“We are constantly tempted to reduce the Eucharist to our own dimensions, while in reality it is we who must open ourselves up to the dimensions of the Mystery.”

Christ gives us his Body in the Eucharist, he gives himself in his Body and thus makes us his Body, he unites us with his Risen Body. If man eats ordinary bread, in the digestive process this bread becomes part of his body, transformed into a substance of human life. But in holy Communion the inverse process is brought about. Christ, the Lord, assimilates us into himself, introducing us into his glorious Body, and thus we all become his Body. - Pope Benedict XVI (General Audience on December 10, 2008)

Gospel Text: (JN 6:24-35)

When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there,

they themselves got into boats

and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

And when they found him across the sea they said to him,

“Rabbi, when did you get here?”

Jesus answered them and said,

“Amen, amen, I say to you,

you are looking for me not because you saw signs

but because you ate the loaves and were filled.

Do not work for food that perishes

but for the food that endures for eternal life,

which the Son of Man will give you.

For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.”

So they said to him,

“What can we do to accomplish the works of God?”

Jesus answered and said to them,

“This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”

So they said to him,

“What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?

What can you do?

Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written:

He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”

So Jesus said to them,

“Amen, amen, I say to you,

it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven;

my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.

For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven

and gives life to the world.”

So they said to him,

“Sir, give us this bread always.”

Jesus said to them,

“I am the bread of life;

whoever comes to me will never hunger,

and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

Moses told them, “This is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.”  (Exodus 16:15)



The wise remind us:  money and wealth do not bring happiness.  Some days we listen and know this to be true.  Then our true treasure shines brighter than gold and we see in new light.

How can we leave behind the familiar and survive the trek into the unknown? 

Scripture says that our true treasure comes from above.  We seek it but do not earn it.  Our greatness lies in welcoming the gifts of faith, family, friends, work, and world.  Like the morning dew, a new self is given, not picked off a rack. 

The simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the lie. - "One word of truth outweighs the world.”

“Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else.”― Theodore Roosevelt: (1858 – 1919: Twenty-sixth President of the United States, and a leader of the Republican Party and of the Progressive Movement)

Gospel Text: (MT 14:1-12)

Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus

and said to his servants, “This man is John the Baptist.

He has been raised from the dead;

that is why mighty powers are at work in him.”

Now Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison

on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip,

for John had said to him,

“It is not lawful for you to have her.”

Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people,

for they regarded him as a prophet.

But at a birthday celebration for Herod,

the daughter of Herodias performed a dance before the guests

and delighted Herod so much

that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for.

Prompted by her mother, she said,

“Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”

The king was distressed,

but because of his oaths and the guests who were present,

he ordered that it be given, and he had John beheaded in the prison.

His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl,

who took it to her mother.

His disciples came and took away the corpse

and buried him; and they went and told Jesus.

A question I did have upon reading these verses was just why Herod was bothered by Jesus.  What had he heard which threatened him and his little kingdom.  In the previous chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus has been relating and explaining various parables about a “kingdom” which is like a sower who sows seeds, like a growing mustard seed, like a treasure or pearl found or a fishing net resulting in some fish saved and others thrown away. Matthew follows these parables with Herod’s feeling his kingdom, his power, his identity being diminished. So Herod, in Matthew’s arrangement of things, begins to work toward his participation in getting rid of Jesus just as he got rid of the annoyance of John.  I would suggest our reading the previous chapter’s parables to see what of our little kingdoms is threatened by their meaning.  It is a prayerful reflection to become aware of how Jesus’ teachings can annoy us and we can have the same reaction as Herod, “Get rid of all that stuff!  I am my own kingdom!  I don’t want to be reminded who God says I am!  I will decide!  I will hear who others tell me I am!”   

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” - Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955: German-born theoretical physicist)

Gospel Text: (MT 13:54-58)

Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue.

They were astonished and said,

“Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?

Is he not the carpenter’s son?

Is not his mother named Mary

and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?

Are not his sisters all with us?

Where did this man get all this?”

And they took offense at him.

But Jesus said to them,

“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place

and in his own house.”

And he did not work many mighty deeds there

because of their lack of faith.

