Sunday Gospel Reflection, November 8, 2026: My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God...

My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God…
Have we learned to thirst for God’s wisdom? 

    We start with a story. There are two characters. One chooses wisdom; one is Wisdom. The author of the Book of Wisdom personifies its subject in order to draw his readers into the story: Resplendent and unfading is wisdom… Whoever watches for her at dawn shall not be disappointed, for he shall find her sitting by his gate. The one looking for wisdom is actively seeking her out, and of course the wisdom with whom he desires relationship is the Divine Wisdom of God. Our relationship with God, the Book of Wisdom suggests, is essential to our well-being, and so the sage thirsts for that wisdom, a quest Psalm 63 captures well: O God, you are my God whom I seek; for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts. The psalmist knows that divine kindness is a greater good than life, and that in relationship with God his life is blessed. 

    But in what frame of mind do we pursue this relationship? In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the ten virgins (or bridesmaids), five of whom were foolish while five were wise. The foolish young women brought no oil with them, and eventually their lamps went out. The wise bridesmaids, on the other hand realized that, if, while they waited for the bridegroom, their lamps went out, they would be unable to fulfill their role in the relationship. They were ready; they were open to relationship; they were prepared to come to the feast! 

    Like the wise bridesmaids, we must be ready to encounter Jesus in the Eucharist, our communion feast. It’s about being conscious and intentional. It’s a choice. And if, as Paul writes to the Thessalonians, we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep, along with all living believers, to eternal union with him at the feast of heaven. Thus we shall always be with the Lord! But first, we need the wisdom to trust in relationship, open to and longing for the Lord’s presence in our lives always, here and now, full of hope in his promise and ready to meet him when he comes! 

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com

Sunday Gospel Reflection, November 7, 2024: She, from her poverty, has contributed all she had...

She, from her poverty, has contributed all she had… 

How strong is our trust in the Lord?

    In the First Book of Kings, God directs Elijah to go to Zarephath, a town in Gentile territory. A terrible drought has caused famine in the land, but the Lord has instructed a widow there to feed Elijah. When Elijah meets the widow and asks, Please bring me a small cupful of water to drink… and a bit of bread, the woman responds, As the Lord, your God, lives, I have nothing, yet she does as he asks! How interesting that this woman not only is familiar with but also trusts Elijah’s God enough to do what he has instructed her. Her trust will be rewarded when Elijah promises that her jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry. The widow of Zarephath’s faith opens God’s ability to act in her life more profoundly. Perhaps she would, as Psalm 146 says, praise the Lord, now having irrefutable proof that the God of Elijah sustains the fatherless and the widow, among others. 

    The fate of widows had not improved by Jesus’ time. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus warns the crowds that the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept seats of honor in synagogues also devour the houses of widows! Jesus then observes how the crowd puts money into the temple treasury. These are not taxes but donations, and the larger the donation, the louder the sound the coins make as they go into the donation box. Although the rich scribes put in large sums, their gift is nothing compared to that of a poor widow who puts in two small coins worth a few cents. Where they give from their surplus, she contributes all she has, a sign of her complete and utter trust in the Lord to take care of her. Having given away her freedom, the widow’s hands are empty and open to receive from the hand of God. 

    The Letter to the Hebrews reminds us that Jesus himself will likewise give away all he has, offering himself once for all, to take away sin by his sacrifice. We are assured that he will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him. We have but to trust, as the widows did, and to wait eagerly for his return! 

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class. 
Image source: www.wordclouds.com

Sunday Gospel Reflection, November 12, 2023: Resplendent and unfading is wisdom...

Resplendent and unfading is wisdom…

What will impel us to step beyond our own limitations? 

    Humankind longs utterly and completely for God. Psalm 63 summarizes this sentiment well: for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts. For the psalmist, as for many of us, access to God comes in a particular place at a particular moment: Thus I have gazed toward you in the sanctuary. To be with God – which we will one day be, when we enter into perfect union with the Lord after we die – is preferable to any other option: your kindness is a greater good than life itself, the psalmist writes. But to arrive at this understanding requires us to step beyond what we know and to embrace the God for whom we long. 

