The Holy Gospel according to Luke (8:1-3)

Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God.  Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources. 

The Gospel of the Lord.

Reflection:   Luke’s Gospel is distinguished by the significant role women play in Jesus’ ministry.  In today’s Gospel, we hear that some of Jesus’ followers were women and they are even named.  There is Mary Magdalene, a woman with a dark and troubled past.  There is Joanna, whose husband was Herod’s financial controller.  There was Susanna, likely a woman from the upper class of society.  What did these women have in common?  They had all been “cured of evil spirits and infirmities” by Jesus.  These women were from opposite ends of society.  After their encounter with Jesus, they all put their differences aside and became his followers.  The women provided for them out of their resources, using their own money to fund Jesus’ needs during his ministry.   The women were generous with the gifts God had blessed them with.  They did not use their resources in order to attain more.  They shared their resources to support Jesus and his ministry.

This Gospel also tells us that the “Twelve” accompanied Jesus.  Jesus travelled with a group of men and women from different backgrounds and walks of life.  All those who were following Jesus were inspired by his teachings and way of life. 

As followers of Jesus, how do we use our “resources” or money to support our Church and the Church’s ministries?  Whatever resources or money we have are gifts from God.  How does God want us to use those resources?  We all need money to our lives and pay our bills, but we should also be generous with what we have.  Remember that we cannot take our money with us when we die.  To quote Evangelist Billy Graham, “I never saw a U-Haul behind a hearse.” 

Action for the Day:  One of the precepts of the Church is to support the Church financially.  How much of our resources/time, treasure and talents, do we give to our Church so that the Church can continue it mission?   A good guide to use is whatever amount of money we make in one or two hours wages is what we offer to the Church.  Only you can decide how much to give.  Prayerfully consider how you use your resources to support the Church in spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ.  

Audio Reflection:

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 7:36-50

(Glory to you, O Lord!)

A certain Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him,

and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table.

Now there was a sinful woman in the city

who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee.

Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,

she stood behind him at his feet weeping

and began to bathe his feet with her tears.

Then she wiped them with her hair,

kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment.

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself,

“If this man were a prophet,

he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him,

that she is a sinner.”

Jesus said to him in reply,

“Simon, I have something to say to you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

“Two people were in debt to a certain creditor;

one owed five hundred days’ wages and the other owed fifty.

Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both.

Which of them will love him more?”

Simon said in reply,

“The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.”

He said to him, “You have judged rightly.”

Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon,

“Do you see this woman?

When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet,

but she has bathed them with her tears

and wiped them with her hair.

You did not give me a kiss,

but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered.

You did not anoint my head with oil,

but she anointed my feet with ointment.

So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven;

hence, she has shown great love.

But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”

He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

The others at table said to themselves,

“Who is this who even forgives sins?”

But he said to the woman,

“Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

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

Reflection:  We are God’s beloved

Today we hear about a woman who the Pharisees have judged as a sinful person, a person that they will choose to avoid to associate with.  But Jesus knows what we have all been through, what we are thinking and what each of us have done, what is our potential, and Jesus knows the intentions of our hearts as he chooses to forgive the sinful woman… who has tearfully humbled herself before him. Jesus saw her willingness to change and He knew her heart and mind, as she washes His feet with her tears and anoints Him with the ointment. Jesus forgives her of her sins.

As human being, it is so easy for us to judge people, our surroundings, what we see and hear.  We are so quick to make a comment, to immediately choose to be negative rather than to be contemplative.  To be cynical rather than hopeful.  To write off what we see or hear as bad or judge something as good based merely on appearances and our own standards of perception.  But that is not the heart and mind of God. We have a God of love and great mercy who sees our full potential.

This reminds me of the presentation of Susan Boyle in 2008, which was aired to the world in 2009 on Britain’s got Talent.  When her turn came up, Susan strutted on to the stage with a cheeky grin, shared her dream to be become a professional singer at 47 years of age, and to be as popular as Elaine Paige a well known singer, causing the the judges and the audience to be cynical with their reactions with chuckles of laughter.

Then Susan sang… and what a surprise was awaiting them. She sang a very beautiful rendition of “I dreamed a dream” from Les Miserables to the amazement and cheers of the audience and the judges. Their frowns were turned to joy. They were given the biggest wake up call ever as the audience and most of the judges gave her a standing ovation, and they also gave her their highest compliments ever given to a contestant.

