In this passage from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus presents a parable about a servant who does his duty without expecting special thanks or rewards. He speaks about how the servant works all day in the field and then comes in after a long day and serves his master, only to be told that he is simply doing what is expected of him.
At first, this seems very harsh. However, Jesus is teaching us the importance of having a servant’s heart when it comes to fulfilling our daily duties. This attitude must be one of humility and willingness to perform difficult tasks like the servant does with grace. How relatable this is to our own lives!
Jesus invites us to serve God and others with humility. Our service should not be motivated by grand recognition, rewards or awards, but by a true love for God and our neighbor. When we take the time to serve others, we are serving God.
As Catholics, we are invited to understand our faith as a way of life that requires daily commitment and obedience to the will of God. Like the servant in the parable, we have responsibilities and duties not only in our daily lives but also in our spiritual lives. These duties include prayer, attending Mass, acts of charity and being an authentic witness to the Gospel message. Our faith is a daily duty, not just a once-in-a-while response to the Gospel.
Lastly, while we are called to serve without expecting special thanks, it is very important to cultivate a heart of gratitude toward God and others. Recognizing that all we have and all we are able to do is a result of God’s grace should lead us to thank Him continually. Our gratitude should be expressed in our words, deeds and prayers! May our life be rooted in gratitude in good times and bad.
As Catholics, we are called to serve selflessly, recognizing our responsibilities and the grace that the Lord gives us to fulfill them. In doing so, we deepen our relationship with God and grow in our journey of faith, always grateful for His unending love and mercy!
Daily Reading
Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr
Readings for the Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr Reading 1 RV 10:8-11 I, John, heard a voice from heaven speak to me.Then the voice spoke to me and…
Saint of the Day
Saint Cecilia
Saint Cecilia, revered patron saint of music and the blind, symbolizes divine inspiration and steadfast faith in early Christian history.
The post Saint Cecilia appeared first on uCatholic.
“Who can ascend the mountain of the Lord? or who may stand in his holy place? He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain” (Ps. 24:3–4). Our Psalm today calls us to a very high standard, and the other readings echo this. St. Paul tells Titus that a bishop must be “blameless,” as well as “temperate, just, holy, and self-controlled” (Titus 1:7, 8). Jesus tells us that scandals will come, but “woe to the one through whom they occur” (Luke 17:1). We all make mistakes, and we all sin from time to time but Scripture is clear that our goal should be blamelessness, sinlessness, with a clean heart and action without reproach.
In a society struggling with lukewarmness and dissociation, we can fall into the trap of believing that being a good Christian means simply being a good person. If we do this, we will be acting slightly better than most non-Christians around us. But we are called to a much higher standard. The Christian is not to compare himself to others around him for inspiration; he is called to compare himself to God. God is the only one who is sinless, without reproach, blameless, holy. We become these things to the degree that we act as God acts.
It is this standard to which we are called: we are to be salt and light for the world, allowing God to work through us to heal its tastelessness and darkness. This is not easy, and it is not possible on our own. We cannot do this without availing ourselves of the means of grace, sacraments and sacramentals, remaining connected to the streams of divine life. We cannot do this without consistent and constant prayer, allowing the circumstances of our daily lives to be opportunities for turning to God and acting as saints. We cannot do this without rooting out our faults, practicing penance and not being content with repeated moral failings.
With God’s grace, we can live the call that we are given. This is what enables us to follow Christ’s command and “rebuke him” if our brother sins, “and if he repents, forgive him” (Luke 17:3, 4). If we keep our hands sinless and hearts clean, we allow Christ to live in us, and if He lives in us, we can see as He sees. We will see people for who they are, and will not be afraid to say something to them if they are setting a bad example. For example, when we are in conversation with others we tend to either remain silent or encourage them when they turn to gossip. Christ calls us to speak up, and He calls us to be just as courageous in forgiving someone who then acknowledges their wrong. In this way, we are “holding fast to the true message” that we were taught (Titus 1:9).
Daily Reading
Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr
Readings for the Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr Reading 1 RV 10:8-11 I, John, heard a voice from heaven speak to me.Then the voice spoke to me and…
Saint of the Day
Saint Cecilia
Saint Cecilia, revered patron saint of music and the blind, symbolizes divine inspiration and steadfast faith in early Christian history.