Today’s Gospel works well with the feast of St. Ignatius, founder of the Society of Jesus and a most remarkable man. In the Gospel, people in the crowd begin to question Jesus’ credentials. Who is he to tell them what to do? Where does he, a carpenter’s son, get off preaching in the synagogue? Jesus’ response: “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.” This fits with St. Ignatius because if you knew him as a young man, you would not have figured him for a saint. A nobleman, a soldier. — he seemed destined for a different life. The road he eventually chose wasn’t always easy.

Things don’t work out always as we have planned. Even Jesus had to preach to some pretty tough crowds. Ignatius turned away from a very different life to find what fulfilled him on deeper level.

What about you?

“Isn’t that the way God works? - He takes the things in our lives that are ugly, disgusting, and downright wicked, and transforms them into something magnificent.”

“Conversion is not the smooth, easy-going process some men seem to think... “― John Bunyan: (1628 – 1688: Author of The Pilgrim’s Progress, arguably the most famous published Christian allegory)

Gospel Text: (JN 20:1-2, 11-18)
On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.”

Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping.
And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb
and saw two angels in white sitting there,
one at the head and one at the feet
where the Body of Jesus had been.
And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “They have taken my Lord,
and I don’t know where they laid him.”
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,
but did not know it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you looking for?”
She thought it was the gardener and said to him,
“Sir, if you carried him away,
tell me where you laid him,
and I will take him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to him in Hebrew,
“Rabbouni,” which means Teacher.
Jesus said to her,
“Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.
But go to my brothers and tell them,
‘I am going to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God.’”
Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,
“I have seen the Lord,”
and then reported what he told her.

Today is the Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene. Transformation is a word which comes to mind when I think about Mary Magdalene. She experienced profound personal transformation as she changed how she lived her life. Her love of Jesus and loyalty to him have always been an inspiration to me. What courage she demonstrated as she was present to Jesus during the horrific days of the crucifixion.

The gospel today invites us to pray about the first day after the crucifixion. The ever loyal Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb of Jesus to pray and when seeing the stone removed from the tomb believes that the body of Jesus has been stolen. Her devastating grief clouded her ability to see Jesus but rather she assumes he was the gardener. When she realizes she is talking with her beloved Jesus he says to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.” Mary Magdalene must start to make sense of the transformation of Jesus. And he needs her help to tell his disciples “I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” Again the abiding faith and loyalty of Mary Magdalene is demonstrated as she shares this important message from Jesus.

When I think about the pictures I have been sorting from my lifespan, I have been reflecting upon times of transformation in my life. While I always strive to been a better person, I know I have had plenty of dark days. Mary Magdalene is such a comfort and an inspiration for me to build upon what I know to be true and also be ready to make a leap of faith.

These questions are part of my reflection and prayer today: When has Jesus been present to me and I have not seen him? In this culture what are the challenges of living my faith with true fidelity? How can I appreciate God’s presence through the transformations in my life? What can I do to accept changes in others? When do I best serve the kingdom of God?

“Tell us Mary, what did you see on the way? I saw the glory of the risen Christ. I saw his empty tomb.”

Get the picture?

“The will of God is not something you add to your life. It’s a course you choose”

God wills only our good; God loves us more than anybody else can or does love us. His will is that no one should lose his soul, that everyone should save and sanctify his soul: “Not willing that any should perish, but that all should return to penance.” “This is the will of God, your sanctification.” God has made the attainment of our happiness, his glory. Even chastisements come to us, not to crush us, but to make us mend our ways and save our souls.--St. Alphonsus de Ligouri: (1696 – 1787: an Italian Catholic bishop, spiritual writer, & scholastic philosopher)

Gospel Text: (MT 12:46-50)
While Jesus was speaking to the crowds,
his mother and his brothers appeared outside,
wishing to speak with him.
Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside,
asking to speak with you.”
But he said in reply to the one who told him,
“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”
And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said,
“Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father
is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

One of the greatest gifts God has given us is free will. This free will distinguishes us from everything else in the visible universe. It enables us to respond freely to the love of God. And that is what responsibility means: the ability to respond freely to the love of God. Free will, then, is our greatest dignity and most awesome responsibility.

Using our free will in making moral decisions is the very substance, the warp and the woof, of our every day life. Our free will decisions are not only expressive of our unique personality; they are also creative of it. Ultimately, they determine the unique person we will become.