We are all God’s beloved. God sees our potential. Our potential for goodness, kindness, compassion and mercy, including all our gifts.  God knows the intentions of our hearts, and He is always ready to grant us his grace of mercy, to love and forgive us, to grant us the grace of peace and to work through all our gifts.  So the next time we are ready to judge too easily, to give a negative comment, or write someone off, may we remember to take a step back, to think contemplatively, and realize that we and every person that we meet are all cherished by our creator, as we are dearly loved … as we are God’s beloved.

Action for the Day: 

In silent prayer, ask our Lord Jesus to increase our faith, to help us to be contemplative in our thoughts, to help us to see the beauty and goodness in each person and in all creation, to remove the negative distractions in life. Lord Jesus, help us to see you in all creation and in every person that we meet.  Grant us the grace of your presence and the joy of your peace.

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

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A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke (7:31-35)

Jesus said to the crowds:

“To what shall I compare the people of this generation?

What are they like?

They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another,

‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance.

We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.’

For John the Baptist came neither eating food nor drinking wine,

and you said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’

The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said,

‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,

a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’

But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

Reflection: Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in today’s Gospel, Jesus exposes this exact, human tendency; He compares the people of His day, to fickle children sitting in the marketplace, complaining that others, won’t play along with their games. John the Baptist came, fasting and living a harsh life in the desert, and the critics dismissed him as mad. Jesus came celebrating, eating, and drinking with tax collectors and sinners, and those same critics labeled Him, a glutton and a drunkard. No matter how God delivered His message of salvation, the people found a reason to reject it. They weren’t seeking the truth; they were looking for an excuse, to ignore it.

It is easy to look back at the Pharisees and judge them, but we must ask ourselves, how often we do, the exact same thing, today? We do this, when we tune out a homily, because we don’t like the priest’s or the deacon’s, speaking style. We do this, when we dismiss a holy teaching, because it challenges our personal comfort or political views. We even do this, when a spouse, a friend, or a coworker, offers us loving, Christian correction, but we ignore the truth of their words, because we don’t like the delivery. Like the crowds in the marketplace, we try to make God dance to our tune, rather than letting His Word transform our hearts. By that, we choose not to be transformed, by His Word.

But Jesus concludes, with a powerful reminder: “Wisdom is vindicated, by all her children.” True wisdom requires the humility, to silence our inner critic, and listen for God’s voice, whether it comes through the fierce thunder, of John the Baptist, or the gentle mercy of Jesus.

Today, the Church celebrates the Memorial of, Saints Cornelius (Pope) and Cyprian (Bishop), Martyrs. It honors two leaders, who remained faithful to God’s truth, even when facing rejection and division, from the world around them. Their lives show, the true wisdom Jesus speaks of, in today’s Gospel, which is proven right, by those, who faithfully follow it.

Action for the day: The next time, you are in front of the Blessed Sacrament, pray for the grace of an open heart. Drop your defenses, and ask Him, to send the Holy Spirit, to help you recognize, God’s truth—no matter how, or through whom, He chooses to deliver it.

Audio Reflection:

The Gospel according to John (19:25-27) 

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother

and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,

and Mary Magdalene.

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved

he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”

Then he said to the disciple,

“Behold, your mother.”

And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

Reflection:

Today, we remember the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title, “Our Lady of Sorrows”.  Near my parish of St Rita in Sierra Madre is the Passionists Retreat Center, named Mater Dolorosa, for Our Lady of Sorrows.  I’m blessed that I am able to visit the Retreat Center pretty often, as it is a beautiful and prayerful place (though maybe somewhat less so now, as there is construction now on the lower part of the property).  They have a lovely garden there called the “Garden of Seven Sorrows”, highlighting the seven sorrows attributed to the Virgin Mary. 

The Gospel that I read for today from John shows Mary right there at the foot of the cross, experiencing one of those Seven Sorrows, as she watched her Son die for all of us, and I can hardly imagine the pain that she felt – the deep, deep sorrow – at her Son (her “Baby Boy”) dying in such a cruel manner.

Another story came to my mind that also touched me as a parent.  In October 1994, the story broke on the news about a very troubled young mother named Susan Smith who was found to have killed her two young sons, by drowning – they were strapped into their car seats, and she pushed her car into a lake, drowning them both.  I can scarcely imagine that tortured soul, doing such an act to her own children.  When I heard it on the radio that day, I had to pull over on the freeway, it affected me so.  I prayed for Susan Smith and for her little boys, who were taken home to the Lord far too soon.  I can’t say for certain, but I am quite sure that our Blessed Virgin was full of sorrow at such an act against those who were so innocent.