The post Saint Cecilia appeared first on uCatholic.
A student learns from their teacher and then goes out and lives their own life using what they have learned. A disciple seeks to emulate their master, living their life in imitation of their master as much as possible. Yes, Jesus was a teacher, but we are not merely students. We are disciples who seek to model our life after his, and Jesus was all-in. Today’s Gospel gives us a model of what discipleship looks and sounds like in real life.
Jesus didn’t come to do things halfway. Fully God and fully man, he experiences all of our life. He cries at the death of loved ones. He offers love and tenderness to those who reject him. He frequents the homes of those considered less than others, on the fringes of society. He is fully one of us. He goes all in, offering his very body and blood in atonement so that we do not have to be separated from God. After his resurrection, he still eats with the disciples, not out of his need, but out of theirs. He institutes the Eucharist, where he is forever humbled to be present in the bread and wine. Jesus is all-in in everything he does.
Likewise the widow. No one would blame her for giving less. After all, she is a widow. She has no one to take care of her and provide for her. But her response to God’s call to give, is to give everything. She leaves it all there trusting God to provide her daily bread.
Are we all-in? When we give, do we give from our excess or from our need? Is our gift to God from our first fruits or our leftovers? It isn’t just money! What about our time? Life in our society is so crazy fast! We are on the move from the moment we wake until we fall into our beds again at night. When our feet hit the floor, do we take time to thank God for the gift of another day or are we already at a run, tackling our never-ending to-do list?
People used to sanctify their day by stopping when they heard the Church bells to pray and reconnect with God. In today’s world, the Church bells have been drowned out by all the other sounds of modern society. How do we stop and reconnect with God, our Source and our Creator, throughout the day? Do we invite God into all parts of our life or do we save some portion of ourselves for ourselves? How close, or how far away are we from going all-in? The widow sets a high bar for us.
Dear Lord, help me to be like the widow. Help me to be all-in. Let all that I do bring glory to you and reflect your love back into the world. May I truly be your disciple, not just your student. Amen.
Daily Reading
Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr
Readings for the Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr Reading 1 RV 10:8-11 I, John, heard a voice from heaven speak to me.Then the voice spoke to me and…
Saint of the Day
Saint Cecilia
Saint Cecilia, revered patron saint of music and the blind, symbolizes divine inspiration and steadfast faith in early Christian history.
The post Saint Cecilia appeared first on uCatholic.
The money changers in the temple in today’s Gospel felt justified to profit from what people needed to fulfill their temple worship obligations. Unfortunately, sometimes we do the same thing. Let’s change the picture of the “money changers” to those in our modern-day, who profit from the needs of others: physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Look to your heart to see if in some small (or perhaps significant) way you profit from another person’s gifts, talents, or needs; another’s friendship or love; another’s fear or loneliness; another’s willingness to give of himself. Or look at the pride you might have because someone looks up to you, and you relish being of influence. Is it for the good of their soul, and yours, or because you crave power? Once you start down that slippery slope of false reasoning, the gray that governs your actions becomes a blind spot. You sometimes can no longer see that what you do is harmful. You can find so many justifications! Such was the case of the money changers in today’s Gospel. To them, it was justified. They couldn’t see how far they had sunk into the sin of corruption.
Ask yourself if the alluring power of sin has clouded your judgment so that you can no longer tell where you stepped off the path of righteousness. We can probably reason that the money changers started in good faith, but then it got out of hand, turning a “service” to the people into corruption, and sacrilegious use of sacred ground. Don’t let this happen to you.
Ezekiel gives us today, also, one of my favorite “pictures” into the heart of God. Grace in the form of water spilling from all sides of the temple, making the seawater fresh and the ground fertile. Life will be abundant; fruit trees will grow bearing fruit; their leaves shall not fade nor their fruit fall. The fruit shall serve as food and their leaves as medicine.
Today’s Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome is a great reminder to us that we are also called to be a temple of God! If you feel that you aren’t there yet, then stand in the water flowing from the side of Christ to bless and nourish you. Let Christ gently cleanse the money changer in you out of your heart and return that space to hallowed ground, a sacred space for him to dwell in communion with you. Let Him transform you into the temple He has created you to be!
