Monday, August 17, 2026

 

Monday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

Ezekiel 24:15-23; Matthew19:16-22)

Grieving the loss of a family member or close friend helps a person go on living sanely.  Especially if the loss is sudden, one needs to recognize what the loss will mean and to consider how it may be replaced.  In today’s reading from the Prophet Ezekiel the Lord tells the people of Judah that their loss will be double.  First, they will lose their loved ones, their possessions, and their homeland. Then, He says, there will be no time to grieve over these losses.

If the people ask themselves, “Why has God allowed these losses?”, they can find the answer in what the Lord tells Ezekiel: “Thus you shall know that I am God.”  God has tolerated the people’s unfaithfulness long enough.  Like a wise parent, He will correct their idolatry and neglect with a stern lesson.  He knows that adjusting to the loss will be fruitless.  He knows that they must start over and live justly from the beginning.

Idolatry and unfaithfulness are hardly remote from us today.  The Internet has made the telephone a commodity to be sought at practically any cost.  Although there are strategies and programs calling people back to church, membership is still diminishing in the West.  There is no starting over now that Christ has revealed fully God’s will.  But there is renewal in what Jesus has taught in his words and in his love for all.

Sunday, August 16, 2026

 

TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

(Isaiah 56:1, 6-7; Romans 11:11-15, 29-32; Matthew 15:21-28)

The Gospel we just heard is one of the most fascinating in the lectionary. It presents Jesus as attentive to people’s requests. Even more striking is how the Canaanite woman displays a blend of courage and humility. Unfortunately, many focus on Jesus’ comment about non-Jews when they hear the story. Listening to Jesus speak of Gentiles as “little dogs,” they question the Lord’s goodness. Let’s clear up this misconception first. Then we will be able to see more clearly the wonderful love Jesus has for all.

Scholars tell us two things about the comment. First, Jesus refers to Gentiles with the diminutive “little dogs,” which suggests affection. Furthermore, in the first century Jews regularly called pagans “dogs.” It can be compared to Americans calling their children "kids." In any case, the Canaanite woman doesn't take offense. Rather, she uses it to strengthen her request of Jesus.

Jesus has come to the region of Tyre and Sidon to rest.  Lately, his mission has been difficult. For the most part, the Jews are not accepting his message. Also, the Pharisees and scribes keep harassing him. Jesus seeks a break from the crowds seeking him out for healing. Then the mother of the demon-possessed Gentile girl confronts him.

But it isn't just to regain his strength that he initially rejects the Canaanite woman's request. As he tells his disciples, he has been sent to bring back "the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Here Jesus again uses an animal name to refer to people.) This is no small matter. Jesus does not want his mission to Jews to be confused with that of his disciples to all the nations once the Kingdom of God has been established.  This will happen when he is ascended into heaven and the Holy Spirit sent into the world.

However, the woman's faith moves him to change his mind. The Canaanite calls him "Lord" and prostrates herself before him to acknowledge his divine origin. Then Jesus realizes that a person's ethnicity is not as important as her beliefs. He is willing to grant the Canaanite woman’s request because she has demonstrated a firm belief in God's mercy. Through this change of plan, Jesus is initiating the preaching to the nations anticipated by the prophet in the first reading and carried out in the ministry of Saint Paul in the second.

There is a story that can help us understand the dynamic here. During World War II, an American soldier was killed in the French countryside. The dead man's comrades took the corpse to a church and asked for permission to bury him in the parish cemetery. The pastor asked if the dead soldier was a Catholic. They replied that he was a Protestant. The priest informed them that he could not allow it because the cemetery was reserved only for deceased Catholics. So, the soldiers sadly buried their friend just outside the stone wall of the cemetery.

The next day they returned to say a final prayer at the grave of their friend before leaving the area. But they couldn't find it. They searched thoroughly, but to no avail. Then they went back to the rectory to ask the priest if he knew what had happened to their comrade's remains. The priest told them that he wasn't been able to sleep that night because he had refused their request. So he got up in the middle of the night, went to the cemetery, took down the stone wall, and rebuilt it to include the dead soldier's grave!

We are not saying that the rules insisting only Catholics be buried in Catholic cemeteries are unjust. Much less are we saying that Jesus' initial reasons for not casting the demon out of the Canaanite woman's daughter were frivolous. But love sometimes compels us to reach beyond our limits and the rules that govern our daily activity. God's love, agape, extends to those we barely know, to those we don’t know at all, to those who may be sinful and to those who are suffering.  This is the will of God the Father. This is our legacy from Jesus, the Lord.

Friday, August 14, 2026

 

Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr

(Ezekiel 16:1-5.60.63; Matthew 19:3-12)

The Pharisees are playing hardball with Jesus as he and his disciples approach Jerusalem.  They are not testing whether he learned his catechism when they ask him about divorce.  They know that he has taught that marriage is a permanent union.  They want him to commit himself to opposing an article in the Torah that permits a man to divorce his wife with a written dismissal. 

Jesus is not intimidated by the truth.  He reiterates what he said in the Sermon on the Mount that it is a sin to divorce one’s wife to marry another woman.  As strong as Jesus is, he also is compassionate.  It is not impossible that Jesus has in mind homosexuals when he mentions those “incapable of marriage because they were born so.” 