That’s perhaps one of the most unfathomable things – that God could allow such a thing to happen and not stop it.  How do we make sense of it?  My first answer is that we can’t.  In our own human intellect, it is just beyond us.  What possible better purpose was served by the deaths of those two small children?  I can’t think of one at all.  I’m reminded of a scene from the movie “The Shack”, based on William Paul Young’s book, where Mack (the main character) is talking to Sophia (representing the Wisdom of God), where he is asked to judge God’s role in the death of his daughter Missie at the hands of a serial killer.  Mack asks that same question – “why didn’t God save Missie?”  Sophia’s answer is “God doesn’t stop a lot of things that cause Him pain.”  The one who makes these acts happen is each one of us, through the gift of free will.  Just as God feels sorrow for all of those who suffer, no less does our Mother of Sorrows.

May each of us always seek to love our brothers and sisters, our children and grandchildren, and indeed, all whom God places in our presence today and every day.  And, should we cause harm to another, whether intentional or not, may we know that quickly, and ask forgiveness from our all-merciful Father, that whatever pain we also inflicted on His Mother may also be healed.  We are human – we will hurt others.  But, we also have the power to be forgiven, and to ask forgiveness. 

Let us never think that we are beyond either of those actions, for God always takes us back, even those who do unspeakable evil, provided that they are truly sorry, and willing to make up for the pain they caused, either in this life or the next.  And, today, I pray again for the soul of Susan Smith, that she may be truly sorry for what she did, and may ask for God’s forgiveness and mercy.  Imagining Susan Smith being forgiven in a way is unfathomable for me as a parent, but God’s mercy is far, FAR beyond what we know in our hearts.  Let us always be thankful for that gift of mercy!

Action for the Day:  

Think of the one person that you need to forgive (or the one you need most to ask for forgiveness from).  Ask God in the quiet of your heart today to prompt you to take that step to forgive or to ask for forgiveness, knowing that even that act will brighten God’s heart, and the heart of our Blessed Mother as well.

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

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

The Holy Gospel according to John 3:13-17

Jesus said to Nicodemus:
“No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who  believes in him may have eternal life.”
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.

Reflection: The Cross is the symbol of our salvation. This feast honors the Cross not only as a sign of suffering, but as an instrument of victory, hope, eternal life, and divine love. While the Cross may sometimes remind us of sadness and darkness, it ultimately reveals Christ’s triumph and God’s saving love for humanity.

So ask yourself: What does the Cross mean to me? We all carry our own crosses, but the Gospel also invites us to carry the crosses of others. The following reflections offer a few ways to understand the meaning of the Cross in our lives.

To find the cross we are called to carry, we must look honestly at our lives and recognize what God is asking of us. This cross is not simply a hardship or a burden; it is also a call to love sacrificially. It may ask us to serve, to forgive, to take action, or to stand with someone who is suffering. In this way, the cross becomes a path that leads us closer to Christ and to the glory he promises.

One story of sacrificial love tells of a little boy whose sister urgently needed a blood transfusion. She had a rare blood type, and her brother was a match. Since he had recovered from the same illness two years earlier, the doctor explained that his blood could help save her life.

“Would you be brave enough to give your blood to your sister?” the doctor asked. The boy hesitated, his lower lip trembling. Then he smiled and said, “Yes, for my sister.” As the transfusion began, he watched the blood flow through the tube. After a while, his smile faded, and he quietly asked, “Doctor, when do I die?”

The boy believed that giving his blood meant giving up his life. Yet because he loved his sister, he was willing to make the sacrifice. His example reminds us that love is not only a feeling; it becomes real when we are willing to give of ourselves for another.

The saints also show us what it means to carry the cross of love. St. Damien of Molokai found his cross in service to people with leprosy on the island of Molokai, choosing to remain with them, care for them, and share in their suffering. His witness shows that the cross can be found in faithful service and compassion.

St. Maximilian Kolbe carried the cross in another powerful way. As a Polish Franciscan priest, missionary, and writer, he offered his life in place of a stranger at Auschwitz. He is remembered as a “martyr of charity” because his sacrifice revealed the courage and love of Christ.

The true cross revealed in today’s Gospel: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” The Cross shows us that true love gives, sacrifices, and saves.

The question is no longer simply, “What does the Cross mean to me?” The deeper question is: who’s cross am I willing to help carry? It is easy to admire sacrifice from a distance, but Christ calls us to live it with courage. He asks us to love when it is difficult, to serve when it is inconvenient, to forgive when it costs us, and to stand beside those who suffer. If we truly believe in the Cross, then we cannot remain comfortable spectators. We must become people who choose love over fear, service over comfort, and courage over hesitation—because life often begins on the other side of fear.

Action of the Day:

“What does the Cross mean to me?” The deeper question is: who’s cross am I willing to help carry?

Audio Reflection: