As I was reading today’s readings, I was struck by the frequency of the word “Lord.” In the first reading, the Jews sing a song about God’s fidelity in keeping them in peace. They trust in the Lord, and He keeps them safe: “Trust in the Lord forever! For the Lord is an eternal Rock. He humbles those in high places, and the lofty city he brings down” (Isa 26:4–5). The psalm focuses on giving thanks to the Lord and taking refuge in Him, recognizing that He has opened His gates to the just, bringing salvation, prosperity, and light to the faithful. In the Gospel, Jesus emphasizes the security of those who hear the words of the Lord and act on them, not simply saying, “Lord, Lord.”
In the first reading, it is the Lord who does everything: He keeps the people in peace, He humbles those in high places, He brings down the lofty city, and He opens the gates to let in a just nation. In the psalm, the speaker takes refuge in the Lord rather than any other authority, and recognizes that it is God alone who saves, gives prosperity, and provides light. The speaker cannot even attribute the “gates of justice” to man: “This gate is the Lord’s” (Ps 118:20).
The common thread here, besides the word “Lord,” is the exalted status of God. Of course we should put God first. But the sacred authors, instructed by Revelation, recognize that this means that we ought to follow Him without reservation, attributing the efficacy of all our endeavors to His grace. The Lord is the one doing all of the work, and we follow by trusting in Him and relying on Him. Jesus carries this theme to its conclusion, pointing out that if we rely solely on our own intelligence, we will have a shaky foundation. If we rely on God’s word, we will have a firm foundation.
To have a firm foundation, prosperity, light, salvation, and all the rest, we have to put our trust in the Lord and follow Him. This means that we should both hear and do His word, even when it is difficult for us. This is not self-annihilation, even though the path to discipleship begins with a great deal of self-denial. Jesus contrasts the man who built his house based on his own intelligence with the man who built his house using God’s word as the foundation, but in the end our own desires should come into conformity with God’s will. St. Augustine’s famous line “Love God and do what you will” expresses this union. The one who loves God completely, trusting in Him and following Him in all circumstances, will soon find that his only desire is to do what God thinks is best. If we focus on God first, recognizing that He is to thank for everything, and remain in a state of grace, we can trust that our desires will be aligned with His.
Daily Reading
Thursday of the First Week of Advent
Reading 1 Is 26:1-6 On that day they will sing this song in the land of Judah: “A strong city have we;he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us.Open…
Saint of the Day
Saint Sabas
Saint Sabas, born in Cappadocia, was a pivotal figure in early Eastern monasticism, renowned for his devout life of solitude and community leadership.
The post Saint Sabas appeared first on uCatholic.
During this first week of Advent, as we prepare for the great coming of our Savior, the Gospel helps us see what this Savior will give us. Jesus draws great crowds with his preaching of the Kingdom. He heals the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, “and many others.” He amazes the crowd, who in turn glorify the God of Israel.
The compassionate Heart of Jesus is moved with pity for the hungry crowd, who have almost run out of food, but not out of enthusiasm for hearing the Truth! The disciples note that, there in the middle of nowhere, there are no resources to feed all these people. So Jesus asks them to bring to him the meager supplies they have – seven loaves and a few fish. And then he does what is so familiar to us: Jesus gives thanks, breaks the bread, and gives it to the disciples, who in turn give it to the crowds. “They all ate and were satisfied,” and there were seven baskets of leftovers. An impossible abundance.
Does this story sound familiar? This is indeed the second time Jesus multiplies bread for a crowd. The first time (in Mt 5), there are 12 baskets left over; scholars point out that this is meant to signify enough for the 12 tribes of Israel. In today’s Gospel, Jesus is probably preaching to the Gentiles, and there are seven baskets leftover; seven is the number of completion and ending, the number of times the Gentile army commander Naaman had to wash in the Jordan to be cured of his leprosy. The Gentiles are included in Jesus’ abundant self-gift as well.
This prefiguring of the Eucharist – the sacrament that unites the entire human family around the one altar – is also prefiguring the inclusion of non-Jews in the New Covenant. In Christ, we are all one Body, and there is neither Gentile nor Jew, woman or man, free or slave.
At every Mass, Jesus again gives thanks, breaks the Bread, and gives it to us through the priest. If we are eager for Truth, we will receive healing and grace. If in that Communion we give Him all we have – as meager as it is – we will see that Jesus can multiply it and do amazing things with the little resources we have to offer. If we receive the Bread of Life with joy and gratitude, we too will eat and be satisfied, with overflowing.