    To long for God is to long for the Wisdom of God: Resplendent and unfading is wisdom; she is found by those who seek her. To know God’s Wisdom, or Sophia, requires being open to God’s guidance and direction, always, that we might enter into that intimate relationship with the Lord whom we seek, here on earth, for she hastens to make herself known in anticipation of our desire. To gain Wisdom, we must learn to step beyond our natural boundaries, our limitations, and to step closer to God or allow God to step closer to us, meeting us with all solicitude. We will find Wisdom on all the paths on which we follow God, for she will graciously appear to us in the ways, that we might live more clearly, understanding our own place in the world and all that it calls us to. 

    In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus shares with his disciples the parable of the ten virgins in order to give them a model of what it means to step beyond our own limitations, that we might be prepared for any situation. All of the ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom fall asleep while waiting for him, but only half of them brought flasks of oil with their lamps. They are prepared for the unexpected, open to whatever comes, without limitations, no matter the day or the hour. Likewise, we must be invested, living our faith, rather than simply relying on the fact that we are baptized to get us to heaven, that perfect union promised by God. Paul consoles the Thessalonian community regarding those who have already died, for God will, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep (the dead), that they too might be always with the Lord, and know that perfect union that we all long for. 

    We have an imperfect notion of heaven. We focus on the idea of reuniting with our loved ones; we don’t want to let go of the relationships we have on earth. And, of course, we can still love those who have passed, pray for them, and open to them. But our faith tells us that perfect union with Christ will be so much more, a union in which there will be no separation, no differentiation between ourselves and all others, only a state of being in the presence of God, united with all, for all eternity. We will appreciate this only if we can step beyond the limitations our human minds so often impose, and embrace as best we can God’s vision for union, perfect union, in Christ. 

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com

Sunday Gospel Reflection, November 6, 2022: The King of the world will raise us up...

The King of the world will raise us up…

What are we without hope in the Lord? 

    At the time of the writing of the First and Second Books of Maccabees, circa 400 BC, a tentative belief in some form of an afterlife is just beginning to surface. For example, when Antiochus Epiphanes has seven brothers with their mother arrested and tortured, one after another, the family states its clear belief that the King of the world will raise us up to live again forever. The brothers’ lives are insignificant unless they are true to their covenant and relationship with God, which brings them to hope for resurrection. Their mother, too, has hope in the Lord and remains firm in the face of death. Any one of them might pray Psalm 17: Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full, for they know that the just will behold the face of God. 

    In Luke’s Gospel, the Sadducees, who do not believe in the resurrection of the dead, challenge Jesus with a question about a woman who marries one brother after another: at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? Those who are worthy, Jesus replies, will attain the resurrection of the dead. But the resurrection of which Jesus speaks is more than resuscitation: it is a true and radical transformation into new life, life in the Body of Christ, perfectly united in that Body as children of God. To be worthy, we might heed the words of St. Paul to the Thessalonians, who prays that our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father encourage your hearts and strengthen them in every good deed and word. Our life and our hope lie not on this earth, but in eternal union with God and with one another, in perfect love and our union with that love. We celebrate our hope for that eternal life in Christ when we participate in his love for all people, giving all the opportunity to know the depth of that love and to find their hope in Christ. 

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class. 
Image source: www.wordclouds.com

Sunday, November 7, 2021: The Lord secures justice for the oppressed...

The Lord secures justice for the oppressed…

How can you be life-giving for our world?

    In the First Book of Kings, the widow of Zarephath to whom God sends Elijah is destitute: there is only a little flour in my jar and a little oil in my jug, she tells him. A woman living alone with her son, the widow has no recourse; in a time of famine, the marginalized were the last to receive the community’s support. The desperation of her situation makes her dependent on the stranger in her midst, yet Elijah, in an extraordinary move, asks her to bring along a crust of bread, that he might eat. Because she trusts and cooperates, she is rewarded; she allows herself to be dependent on the Lord, the God of Elijah, who promises, The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the Lord sends rain upon the earth. As Psalm 146 proclaims, The Lord secures justice for the oppressed, and gives food to the hungry. The Lord is merciful to all who have great need, but we too must play a role: there is no justice for the oppressed unless we stand up for justice for them – this is God’s work in us.

