The Holy Gospel according to Matthew (12:1-8).

Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath.  His disciples were hungry
and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them.  When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath.”
He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry, how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering, which neither he nor his companions but only the priests could lawfully eat?
Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath and are innocent?  I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.  If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned these innocent men.  For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Reflection:  In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus and his disciples are walking through a field of grain.  The disciples are hungry and begin to pick and eat the heads of grain.  The Pharisees who are strict observers of the Law, saw this, and immediately accuse the disciples of breaking the Sabbath law.

Jesus then responds with a powerful reminder: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”  Why was Jesus so hard on the Pharisees?  He reminds them that David ate the bread of offering when he was in need and that the priests served in the temple out of necessity.  All of this done on the Sabbath.  We know that Jesus himself did many good works on the Sabbath by curing the sick and feeding the hungry. 

What does this passage mean to us today?  For us Catholic Christians, our “Sabbath” is Sunday.  We should attend mass on Sunday.  Then we live our lives, spending time with our families, cooking out meals, taking care of our children and other activities.  Rules matter; they give us a framework in which to thrive.  Jesus is telling us that the law exists for love.  The Sabbath is meant to draw us closer to God, and not to be a burden.  The Pharisees had lost sight of the heart of the law, compassion, mercy and human need. 

This Gospel calls us to look at our own hearts.  We need to ask ourselves if we sometimes cling too religious practices while forgetting the people we are meant to serve?  Do we judge other for how they worship and live, instead of showing understanding and mercy?  Jesus reminds us, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”  Jesus has the authority to teach us how to live the law, not just by rules, but by love.  In every action, every decision, we should ask ourselves; Am I acting with mercy, compassion and the heart of Christ? 

Action of the Day:  Thank God for the gifts He had given us, the gift of faith, forgiveness, joy, and the grace to do His will.  Pray for the ability to be merciful to others as God is merciful with us.  Being a Catholic Christian is not found just in ritual and following the rules, but in loving God and serving other with love and mercy.

Audio Reflection:

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew 11:28-30

(Glory to you O Lord!)

Jesus said:
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

The Gospel of the Lord (Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ!).

Reflection: 

Today’s Gospel reading reminds me of a famous song by the singer Basil Valdez called, “Lift up your hands”. It begins with the lyric: “Life is not all that bad my friends, … if you believe in yourself If you believe there’s someone who walks through life with you… You’ll never be alone, just learn to reach out and open your heart… Lift up your hands to God and he’ll show you the way. And He said, cast your burdens upon Me… those who are heavily laden… Come to me all of you who are tired of carrying heavy loads…  For the yoke I will give you is easy, and my burden is light… Come to me, and I will give you rest…

If we take a moment to close our eyes in silence to really reflect and contemplate, … we can picture and feel in our hearts and minds the comforting words of our Lord Jesus … reaching out to every single one of us… As our Lord assures us of his presence, of his love, of his reassurance that he is accompanying us always through every step of the way… regardless of what we are currently going through in this earthly life.

Brothers and sisters. Jesus knows what we are going through. Our Lord knows our thoughts, our pains, our joys, our triumphs, our challenges, our worries and all the distractions in life that keeps us from receiving the grace of his peace. 

Lift up all your burdens to our Lord Jesus. He is right beside us at all times. Ask our Lord to grant us the strength, to ease our pains, to guide us when we do not know what to do. Lord Jesus, grant us the grace of your presence and the joy of your peace!

Action for the Day: 

In silent prayer, pour out our concerns, our hurts, our challenges, our triumphs, our joys with our Lord Jesus.  Our Lord hears us and is always with us. Lord Jesus, we are grateful for every blessing that you have given us. Thank you for always being with us throughout all situations in life. Thank you for the blessing of family. Thank you for always guiding and carrying us throughout our earthly journey, until the day that you call us to yourself.  Please continue to strengthen and help us always to focus only on you at all times, especially as we pray for the strength and healing of Dcn. Ray Emnace, and everyone on our prayer lists.  This we pray in your most holy name, Lord Jesus.  Amen.

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A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew (11:25-27)

At that time Jesus exclaimed:

“I give praise to you, 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.

Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.

All things have been handed over to me by my Father.

No one knows the Son except the Father,

and no one knows the Father except the Son

and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”

Reflection: Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in today’s Gospel Jesus praises the Father with a prayer of thanksgiving, for revealing divine truths to “childlike” people—those who are simple and open—instead of those who rely only on their own worldly wisdom or intellectual expertise; as He says, “the wise and the learned.”

When we hear “wise and the learned,” we might think of theologians or scholars. But Jesus isn’t referring to them or putting down education or the academically learned ones; He is critiquing the pride that sometimes comes with it, or even sneaks in, when one tries to be humble. Often, the highly educated or those who pride themselves on being in control, struggle to surrender their intellect to the mystery of faith. God’s grace doesn’t just fill our heads; it transforms our hearts.