This Advent, let’s consider that the little Infant born of Mary in Bethlehem and laid in an animals’ feeding trough is truly Food for all, giving himself wholly to feed immense crowds every day in every place, bringing the whole human family together in His Heart.
Daily Reading
Thursday of the First Week of Advent
Reading 1 Is 26:1-6 On that day they will sing this song in the land of Judah: “A strong city have we;he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us.Open…
Saint of the Day
Saint Sabas
Saint Sabas, born in Cappadocia, was a pivotal figure in early Eastern monasticism, renowned for his devout life of solitude and community leadership.
The post Saint Sabas appeared first on uCatholic.
“I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, you have revealed them to the childlike.”
What does it mean to become childlike? Should we return to the innocent ignorance of our childhood? Or ignore the knowledge we already have? That seems unlikely. We can’t turn back time, and Christ still calls us to learn. So how else do we access “these things” that Christ mentions in His prayer?
Christ invites us here to set aside the search for human wisdom and embrace our human littleness. Some of the most pressing questions we grapple with are questions we might never answer ourselves. “How will my life go? Where will I end up? What if I never accomplish X, or understand Y?”
But the simplicity of God is beautiful. He’s not asking us to find all the answers. Remember, He has hidden them from the wise and the learned. His message isn’t restricted to people with multiple degrees or Einstein-level genius. Who receives the wisdom of God? According to Christ, “the childlike.” The little. Those who, regardless of their knowledge or wisdom, have humility.
What if hunting for answers actually draws us away from Him?
Christ’s words call us to consider that maybe having the wisdom or the answers actually isn’t the answer. He knew that a quest for human wisdom might distance us from Him. Christ’s closest friends, the Apostles, were ordinary men – fishermen, workers; not scribes or scholars. Likewise, some of the greatest saints never received formal schooling. It was not wisdom that brought them close to Christ. It was their childlikeness, their humility.
St. Francis Xavier, whose feast day is celebrated today, stated: “With humility, all things are obtained.” He was a priest of the Society of Jesus and a close friend of Ignatius of Loyola. His words give us a simple, beautiful explanation of Our Lord’s prayer in the Gospel today.
St. Francis Xavier did attend the University of Paris for a time, but that’s not how he became a saint. He was a missionary in many countries, notably India and Japan, and it definitely wasn’t easy. St. Francis Xavier probably never knew ahead of time where he’d be sent, or what challenges he’d find on the way, or whether people would accept the Gospel. But St. Francis Xavier had childlike trust in God, and he ultimately baptized around thirty thousand converts before his death.
St. Francis didn’t rely on human wisdom to do God’s will. Rather, he embraced his littleness. He allowed God to carry his life, as a father carries a little child. Christ is calling you to do the same. Can you let go of the quest for answers? Can you let Him carry you?
St. Francis Xavier, pray for us!
Daily Reading
Thursday of the First Week of Advent
Reading 1 Is 26:1-6 On that day they will sing this song in the land of Judah: “A strong city have we;he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us.Open…
Saint of the Day
Saint Sabas
Saint Sabas, born in Cappadocia, was a pivotal figure in early Eastern monasticism, renowned for his devout life of solitude and community leadership.
The post Saint Sabas appeared first on uCatholic.
Jesus is impressed by the faith of the centurion in our Gospel. He does not often remark positively about someone’s faith, so this is significant. His expression is the template for our response at Mass. “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed” (Matt 8:8). What is so profound about this faith?
When the centurion approaches Jesus, he does not presume that the Lord will heal his servant. He simply expresses his need, trusting that Jesus will know what to do: “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully” (Matt 8:6). It is Jesus who offers to cure him: “I will come and cure him” (Matt 8:7). The centurion is detached from the result of his prayer, as far as his own desires are concerned. He prays to the Savior knowing that He has the power to heal, but not presuming that He will heal. In imitating this posture, we ought to bring our needs before God with a certain disinterest in the outcome. God is God, and He will do what is best.
But Jesus does offer to heal the servant, and the centurion accepts. Notice how he does so: “Lord, I am not worthy . . . only say the word and my servant will be healed”. He recognizes that, even when God deigns to heal his servant, he does not deserve this favor. He remains humble and gracious, but he does not deny the Lord’s gift. When we receive God’s gifts, we ought to recognize that we are not owed any of them and be gracious for what we have received, even if it doesn’t come as we expected.