God Bless.
Daily Reading
Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr
Readings for the Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr Reading 1 RV 10:8-11 I, John, heard a voice from heaven speak to me.Then the voice spoke to me and…
Saint of the Day
Saint Cecilia
Saint Cecilia, revered patron saint of music and the blind, symbolizes divine inspiration and steadfast faith in early Christian history.
The post Saint Cecilia appeared first on uCatholic.
Luke 16:1-8 is sometimes referred to as “The Shrewd Manager,” while other translations use the title “The Dishonest Steward.” This Scripture usually leaves me scratching my head at its meaning. My pastor recently offered life-changing spiritual advice when he recommended facing a passage that confuses you, is new to you, or that you’re very well acquainted with but would like a new insight into, by enlisting specific assistance from the Holy Spirit. Ask the Spirit to clear your mind from any obstacles to grace, and then illuminate the words of Scripture to reveal the truth they hold within. I did, and the Spirit, as usual, did not disappoint!
First, the Spirit showed me the clarity of Jesus’ audience — he was speaking to His disciples. Next, knowing Jesus would never lead us astray from virtuous behavior, we can be assured we are not to imitate this unsavory behavior, which all these characters of the parable display. There is a bigger-picture lesson Jesus is looking to teach. The steward is a manager or a keeper of another’s resources, and his crime is mismanagement. Keep that word in mind.
The steward is guilty of squandering the rich man’s property and is told to prepare a complete account of his dealings. Each of us will have to make a full account of the gifts, resources, and talents bestowed by God for our use during our lifetime. Every word, action, and non-action will need to stand before Jesus one day; this is His warning to us to be very careful not to mismanage these gifts.
Jesus points to the shrewdness shown by the manager and others like him out of self-preservation; the children of this world (non-believers) are more prudent in dealing with their generation than the children of the light (believers). However, unlike the children of the world who hold tightly to the materials of the here and now, our call as disciples is to put the heavenly before the earthly.
The material world is tangible, ever before us, at times making it difficult to ignore in light of the invisible glory to come. A prime, albeit embarrassing example, happened to me one Sunday. Kneeling in my pew, having just received the Eucharist, my watch vibrated with a message from my son. The response needed to be timely, but it certainly could have waited less than ten minutes until the end of Mass. Yet, I caved to the immediate and (probably not so) slyly pulled out my phone and texted my son!
Saint Clement I sums up Jesus’ moral of this parable and the struggle, which is so very real, with these words, “This world and the world to come are two enemies. We cannot, therefore, be friends to both; but we must decide which we will forsake and which we will enjoy.” Which “shrewd” moves will we make this day to become friends with the things of heaven and thrive as children of light?
Daily Reading
Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr
Readings for the Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr Reading 1 RV 10:8-11 I, John, heard a voice from heaven speak to me.Then the voice spoke to me and…
Saint of the Day
Saint Cecilia
Saint Cecilia, revered patron saint of music and the blind, symbolizes divine inspiration and steadfast faith in early Christian history.
The post Saint Cecilia appeared first on uCatholic.
“Every saint has a past and every sinner a future.” (Oscar Wilde)
I once heard a story on NPR that touched me deeply. A woman’s teenage son was killed by another teenager in the heat of an argument. The young man was tried as an adult and sent to prison. While in prison, he spent a lot of time reflecting on what he had done and he was convinced that he needed the forgiveness of the mother who he had left without a son. He started writing to her, asking her to forgive him and also asking if she would come visit him. The woman would not. She could not find it in her heart to forgive and, in spite of the encouragement of her family and friends, refused to visit him. However, after much time had passed, she finally relented and set up a prison visit. She fully expected to see a young teenage boy there, yet was shocked to see a man. Her heart melted, and she took him into her arms. In that instant, her son was back. When the man was paroled, she was there to meet him, took him into her home and helped him to adjust and get a job. He, in turn, took her as his mother and did all he could to help her in her aging years. Over time, he bought a house only a few blocks from hers and continued to be her friend and her “son.”