To truly know God, we must let go of our need for control and our demand for answers, embracing instead a childlike spirit of wonder, trust, and openness. This is, of course, much easier said than done. “Practice what you preach, Carlos,” the Lord whispers to me through today’s Gospel. I must admit that I often struggle to step back, stop micromanaging outcomes with my own inputs, and simply let things flow. Yet, it is precisely in surrendering that heavy burden of control that we/I, can finally create space, to experience His presence and plan.

Today, the Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, a 13th-century Bishop and Doctor of the Church. Bonaventure was one of the greatest minds and most brilliant theologians of the Middle Ages. He was an intellectual giant, who could have easily relied entirely, on his academic achievements. Yet, Bonaventure famously taught, that all the study in the world is completely useless, if it does not lead to a deeper love and devotion to God. He beautifully balanced his immense intellect with a profound simplicity, famously stating, that the soul must prioritize prayer over study, and devotion over mere knowledge. His example perfectly embodies today’s Gospel: despite being profoundly learned, his heart remained entirely childlike, placing his entire intellect at the service of divine love.

In our own busy lives, it’s very easy to approach our faith, with an “executive mindset”—trying to calculate, analyze, project, control, or logically explain aspects of our spiritual journey, or even find ourselves asking, “What is God’s will for my life?” and demanding a list of answers.

But instead, God often reveals Himself in quiet, and unexpected ways, to those who are patient and simple of heart. The childlike heart doesn’t demand immediate logical proof; it simply trusts, that the Father knows best.

Action for the day: Let’s reflect on Jesus’ Word in today’s Gospel, and the wisdom of Saint Bonaventure, letting all that sink in our hearts. Then, let’s ask the Lord for the grace, to help us step back from our overthinking, and pray to the Holy Spirit, for the disposition of a child, trusting in God’s providence, and allowing Him to reveal the depths of His love to us, in the quiet moments of our prayer.

Audio Reflection:

The Gospel according to Matthew (11:20-24) 

Jesus began to reproach the towns

where most of his mighty deeds had been done,

since they had not repented.

“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!

For if the mighty deeds done in your midst

had been done in Tyre and Sidon,

they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.

But I tell you, it will be more tolerable

for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.

And as for you, Capernaum:

Will you be exalted to heaven?

You will go down to the nether world.

For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom,

it would have remained until this day.

But I tell you, it will be more tolerable

for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

Reflection:

Today’s Gospel is definitely a hard one to hear.  Why is that?  We don’t like to think of the other side of judgment.  It’s a natural human inclination, not to want to think about consequences, punishment, or pain.  I suppose it is easy to wonder why God would allow such things.  I mean, after all, doesn’t He love us?

It’s hard to correlate that side of judgment with what our faith tells us about our loving Creator, who does all He can to draw us to Himself, and who calls us back – endlessly – no matter how many times we stray.  Does the specter of judgment mean that God *isn’t* a loving and merciful Father?  No, it doesn’t.  It really shows the shortcomings of human free will.  Now, I don’t think we willingly choose to do things that may harm ourselves.  At least, not often, I hope.  But, we do choose to do things that take us away from God, that are hurtful to others who love us, and ultimately hurtful to ourselves.  We can choose to do those things.

Why would we choose them?  Maybe it’s because we don’t recognize the longer-term effect of such a choice we make.  Maybe it’s because we are not thinking clearly, because we are hurt, or angry, or sad.  Those kinds of emotions never lead to decisions that are ultimately good.  But, God gives us the ability to choose them, anyway.

May our prayer today be that we ask God to have wisdom to choose the good, because the decision to do so is truly ours.  In the moment, such a decision may be very difficult to make, because there may be some short-term pain we have to contend with.  But, God is there with us through that pain to help us to see that it leads us closer to Him, and that’s where we really want to be.

Today, we remember St Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American Saint in the Catholic Church.  She chose her faith above everything else, even though she was ostracized from her tribe.  She was the only one of her family to survive smallpox, though her face was scarred from it.  She was known for her piety and acts of charity.  She is the patron saint of Native Americans, the environment, and orphans.  We offer a special prayer for all who belong to a parish named in her honor, including one here in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, in the city of Santa Clarita.  Linda and I also have a special place for St Kateri, as our granddaughter bears her name as a middle name.

St Kateri, pray for us.

Action for the Day:  

Let us pray for all who are suffering in any way today, whether by their own chosen actions or not, that God will be with them and lead them through the suffering to a time of peace and safety.  If any of our dear DEACON5 subscribers or readers are in such a situation, please know that you are in my prayers today.  And, today, in a special way, please continue to offer up our beloved brother Deacon Ray Emnace to the Lord, that He may know God’s complete peace and joy and freedom from all pain, according to God’s holy will.

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