The centurion continues: “For I too am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes” (Matt 8:9). He believes that Jesus can heal his servant because he knows the power of authority. The word of a person with authority is powerful. The centurion’s servants know that his commands are effective, and the centurion believes this of Jesus, too. Carrying this forward to the Mass, we understand that Jesus’ words at the Last Supper are effective: “This is My Body”; “This is My Blood.” God is the highest authority, and what He says will happen surely happens, just by speaking the words. Nothing else is needed.
Inspired by the faith of the centurion, we recognize that Jesus appreciates a humble, gracious faith that trusts in the truth and authority of Christ to accomplish His will for His glory.
Daily Reading
Thursday of the First Week of Advent
Reading 1 Is 26:1-6 On that day they will sing this song in the land of Judah: “A strong city have we;he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us.Open…
Saint of the Day
Saint Sabas
Saint Sabas, born in Cappadocia, was a pivotal figure in early Eastern monasticism, renowned for his devout life of solitude and community leadership.
The post Saint Sabas appeared first on uCatholic.
Think for just a moment about a time where you highly anticipated something. For me, one of those moments was seeing the new Star Wars movie that came out after the first six. I remember watching all the movies as a kid with my dad and I was super excited to go see the next installment. We all have moments that we anticipate and we stop what we are doing in life and set some time aside to prepare.
Here we are on the First Sunday of Advent, where we anticipate the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The first reading makes it clear that this was a major event. Think about the context for a second. For years and years the Jewish people had been promised a messiah. They had been waiting for the promises that were made to Israel and Judah to come to fruition. Finally, the time had come. Unlike a movie premier or an important event, this event will impact everything. The Church, in her wisdom, sets apart this holy season for us to anticipate the Messiah. For us to set aside what we are doing, the worries we have, the business of life, and really enter into this mystery.
No matter how much we enter into it though, at the end of the day, we all know that Jesus has already come. He has already been born and has become our Savior. This is why the Church also presents us with the Gospel today. You might find it weird that the Gospel at the start of Advent speaks of the end times. There is a reason for everything the Church does. Advent is not just a time for us to reflect on the birth of Christ, but also to anticipate the other important moment in history where Christ will come again. The question is, are we ready? Do we put just as much time and planning into making sure our relationship with God is where it should be as we put into going to that movie premier?
This is what the Advent season allows us to do. It allows us to pause our busy lives and meditate on the beauty of God becoming flesh, while at the same time anticipating His second coming as King of the Universe. During this season let’s pray for the grace to always be ready and that we might fully be able to participate in everything the Church has to offer us during this time. Ultimately, if we are in a state of Grace, the second coming is not a scary event but simply the next chapter in our walk with Christ. Let’s embrace both of these mysteries throughout this next month and allow God to enter into our hearts and change us so that when He does come again he recognizes us as his good and faithful servants.
From all of us here at Diocesan, God bless!
Daily Reading
Thursday of the First Week of Advent
Reading 1 Is 26:1-6 On that day they will sing this song in the land of Judah: “A strong city have we;he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us.Open…
Saint of the Day
Saint Sabas
Saint Sabas, born in Cappadocia, was a pivotal figure in early Eastern monasticism, renowned for his devout life of solitude and community leadership.
The post Saint Sabas appeared first on uCatholic.
Doesn’t it seem like every time you find a good doctor that you really like, they move? Or every time you get into a smooth, steady routine, something happens to throw it off balance? Or once you find that perfect pair of pants that fit you like a glove you either gain or lose weight and they no longer fit well? It seems like our lives are in a permanent state of flux, never constant, always changing. Yet we don’t like that word do we? Change. A friend of mine once received as a gift a large cup that had every single one of its synonyms written on it. He had noticed that time and time again people would cringe when he mentioned change, so he avoided saying it at all costs.
What is it about change that hits us at our core? Why do we so often flee from it, running instead toward what is inside our comfort zone, what is known and familiar? Part of it has to do with our tendency to sin and part of it our fear of the unknown. If I do something I have never done before, how will it make me feel? Will I get hurt? Will it make me sad? Or on the flip side, will I experience an unfathomable freedom and joy?
Have you ever thought about what a tremendous change Andrew and the other men experienced as they were called to discipleship in today’s Gospel? There is no verbal response, no drama, and no second thoughts. It simply says: “At once they left their nets and followed him.” And again, “immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.” Can you imagine what being in Jesus’ presence must have been like, so that just a few words of invitation were all they needed to leave everything they knew and loved, their livelihood and even their families? Now that is a huge amount of change!