This is a perfect example of what Jesus is talking about in today’s Gospel when He says: “There will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents” after recounting the Parable of the Lost Sheep. We’ve heard this ever-famous story about the shepherd who would not give up looking for the one sheep that was separated and lost from the herd many, many times. Did you ever wonder if it was worth it for the shepherd to spend so much time, travel so far, and, we presume, neglect the rest of the herd, to find this one sheep? Did you ever wonder just what was so special about this sheep?
How often have we not given another person a second chance? How often have we kept people locked in the boxes of their sinful past, not willing to recognize where they are now on their road to salvation. I dare say it happens a lot to all of us. We might even think ourselves as the righteous and forget that we, ourselves, are sinners.
I encourage you to reflect for a time today on Oscar Wilde’s quote. I’ve heard it used by Chesterton, by Thomas Merton and many other spiritual leaders when emphasizing that no one is perfect. Even the Saints struggled. But there is redemption for all available through the loving embrace of The Good Shepherd. Rest on his shoulders and give everyone, as well as yourself, another chance.
God Bless.
Daily Reading
Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr
Readings for the Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr Reading 1 RV 10:8-11 I, John, heard a voice from heaven speak to me.Then the voice spoke to me and…
Saint of the Day
Saint Cecilia
Saint Cecilia, revered patron saint of music and the blind, symbolizes divine inspiration and steadfast faith in early Christian history.
The post Saint Cecilia appeared first on uCatholic.
I remember watching a skit that humorously demonstrated how our crosses were perfectly chosen by God for us. The skit made the point that if our crosses were cut down to a more “acceptable” size that wouldn’t be quite as burdensome, they would no longer be able to stretch across the chasm leading into heaven. They wouldn’t be the “bridge” which the crosses in our lives are meant to be.
I have to confess that I’ve focused on crosses as those things which irk me, cause me to suffer, or bring me into situations that are unfair and from which I cannot escape (but wish I could!). We all know the things that we’d personally label “the crosses in my life.”
We learn from an early age to accept the cross and to unite ourselves to Jesus when the cross touches our lives. And although some of my crosses have been profoundly more difficult to endure than others, I have to admit, on the scale of world events where suffering is immense, my imagination of how the cross has touched my life can get a little over dramatic.
When the people who followed Jesus heard this invitation to take up their cross, they pictured something very different from the skit that I remember. It wasn’t humorous at all. They knew the person carrying the cross was on a one-way road to a humiliating and painful death. This is how Jesus loved us, and how we are called to love him in return. Jesus tells us that nothing should stand in the way of our love for him. Our love should take us on a one-way road to his heart!
It can be that family relationships support us in our love for Jesus and our walk of discipleship. If we need to make a choice, however, the choice should be clear. There are times when advancing our careers and our material possessions and our ambitions will be in line with the values of Jesus in the Gospel. When they are not, the choice we need to make should be clear.
To prioritize Jesus is to categorically refuse to live in service of worldly desires so that we can freely choose to love in such a way that will lead us to live eternally in the love of Jesus Christ. Carrying the cross means a living adherence to Christ Jesus. Ask yourself today: “Jesus, what does this mean for you and for me?”
Daily Reading
Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr
Readings for the Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr Reading 1 RV 10:8-11 I, John, heard a voice from heaven speak to me.Then the voice spoke to me and…
Saint of the Day
Saint Cecilia
Saint Cecilia, revered patron saint of music and the blind, symbolizes divine inspiration and steadfast faith in early Christian history.
The post Saint Cecilia appeared first on uCatholic.
It hardly seems possible that November is already upon us. It seems like just yesterday that my kids were playing in the blow-up pool, running through the sprinkler and riding their bikes through puddles. It seems like just yesterday that they were telling me how bored they were since I didn’t let them play video games 24/7 during their three months off school. It seems like just yesterday that we went to Lake Michigan every weekend we could, to enjoy the endless blue sky and the ocean-like wind and waves… But now the fall is upon us. The way-too-short summer is long gone and winter is just a breath away. But winter is in itself an opportunity for some stark stillness, to reflect on whether or not we need to scrape some frost off our hearts.
I recently read two different things that turned my thoughts in the same direction. The first article pointed out how God worked in the desert. He freed the Hebrews from slavery in the desert, John the Baptist heralded the coming of Christ in the desert, and Jesus drew strength from prayer in the desert. The second one spoke of growth through silence. Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, grew stronger in his faith while he was temporarily silenced and God forms babies who are so wonderfully made in the silence of their mothers’ wombs.