So we spend a lot of time trying to discern what the will of God is for us. But often we think of the will of God as some secret, esoteric mystery that we do not know. We waste a lot of time and energy trying to discern this mysterious will of God. And we are disturbed and anxious because we are not doing the will of God. At the same time we are neglecting the things that are clearly and certainly the will of God.

The Catechism explains that Freedom is the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one's own responsibility. By free will one shapes one's own life. Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness; it attains its perfection when directed toward God, our beatitude. (CCC# 1731)

And in so doing, we do the will of God and are on our way to the Kingdom of Heaven.

"Why do we ask proof of the veracity of One who cannot lie?”

The case for Christianity in general is well given by Chesterton…As to why God doesn't make it demonstratively clear; are we sure that He is even interested in the kind of Theism which would be a compelled logical assent to a conclusive argument? ― C.S. Lewis: (1898 – 1963: English novelist and poet)

Gospel Text: (MT 12:38-42)
Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,
“Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”
He said to them in reply,
“An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign,
but no sign will be given it
except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights,
so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth
three days and three nights.
At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah;
and there is something greater than Jonah here.
At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon;
and there is something greater than Solomon here.”

Everyone is familiar with the story of the man who is trapped on the roof of his house while a flood rages around him. He prays to God for deliverance. A short time later, a small boat motors down the flooded street. The man prefers to stay where he is, confident that God will save him.

Soon after, with the floodwaters continuing to engulf the house, a larger boat offers to evacuate him. Declining once again, the man is sure that he should stay where he is, so sure is he that God will come to his rescue. The rains continue and the water rises.

As the torrent engulfs the house, the man climbs to the top of the chimney. While there, awaiting God's intervention, a rescue helicopter lowers a ladder, but the man declines the help. "I know that God will save me," he says to the pilot.

Inevitably, the man is swept away in the water and drowns. When he appears before God, the man is sorely disappointed. "I had such confidence in you, Lord" he says, "How could you abandon me?"

"Abandon you?" God replies. "What more could you want? I sent you two boats and a helicopter!"

Misdirected expectations can blind us to the working of God in our lives.

In today's Gospel, Jesus calls his generation an evil one, because "it seeks a sign." Like the man caught in the flood, many of Jesus' contemporaries are not impressed by his words, his miracles, or even his assertion that he has the power to forgive sins. They want something more.

Jesus could just as well have been speaking to our own generation as to his. We are so accustomed to being over-stimulated by the ready access to data and information that our technology gives us, that reflection and contemplation can easily be pushed to the margin of our existence. The need for constant novelty is a sign of an unsettled mind and heart.

If we neglect to ponder our life and its circumstances, we will be unlikely to discover the subtleties of God's activity in our souls.

Jesus had already given many signs attesting to his Messiah-ship. He promises one more, "the sign of Jonah." Jesus is referring not only to his Passion, Death and Resurrection - symbolized by Jonah's three-day adventure in whaling - but also to his central message, "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15).

In a way, it is natural to want signs to verify our convictions. However, the signs that God sends may not be what we expect. Perhaps what we really need is the capacity to ponder our life in the presence of God - to pray - in order to discover how the Lord wants to lead us.

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.

“The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.”― Elie Wiesel: (Romania-born American novelist, political activist, and Holocaust survivor)

Gospel Text: (MK 6:30-34)

The apostles gathered together with Jesus

and reported all they had done and taught.

He said to them,

“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”

People were coming and going in great numbers,

and they had no opportunity even to eat.

So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place.

People saw them leaving and many came to know about it.

They hastened there on foot from all the towns

and arrived at the place before them.

When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,

his heart was moved with pity for them,

for they were like sheep without a shepherd;

and he began to teach them many things.

When was the last time your heart was moved with pity? Not the kind of pity that has been defined for us by Western philosophy, by Hollywood movies and Reality TV. Not the kind of pity that flows from a contemptuous and cynical heart. Not the kind of pity that judges the character or social condition of a vulnerable person. But Biblical pity. A pity that moves you to exclaim: “By the grace of God, I am what I am.” (I Cor. 15:10) A pity that is born out of the realization that we all share a human condition, we all share human weaknesses, we all share a need to be saved by a power who is greater than I am, a pity like that of Jesus of today’s gospel.

In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus’ heart stirred with pity. It was a pity that came from a heart that saw suffering, not as a sign of sin or weakness, but as an opportunity for grace and healing.