors on the ship that transports Jonah show more regard for the Lord than he.  They pray to God for help and shudder to think that their act of appeasement may not please God.

 We find Jesus making a similar point in the gospel.  He describes the heretical Samaritan who comes to the aid of the dying stranger as giving God greater praise than the priest and Levite. The Holy Spirit works among different peoples and religions just as surely as it lavishes graces upon us.

Sunday, October 5, 2025

 

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 5, 2025
(Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4; 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14; Luke 17:5-10)

Today's three readings seize our attention. In the Gospel, the apostles ask Jesus: "Increase our faith." This plea has resonated through the centuries. People of every age have felt their feet slipping in following the Lord Jesus. The world has often been a desert that does not nourish living faith. No matter the era, it has always been difficult to place trust in the sacraments and the teachings of the Church as the path to salvation. In the Middle Ages, great plagues that killed half the population in various parts of the world turned the earth into a "vale of tears." During the Industrial Revolution, multitudes lived in subhuman conditions that fostered hatred and rebellion. In the last century, television created a new desert of distractions that diverted attention from Christ, our leader.

The internet age has not freed humanity from the feeling of being lost. Computers and smart phones have taken control of many lives. Young people, in particular, are plagued by the easy access to pornography, which corrupts both healthy relationships and sound minds. Screens have led many into a virtual, unreal world, with superficial relationships and experiences almost devoid of meaning. Many Catholics have settled for "Mass on TV." They find it appealing because it doesn't require the effort of dressing up, traveling, or meeting undesirable people. But by following this way of praying, they miss the opportunity to receive the Lord in Holy Communion and to meaningfully unite with the community.

A cartoon released last Thanksgiving summarized well the predicament of our social breakdown today. The first frame finds a family gathered around the holiday table thirty years ago; everyone is talking with one another, smiling, and having a good time. The second shows the same family today, sitting in the living room, each one staring at a phone with bored faces.

We ask ourselves how we can lead our loved ones out of this digital desert. We are like the prophet Habakkuk in the first reading, crying out to the Lord: “How long, O Lord, must I cry for help without you listening?” We too feel the need to ask for more faith, like the apostles, so that we can believe our situation is not hopeless. But the Lord answers us, as he did them, that we already have enough faith—we only need to put it into action.

That is also the response Paul gives his young disciple Timothy in the second reading. Timothy was facing a challenge as bishop of the Christian community in Ephesus. Paul tells him to rekindle the gift of the Spirit he received when Paul laid hands on him. We don’t know exactly what Timothy’s problem was, but it likely involved false doctrines circulating at the time like the claim that Jesus was not truly human. Whatever the case, Paul urges Timothy to make full use of the gifts given to him by the Holy Spirit.

In the same way that Paul laid his hands on Timothy in the sacrament of Holy Orders, the bishop or his delegate laid hands on us in Confirmation. That sacrament sealed us with the Holy Spirit to serve the Body of Christ, the Church. His many gifts enable us to resist the obsession with computer devices that plagues our society. They strengthen us with courage not to give up the struggle; they balance us with moderation so as not to recognize the positive value of computers and telephones; and above all, they guide us with love so that our efforts may always give glory to God.

 

Friday, October 3, 2025

 Friday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time

 (Baruch 1:15-22; Luke 10:13-16)

  On the anniversary of his being ordained a bishop, St. Augustine said: “Where I’m terrified by what I am for you, I am given comfort by what I am with you.  For you I am a bishop, with you, after all, I am a Christian.  The first is the name of an office undertaken, the second a name of grace; that one means danger, this one salvation.”  More than most clerics, Augustine was aware of the great responsibility he assumed with ordination.  Jesus suggests the enormity of the undertaking in today’s gospel.

Jesus is dismissing the seventy-two disciples for their missionary journey.  He has mandated that they announce the kingdom of God.  Now, after indicating the consequences for those who reject the disciples’ proclamation, he identifies himself with them, and God the Father with him.  It may be a privilege that they have been chosen to preach God’s word, but it entails a huge mortgage.  They will be responsible for other people’s salvation.  If they fail because of carelessness or give rise to scandal, they can expect a more disastrous fate than the condemnation of Tyre, Sidon, and Capernaum.

All of us are being called today to be missionary disciples.  We are to learn from Jesus the ways of holiness, love, and justice.  And then we are to show these qualities to others.  There is not much room for slack on the mission.  But let us not be troubled too much by the responsibility.  After all, as Augustine knew well, knowing Christ has graced us.  We not only can but are delighted to share his love with others.

Thursday, October 2, 2025

 

Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels

(Nehemiah 8:1-4a.5-6.7b-12; Matthew 18:1-5.10)

Out of sync with his time, Jesus championed children.  Others marginalized children regarding them as foolish adults after sever years of age.  Jesus, however, valued their confidence in God and demanded that they be duly cared for.  In today’s gospel he referred to God’s assignment of an angel to safeguard each child’s welfare.

In contemporary times children are protected with rights.  But oddly, modern protection sometimes has undermined the responsibility of parents and even jeopardized children’s welfare.  Parents with the assistance of health professionals should determine the medical care children need.  Nevertheless, adolescent girls in many places are given birth control drugs without parental permission.  A few jurisdictions likewise allow adolescents to receive puberty blockers in cases of gender dysphoria.

Determining and providing what is good for children requires prudence.  Parents will hopefully develop this virtue when the natural love they have for their children moves them to seek learned counsel.  We can offer prayerful support to parents as they strive to do what is best for their children’s development.