Both of these ideas, along with a recent retreat experience, got me thinking about how God truly does desire for us to come away with Him. He wants to separate us from the daily grind, bring us into a completely different space and breathe new life into us. He wants us to find that desert spot, that place of silence where He can speak to us in the depths of our being. He wants to reignite the spark if our faith has grown dim and rekindle the fire if our love has grown cold.
But just like those invited to the great dinner in today’s Gospel, we often look for ways to excuse ourselves from His invitation. We are too busy, too distracted, too tired… and whether inadvertently or otherwise, we miss out on the spiritual feast that He is offering us through quiet time with Him. Heaven is the “home” that He wants filled and every day we have the opportunity to take one more step toward it through union with God in prayer.
No matter what season we may find ourselves in, whether summer, fall, winter or spring, may we find the courage to come away with Jesus in the desert silence. May we heed His call and go to Him when we hear Him speak gently to our hearts “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Alleluia verse)
Daily Reading
Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr
Readings for the Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr Reading 1 RV 10:8-11 I, John, heard a voice from heaven speak to me.Then the voice spoke to me and…
Saint of the Day
Saint Cecilia
Saint Cecilia, revered patron saint of music and the blind, symbolizes divine inspiration and steadfast faith in early Christian history.
The post Saint Cecilia appeared first on uCatholic.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus isn’t just giving us marching orders for being disciples – He is doing that, since we are all called to be generous to the poor and those who are burdened in any way – but He is also telling us something about the human heart and mind: there is far more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.
Now, we all must be on the receiving end of good things at some point. It helps our fellow Christians to strive for what Jesus is teaching us in this passage. Jesus takes on the role of the Great Psychologist when He tells us it is far better to give than receive. This is the key to human happiness; not building and hoarding wealth for oneself, but for one to share their wealth, whether it be financial, mental, emotional, spiritual.
Not only are there many kinds of wealth and gifts, but we are also all called to use them in different ways. Those with very little financial support to give, for example, are often blessed in other ways to minister to their fellow humans. They can give emotional and spiritual support through a listening ear and through prayer. Others can teach about the Faith, and yet others can lead enormous changes in the Church.
St. Charles Borromeo, whose memorial we celebrate today, was one such person who led the charge to ensure that priests were properly educated in the teachings of the Church. He founded seminaries for men to receive formation prior to ordination.
Dear friend, if you don’t have wealth in one area of your life, assess your gifts in other areas to see how God is calling you to serve others. Ultimately, we are all meant to discover how blessed it is to give, rather than to receive.
Daily Reading
Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr
Readings for the Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr Reading 1 RV 10:8-11 I, John, heard a voice from heaven speak to me.Then the voice spoke to me and…
Saint of the Day
Saint Cecilia
Saint Cecilia, revered patron saint of music and the blind, symbolizes divine inspiration and steadfast faith in early Christian history.
The post Saint Cecilia appeared first on uCatholic.
We owe all we have, our very souls, to Jesus Christ. God wants our lives to overflow with mercy and generosity toward each other, to share love just as He did with us through Christ, the Gentle Lamb who gave up His life for our sake. Today let us reflect on one of Christ’s last encounters with the Apostles Peter when he asked him three times, “Do you love me?”
Love for Christ shines forth through our love for each other. As fishers of men, inspired by His Holy Spirit, we should constantly give back by feeding His sheep, whether strangers or our closest family. When we truly love Jesus, we work diligently to bring others to meet Him at the gates of Heaven.
Dedicated time to God in prayer is needed for the conversion of our hearts and to strengthen our wills to following Christ (CCC #2708). By familiarizing ourselves with the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit, we can begin to emulate the example that God has given us through the Holy Trinity. How infinitely blessed we are for God to share such love with the whole world!
Daily Reading
Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr
Readings for the Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr Reading 1 RV 10:8-11 I, John, heard a voice from heaven speak to me.Then the voice spoke to me and…
Saint of the Day
Saint Cecilia
Saint Cecilia, revered patron saint of music and the blind, symbolizes divine inspiration and steadfast faith in early Christian history.
The post Saint Cecilia appeared first on uCatholic.