There is no question of allowing so-called “homosexual marriage,” but there is reason to afford homosexuals special pastoral care.  Their genital desires can never be licitly satisfied.  Yet they may have fulfilling lives as they bear their cross behind Jesus.

 

Thursday, August, 13, 2026

 

Thursday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Ezekiel 12:1-12; Matthew 18:21-19:1

Doesn’t the gospel today seem somewhat fantastical?  Whoever heard of a person asking forgiveness seventy-seven times?  The truth is that probably every one of us has done so.  As children, we likely confessed repeatedly, “disobeying my parents.”   As adults, many poor souls cannot stop looking at pornography and confess the sin sometimes twice a week.

However, multiple sinning is not the point of Jesus’ parable.  His intention goes to the heart of the good news he preached.  As the king in the parable, God forgives individual men and women their many offenses. In return, God expects them to forgive one another.

Must we forgive our offenders when they do not ask for our pardon?  Do we have to extend forgiveness if offenders show no sign of repentance?  It does not seem so.  The Church does not give general absolution for sins unconfessed.  But it is necessary that we be ready to forgive by praying for those who offend us.

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.

Thursday, August 6, 2026

 

Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

(Daniel 7:9-10.13-14; II Peter 1:16-19; Matthew 17:1-9)

Coming down the mountain, Jesus tells his three disciples that they have had a “vision.”  This word is key.  It indicates that they have seen something extraordinary.  Indeed, they have.  They have glimpsed both past and future.  It is something to tell the whole world about which the disciples will do.

The disciples’ “vision” is of Jesus in the glory of his resurrection.  His clothes are as “white as light.”  More tellingly, Jesus appears as the fulfillment of the Law, given by Moses on his one side, and of the prophets, represented by Elijah on the other.  God is not seen, of course, but He is heard.  “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased;” He says to the disciples, “listen to him.”

In the disciples’ vision we get a peek of our future glory.  Heeding his words as the Father commands, we also will be raised from the dead.  What happened to Jesus is what is going to happen to us if we remain faithful to him.

Wednesday, August 5, 2026

 

Wednesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Jeremiah 3:1-7; Matthew 15:21-28)

In today’s first reading Jeremiah foresees a united Israel after centuries of division.  Solomon’s sons separated the northern and southern kingdoms.  The lands were devastated by the invasions of first the Assyrians in the north and then the Babylonians in the south.  The gospel indicates how Jesus sees himself bringing the two parts of the ancient kingdom together.

A descendant of David of the southern kingdom but raised in Galilee of the northern kingdom Jesus directs himself to the reunification of both.  From today’s gospel he does not want to complicate his mission by going out to gentiles.  When the Canaanite woman asks a favor, he at first refuses to cross the boundary.  Then he realizes that faith in God and not accidents of geography or history is the determining factor in what makes a true Israelite.  Quite willingly, then, he ministers to the needs of the woman.

Jesus chose twelve apostles representing the tribes of Israel as the foundation of his Church, the New Israel.  But the Church has never excluded any race or nation.  Rather its sole membership credentials have always been faith in Jesus as risen Lord and Baptism.  All people can enjoy the Church’s legacy of the Holy Spirit and eternal life.

Tuesday, August 4, 2026

 

Memorial of Saint John Vianney, priest

(Jeremiah 30:1-2.12-15.18-22; Matthew 14:22-26)

During his long ministry St. John Vianney developed a reputation as a prescient confessor and a strict preacher. Coming of age during the French revolutionary years, he discerned the contours of the Christian life in a landscape of unbelief.  Although he mostly lived in a rural parish, he attracted tens of thousands of people whom he assisted to grow closer to Christ.

Pope St. John XXIII named St. John Vianney the patron of parish priests.  Like all priests, he took a risk something like that of Peter in today’s gospel.  Walking on water seeking the Lord can describe the priestly vocation. The candidate must realize that there will be no wife to give consolation on the journey and no children to provide meaning and assistance.  Rather he must continually look in faith for the Lord’s support. 

In truth, Jesus leads all of us who make a conscientious effort to follow him onto water.  We will at times have to spurn the world’s wisdom and companionship.  We may come to feel like we are sinking.  However, we know that if we trust in him Jesus will not allow us to perish.

Monday, August 3, 2026

 

Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Jeremiah 28:1-17; Matthew 14:22-26)

Wendell Berry has been a prolific novelist and naturalist.  Much of his fiction describes a farming town in southern mid-Atlantic America.  In one of his last novels, Berry’s characters display a remarkable love for God and one another.  They are redeemed people who respond humbly and graciously to the Lord’s goodness.  They are what God calls both old and new Israel to be.

Unfortunately, Israel has not always responded so well to the Lord.  At the time of Jeremiah the people of Judah shrugged off the Law’s requirements to both God and the poor.  They are seen in today’s first reading as being threatened by mighty Babylon.  Jeremiah has told them that Babylon is God’s scourge.  It will punish Israel for its unfaithfulness to God’s law.  A false prophet delivers a contradictory message.  He claims that God will deliver the people much like He did when the Assyrians were about to invade one hundred thirty years before.  Of course, this consoling message is proven to be bogus by actual events.

Jesus has enabled our living as God has intended.  He not only taught us humility and love but demonstrated it in his life and death.  Like the characters of Wendell Berry’s fiction, we respond to Christ’s sacrifice by daily living his graciousness.