Yet all of us are given the free will to make choices in our lives that can also impact us and others in a monumental way. We can choose charity instead of gossip to improve the atmosphere of our workplace. We can choose to control our temper when our children are bothering each other (yet again), to give them a Christ-like example of patience within our families. We can choose gratitude instead of complaining when things don’t go our way, to help create a more positive parish. We can choose to serve in a ministry we don’t think we have time for to allow the light of Christ to shine through us and brighten the lives of those in our communities.
Lord, show us which areas in our lives you are calling us to make a positive change. Grant us the strength we need to overcome our weaknesses and the courage we need to overcome our fears. Increase our faith to truly believe that your grace is enough for us. Amen.
Daily Reading
Thursday of the First Week of Advent
Reading 1 Is 26:1-6 On that day they will sing this song in the land of Judah: “A strong city have we;he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us.Open…
Saint of the Day
Saint Sabas
Saint Sabas, born in Cappadocia, was a pivotal figure in early Eastern monasticism, renowned for his devout life of solitude and community leadership.
The post Saint Sabas appeared first on uCatholic.
Every morning, as I brush my teeth or make my bed, I say a personal litany which has developed over a period of time. My prayers include the petition, “Come again, Lord Jesus,” And when I think of what the return of Christ will entail for those who do not believe, it naturally leads to the fervent prayer, “Jesus, I trust in you!” The one prayer always leads to the other.
Today’s Mass readings are sobering, but hopeful. Humankind has been diagnosed by God with a life-threatening illness. It is bad news. Our sin, untreated, will lead us to eternal death. But then there is the Good News. In God’s great mercy, there is a remedy available to us!
Jesus Christ is the Divine Physician who can save us from a diagnosis of a terminal spiritual illness. We would be wise to foster a deep and trusting relationship with our “Doctor,” so that we can be more totally convinced that His remedy will really heal us, especially when the treatment gets tough, and we are tempted to give up and do things our own way.
When the Bible speaks about tribulation, the end of the world, and God’s judgment upon humanity, it is a wake-up call. It is a reality we may be reluctant to face, but the Church clearly tells us: “The message of the Last Judgment calls men to conversion while God is still giving them ‘the acceptable time, . . . the day of salvation.’ It inspires a holy fear of God and commits them to the justice of the Kingdom of God. It proclaims the ‘blessed hope’ of the Lord’s return…” (CCC, 1041).
The time to get serious about deep and life-changing conversion is now. And what joys are in store for us when we do, both in this world and especially in the next! I don’t know what the new heavens and the new earth will look like (but it sounds awesome!), and I don’t know what trials I, personally, will have to undergo before I come before the judgment seat of God, but I will try to cooperate with my Physician, so that I might be healed. The rest—the future, judgment, eternal outcome—I will leave in His loving and capable hands.
Daily Reading
Thursday of the First Week of Advent
Reading 1 Is 26:1-6 On that day they will sing this song in the land of Judah: “A strong city have we;he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us.Open…
Saint of the Day
Saint Sabas
Saint Sabas, born in Cappadocia, was a pivotal figure in early Eastern monasticism, renowned for his devout life of solitude and community leadership.
The post Saint Sabas appeared first on uCatholic.
Happy Thanksgiving! I would like to start by asking you to read today’s Gospel from Luke 21:20-28. If you are a regular Bible reader, this might be a passage that you would like to skip over. Why? Because, after you read it you may say something like, “GULP! Don’t blame me, I’m just the messenger.”
If you read it very carefully, you might say to yourself, “Boy, this sounds familiar.” And it is. Perhaps you have noticed that Mother Nature is raising havoc all over the world. Perhaps more than any other time in our lives. During Jesus’ time on earth there were famines and wars. Fast forward to today and guess what? There are still famines and wars. There’s also a lot of darkness going on in the area of trying to change oneself into another gender and the enormous amount of babies that are dying in the womb.
The Scripture passage above is full of gloom and doom, but did you know that if something big is coming the Lord will let his people know? For example, before the destruction of Jerusalem in the year 70, God let his people know so the Christians could evacuate before it happened.
So how can we make good after all the destruction that the Lord says is coming? You know who wins in the end, don’t you? Based on that we can find the good. This is a time of purification. It can come in many ways, tailored to you and tailored to me.
