The Holy Gospel According to Luke (14:1-6).

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees,and the people there were observing him carefully.  In front of him there was a man suffering from dropsy.  Jesus spoke to the scholars of the law and Pharisees in reply, asking, “Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?”

But they kept silent; so he took the man and, after he had healed him, dismissed him.  Then he said to them “Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?”  But they were unable to answer his question.

The Gospel of the Lord. 

Reflection:  My brothers and sisters in Christ, in today’s Gospel, Jesus is invited to dine at the home of a Pharisee on the Sabbath.  The other invited guests watched him closely, hoping to find a reason to accuse Him.  Usually in the Gospels, it is the Pharisees and the Sadducees who were the ones who asked Jesus questions to test him or trap him.  In today’s Gospel, Jesus turns the table on them.  He is the one who asks them a question.  When a man suffering from dropsy stands before Him, Jesus asks, “Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbath or not?”

They remained silent.  Jesus then healed the man and dismissed him.  By healing the man, Jesus reminds us that compassion and mercy must come before rigid interpretations of the law.  This Gospel teaches us an important lesson:  God desires hearts filled with love and compassion, not simply people who follow the rules.

Sometimes, we can become so focused on rules, traditions, or our own expectations that we fail to see the suffering of those around us.  We may judge someone without knowing or understanding their struggles.  We may be so busy with our responsibilities that we overlook those around us who need our kindness or help. 

These people were sharing a meal with Jesus the Messiah.  Think of this opportunity these dinner guests missed.  They sat and shared a meal with the Son of God.  Because of the hardness of their hearts, they were so blind, they could not see who He was.  Instead, they focused on “observing him carefully.”   As a consequence, they did not know Him.

In last Sunday’s Gospel, we heard the scholar of the law ask Jesus which commandment in the law was the greatest commandment.  Jesus answered to love God with all your heart, soul and mind, then to love your neighbor as yourself.  In today’s gospel, we are reminded that when it comes to the law, Jesus makes it clear that all law is subordinate to the one great law: that we are to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves.  As Catholic Christians, we will never stray far from the path if we keep this commandment.

Action for the Day:  The dinner guests sat down with Jesus but they did not recognize him.  Next time we are setting aside time to “sit” with Jesus, may we pray for the grace to recognize his presence and to listen to his words as he speaks to us in the class room of silence.  The message we receive will be just for you and me. 

Audio Reflection:

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 13:31-35

(Glory to you, O Lord!)

Some Pharisees came to Jesus and said,
“Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you.”
He replied, “Go and tell that fox,
‘Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow,
and on the third day I accomplish my purpose.
Yet I must continue on my way today, tomorrow, and the following day,
for it is impossible that a prophet should die
outside of Jerusalem.’

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you,
how many times I yearned to gather your children together
as a hen gathers her brood under her wings,
but you were unwilling!
Behold, your house will be abandoned.
But I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say,
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

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

Reflection:  Jesus will come again

In the political satire and black comedy movie, “Don’t look up” two astronomers warn the politicians, leaders of the world, and the powers that be …that a large comet was on a collision course with earth that will destroy human civilization.  However, instead of taking the news of the warnings seriously, with leaders deciding to be complacent about, with some wanting to disprove the warnings…and some driven by greed … the cancel the solution to divert the comet and try to harvest rare minerals…allowing the comet to get closer… it was just too late… the comet could no longer be diverted from impacting the earth. The political leaders fled the planet on a rocket ships to a habitable planet accompanied by the elite with vast wealth, while the rest of humanity were left to perish on earth.  Landing on the new habitable planet some of the survivors disembarked with great joy, but … they were all eaten by the creatures of the planet shortly after arrival.

In todays Gospel reading, our Lord Jesus shared his woes for the city of Jerusalem… as our Lord shares about how the leaders of Jerusalem repeatedly beat, stoned and killed the messengers and prophets sent by God over the centuries… God wanted them to change their ways, to follow His commandments,… to care for the foreigners, the widows and the widowers, the orphans, all the poor of Israel, and to be faithful to our Heavenly Father, … to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls and minds, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. 

Unfortunately, most of the elders, high priests, Pharisees, Scribes, Sadducees and the powers that be … continued to choose to follow their own ways and the ways of their ancestors, … they were unwilling to follow Jesus, they were unwilling to change as they thought only of themselves, their status, and they did not want to change their way of life… not wanting to listen to the words of holiness, truth and life, and the coming of God’s Kingdom.

Some 70 years after the birth of our Lord Jesus… in 70 CE…Jerusalem fell, it was ransacked and destroyed by the Roman army and for a time was left abandoned.  The second temple was destroyed, and many survivors of Judea were enslaved and displaced, … shifting the major Jewish populations outside of Israel. 