    Nine hundred years later, Jesus’ community is still struggled to secure justice for the oppressed. Speaking, in Mark’s Gospel, of the scribes, Jesus says, They devour the houses of widows, consuming the little people have and condemning the marginalized, those who live on the periphery of society. Jesus knows that the widow who puts two small coins into the treasury has put in more than all the other contributors. She gives everything she has without considering the cost to herself, trusting in the mercy of God, confident that God will take care of her, and Jesus wants to secure justice for her as well.

    God has always been concerned on behalf of God’s people. The Book of Hebrews reminds us that Christ appears before God on our behalf, making it possible to live as if death is not a barrier. Jesus came and will come again to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him; he will be particularly attentive to those who, like the widow, contribute from their poverty, trusting in God’s promise of salvation. Our job is to serve our world in any way we can; we must take responsibility for the people of our community, and secure justice for all who are in need, all who are marginalized, allowing the Lord to work through us, that all might have what they need.

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com

Sunday Gospel Reflection, November 10, 2019: The dead will rise...

The dead will rise…

Do you hope for eternal life?

  Even in Jesus’ time, not all Jews believed in life after death, so it is interesting that the Second Book of Maccabees, written well before Christ, contains a story which suggests a clear belief in the resurrection of the body.  When the Hellenist king Antiochus Epiphanes tries to force them to eat pork, one after another, seven brothers state their clear preference to die rather than to transgress the laws of their ancestors, confident in the hope God gives of being raised by him.  While life after death is not guaranteed for the unjust – for you, there will be no resurrection to life, says one of the brothers to his torturers – this family, at least, is confident in God’s promise, knowing what they do in this life is only measurable in heaven; their hope is that connection with the Lord in this world will continue in their connection with the Lord in eternity, for they are drawn to the perfect love of God.  In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus will likewise assure the unbelieving Sadducees of life after death:  the dead will rise, he says, citing Moses.  And Psalm 17 is also reassuring:  Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.  While not explicitly addressing eternal life, the psalmist expresses his belief that God will hear him, answer him, stand by him:  I in justice shall behold your face.

  Death could not contain Jesus; we are witnesses to the fulfillment of that promise.  We did not witness his resurrection personally, but we are called to believe in what God can do, for all can be gathered into the love of God because God wants all he has made brought into perfect union with him.  Our work is to pray for all, like Jesus, giving them, as Paul tells the Thessalonians, everlasting encouragement and good hope.  In this way, the Word of God may speed forward and be glorified, spreading in the hearts of all people, that they might come to know the love God has for us all.  God draws us to him; we have but to exercise free will in opening our own hearts to his.  May the Lord direct our hearts to the love of God, that we too may behold his face!

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.

Image source:  www.wordclouds.com

Sunday Gospel Reflection, November 11, 2018: The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry...

The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry…

How can God’s generosity make us more generous?

  The widow of Zarephath trusts in the generosity of God.  When, in 1 Kings, Elijah asks her for a small cupful of water and a bit of bread, his request represents true hardship for her: the land is suffering from drought, and doing as Elijah says will require the widow’s last handful of flour and oil.  Yet, following the laws of hospitality, the widow remains generous to the end.  Perhaps she senses that Elijah’s God is a trustworthy God:  as your God lives, she says, suggesting that Elijah’s is a vibrant God who takes care of all, including widows and orphans, as Psalm 146 states.  Elijah is dependent upon the widow’s generosity just as she is dependent upon God’s, and in the end, she is able to eat for a year, and he and her son as well.  Her trust enables her to rely upon a God she knows only by instinct; her generosity mirrors that of the God in whom she will come to believe. 

  The widow in Mark’s Gospel demonstrates similar trust in God when she puts two small coins into the treasury.  Although the immoral scribes are willing to devour the houses of widows in exchange for prayers, the widow has absolute trust that God will take care of her, and of those who support her.  She is generous in her poverty, a model of God’s generosity, which will see its epitome in the death of Jesus, who takes away sin by his sacrifice, as the Letter to the Hebrews states.  How awe-inspiring, then, to remember that every time we participate in a sacrament, we participate in Jesus’ ultimate gift – life given for the sake of life, life for all – that we might, in turn, be generous to all, trusting that whatever we can give, it is a participation of sorts in the infinite generosity and love of God.

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.

Image source:  www.wordle.net