I believe that this is a time when we should take a good look at forgiveness. We can start with the Our Father and review what it says: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Read that again. We are asking the Lord to forgive us and he will if we forgive others. Whoa! I never really read it that way. Jesus also said you cannot love Him and hate your neighbor. Something to reflect on…
So, where is the joy in all this? It’s found in the fact that Jesus Christ went through his passion and cross and rose again to save us from our sins. Thank you Jesus! If we are weak in our faith we need to ask the Lord for more faith and he will give it to us. Why? Because he wants all of God’s people to be with him forever and for that, we can be truly thankful!
Serving with joy!
Daily Reading
Thursday of the First Week of Advent
Reading 1 Is 26:1-6 On that day they will sing this song in the land of Judah: “A strong city have we;he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us.Open…
Saint of the Day
Saint Sabas
Saint Sabas, born in Cappadocia, was a pivotal figure in early Eastern monasticism, renowned for his devout life of solitude and community leadership.
The post Saint Sabas appeared first on uCatholic.
Who is the better salesman: the devil or Jesus?
The devil promises all the things we want: good looks, prosperity, health, energy, friends, convenience, control, comfort, and a little comic relief. Our fallen nature is attracted to these things and draws back from things that are hard, that call us to give away part of ourselves or relinquish our sense of security. The world, the flesh, and the devil have immediate and almost irresistible ways to lure us off the narrow road with promises that cannot be kept.
The Lord keeps his promises without fail, but never conceals the cost of discipleship from his disciples. He tells us clearly that to gain eternal life, we must hate our lives in this world, take up our cross each day to follow him, and be willing to give up everything to have the pearl of great price. The Good News IS good, but its promise comes at a cost. It cost Jesus everything, and it costs each one of us. In today’s Gospel, Jesus even warns that his followers will be seized and persecuted, handed over by relatives and friends, hated, and even put to death; this is hardly good marketing!
But none of us likes the bait and switch. We don’t like to be lured into saying yes to something, only to find out we’ve been duped. We are willing to invest in things of lasting value, provided we have confidence that it will last.
So, while Jesus does not conceal the cost, He also holds out the glorious promise that only he can keep. He promises us the only thing of lasting value: eternal life and security and joy and love in a shining peaceful Kingdom that has no end. An eternity of bliss.
Today, let’s be determined to reject the devil’s temptations, which are always a bait and switch: we think we will have everything, and we end up with nothing. Let’s embrace all that Jesus promises, and ask for the grace to be willing to let go of everything in this world, so that we will be blessed to receive all that really matters – forever.
Daily Reading
Thursday of the First Week of Advent
Reading 1 Is 26:1-6 On that day they will sing this song in the land of Judah: “A strong city have we;he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us.Open…
Saint of the Day
Saint Sabas
Saint Sabas, born in Cappadocia, was a pivotal figure in early Eastern monasticism, renowned for his devout life of solitude and community leadership.
The post Saint Sabas appeared first on uCatholic.
In this somewhat confusing Gospel passage Jesus says two things in particular that stand out to me. “Take heed that you are not led astray” and “do not be terrified”.
These phrases are comforting. There is much masquerading about that can lead us astray – the pursuit of wealth, fame, or attention, a desire to be liked by others, wanting to be included instead of excluded. It’s easy to get caught up in the ways of the world and forget the simplicity of the Gospel message: we are crafted intentionally and deeply loved and Jesus came, died, and rose so we may spend eternity with God. Money, notoriety, and great stuff won’t bring us to heaven. It will distract us though.
Jesus also reminds us to not be terrified. This passage foretells destruction and endings. We know that Jesus will come again and he tells us of the signs of the end of the world. We don’t expect it to be a graceful transition. But in the midst of this scariness, we are told not to be afraid, and because we know of Christ’s great love for us and his sacrifice for our salvation, we can heed his advice with faith.
If we keep our gaze on him and don’t allow ourselves to be led astray, we can greet anything that comes our way without fear because Jesus himself told us multiple times in the Bible: “Do not be afraid.” God is so good.
Daily Reading
Thursday of the First Week of Advent
Reading 1 Is 26:1-6 On that day they will sing this song in the land of Judah: “A strong city have we;he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us.Open…
Saint of the Day
Saint Sabas
Saint Sabas, born in Cappadocia, was a pivotal figure in early Eastern monasticism, renowned for his devout life of solitude and community leadership.
The post Saint Sabas appeared first on uCatholic.