Brothers and sisters, what occurred back then is unfortunate and it was a prophecy that our Lord Jesus mourned about … knowing that it will happen.  And even now… wars, earthquakes,  disasters, calamities and unrest continue to occur.  Be encouraged, our Lord Jesus also prophesied that these events will continue to occur, until the day our King of the universe, our Lord Jesus comes again in His glory!

We who follow our Lord Jesus are called and sent to continue to proclaim the good news of the Gospel message to everyone… that the kingdom of God is as hand!… Our Lord Jesus is our merciful creator and King… We all can make a difference to respond to the the Holy Spirit’s daily guidance to help and accompany one another… to continue to share God’s mercy and love through our words and actions… As one day, our Lord Jesus will come again and the multitudes will proclaim…”Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Action for the Day: 

Set aside quiet prayer with God to pray with our own words. Our Lord Jesus is always in our midsts. Acknowledge His presence and dialog with our Lord! Make a point to add more time each week starting with 15 minutes to pray in silence with God… until we reach between 30 to 40 minutes in God’s holy presence over the course of three to four months.  Try also to reflect upon verses of scripture in the Gospel reading while in conversation with God, pause, and ask questions in silence to our Lord Jesus in our own words.  Continue to ask for our Lord Jesus throughout our day to guide us on how best to follow His lead in all manners of our lives, to teach us how to forgive from the heart and how best to share His love to everyone.

DEACON5 website link: https://deacon5.com/

Click link below for the audio of today’s reflection.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke (6:12-16)

Jesus went up to the mountain to pray,
and he spent the night in prayer to God.
When day came, he called his disciples to himself,
and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles:
Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,
James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew,
Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,
Simon who was called a Zealot,
and Judas the son of James,
and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

REFLECTION: Today, as we celebrate the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, the Gospel forces us to look past the greatness of these Apostles and look instead at the night before they were chosen. Jesus went up the mountain to pray, and He spent the entire night in prayer to God. As I think of this about Jesus, it is humbling to admit, how sometimes I struggle to do one single hour, in front of the tabernacle. Perhaps it is because of the constant noise of the world, or my desire for immediate results, making an hour of pure, silent waiting, feel entirely unnatural to my restless nature. Yet, looking at Jesus’ example, should remind us that prayer isn’t about our performance or focus, but simply showing up to sit with a Friend.

Before Jesus names the leaders of His Church, before He takes a single step toward this massive, history-altering decision, He completely anchors Himself in the Father. He doesn’t rely on human strategy or quick calculations. He climbs the mountain, steps into the silence, and waits on the Father’s heart.

Jesus is setting a radical blueprint for our lives. He is showing us that true discernment requires us to stop talking, stop planning, and start listening. I have to confess, that is very difficult for me to practice. Too often I make my decisions out of panic, convenience, or social pressure, and only later do I ask God to rubber-stamp my choices. But a disciple needs to climb the mountain before taking action.

By the grace of God, not too long ago I was able to experience the power of this mountaintop prayer, firsthand in my own life, when I was facing an overwhelming decision. I was challenged with a serious discernment, regarding an opportunity presented to me, for a major role in a movement in the Archdioceses of Los Angeles. I knew that the final answer to my decision, was not just my own, or any human help, but on taking my discernment straight to the Father in prayer. After about a month of discernment, and while on a day of reflection experience, I poured my heart out to the Father, and what came after, was a moment of pure grace. A sudden, deep calm swept over me, making the answer incredibly clear and understandable. When we truly surrender our choices to God on the mountain, He always meets us with His peace. When we bring our choices to our Heavenly Father, we aren’t guaranteed a quick or easy answer, but we are guaranteed His peace. It is in that intimacy that we find the courage to take the next step, even when the path ahead looks uncertain or challenging.

Saints Simon and Jude were the fruit of Jesus’ night of prayer. They were normal, flawed men who changed the world because they were chosen in the silence of the mountain.

Saints Simon and Jude, pray for us!

ACTION FOR THE DAY: This week, before you make your next major decision or take your next big step, commit to climbing the mountain of prayer first. Spend at least ten minutes in absolute silence, go up the mountain with Jesus, presenting that choice, anxiety or upcoming transition that is weighing on your heart today, to the Father, and waiting for His peace, before you take action.

AUDIO REFLECTION:

The Gospel according to Luke (13:18-21)

Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like?

To what can I compare it?

It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden.

When it was fully grown, it became a large bush

and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.”

Again he said, “To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God?

It is like yeast that a woman took

and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour

until the whole batch of dough was leavened.”

Reflection:

In today’s Gospel, Jesus shares two short parables that share a common theme – they both point to how the Kingdom of God takes something very small on our part as human beings, and transforms it and increases it beyond what we can imagine.

These parables follow Jesus healing a woman in the synagogue on the Sabbath, which of course, raised the ire of the scribes & Pharisees, Jesus’ regular adversaries in the Gospels.  As we know, the scribes & Pharisees were intensely jealous of Jesus, because He acted outside their authority.  He further demonstrates this fact by speaking (as only He can, as the Son of God) of the Kingdom of God. 

I find these parables especially relevant to our own day, given all the troubles in the world – the division, hatred, separation, violence and more.  When I scan the headlines that I receive in my emails in the morning, the only thing that keeps me from drifting into despair is that I am not responsible for solving all of those problems.  It is completely and totally in the hands of God, who can and does change hearts, even when it seems impossible.  Our part – for you and me – is that we share our concerns and troubles with the God who made us, trusting that He will make His justice and peace spring up like the plant from the mustard seed, and He will allow us to change the hearts of others, just by our faithfulness to Him, like the yeast spreading throughout the batch of dough.

I think I say this often, but I truly believe that God loves nothing more than for His children (us!) to pray with and for each other.  When we do that, we are following the example of Jesus’ self-sacrificing love, in that we are, as St Thomas Aquinas said, “willing the good of the other” which is the definition of love.  May that be our aim today and every day, that our love grow like the mustard seed, that we know that Jesus will make the growth happen, provided that we trust fully and completely in Him.

Action for the Day:

Pray today for our world, that the leaders who are choosing conflict, division and war may turn to God and instead choose peace, reconciliation and healing.  It may seem impossible for that to happen, but remember, as we hear the Angel Gabriel say in Luke chapter 1: “nothing is impossible for God!”

Link to the DEACON5 website: https://deacon5.com/

If you would like to hear this reflection, click the link below! 

The Holy Gospel according to Luke 13:10-17

Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath.
And a woman was there who for eighteen years
had been crippled by a spirit;
she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect.
When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said,
“Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.”
He laid his hands on her,
and she at once stood up straight and glorified God.
But the leader of the synagogue,
indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath,
said to the crowd in reply,
“There are six days when work should be done.
Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day.”
The Lord said to him in reply, “Hypocrites!
Does not each one of you on the sabbath
untie his ox or his ass from the manger
and lead it out for watering?
This daughter of Abraham,
whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now,
ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day
from this bondage?”
When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated;
and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him.

Reflection: We have all witnessed something wrong and remained silent because of peer pressure, judgement or fear. Later, we may regret that we did not speak up. In this Gospel, Jesus does what we often hesitate to do: he speaks and acts for justice, human dignity, and what is right. His example invites us not only to recognize suffering, but also to respond with courage and compassion.

One present-day example is the concern many people feel about the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Without attempting to address every aspect of this complex issue, I recognize that some of its actions trouble me deeply. The Gospel challenges us to see the dignity of those who suffer and to seek justice through peaceful, compassionate, and persistent action—even when our voices seem to be ignored.

The need for freedom is not only present in public struggles; it also exists within us. At times, we carry heavy spiritual burdens by worrying excessively about sin, obsessing over decisions, or fearing that we will make the wrong choice. We can become so focused on ourselves that we lose sight of God and others. Yet the same Lord who freed the woman in the Gospel desires to free us from fear and self-imposed burdens. Serving God and following His holy will should become the deepest joy of our lives, not a source of constant anxiety. If your Christian walk feels more like a burden than a gift, turn your attention toward the merciful God. Run to Him with the confidence of a child, and allow yourself to love Him more authentically, free from scrupulosity.

This call to freedom—from injustice around us and from fear within us—is echoed by Episcopal priest Adam Bucko in his reflection on personal and political holiness:

As you move toward a life of personal and political holiness, may your journey be blessed and may your life and presence remind those around you of God’s presence. Deepening your connection to God, in you and around you, do not be afraid to feel the love, the joy, and also the pain that are present. Don’t be afraid to have a heart and to risk breaking your heart. Feel into it all and know that every time you are touching the pain, you are touching the sacred wound of God. God who is always accompanying us and guiding us. God who is suffering with us. God whose life-giving love and justice will one day be “all in all” [1 Corinthians 15:28].

My sisters and brothers, it is time to step up and protect the minimalized, the marginalized, the imprisoned, the voiceless, the powerless, the invisible, the forgotten, and the abandoned. Isn’t that what Jesus did?! Even on the Sabbath when others were judging us.

Action of the Day: Ask God to help you recognize someone in need of anything. Then ask God to give you the courage and the wisdom to do something about it.

Audio Reflection: