[This] feast celebrates the visit of Mary, the Mother of God, with the Child Jesus in her womb, to her cousin [Saint] Elizabeth [5 November]. The visit took place when Elizabeth was herself six months pregnant with the forerunner of Christ, Saint John the Baptist [24 June, 29 August].Scripture of the Day
Friends, today’s Gospel tells of Mary’s visit to Elizabeth. I’ve always been fascinated by Mary’s "haste" in this story of the Visitation. Upon hearing the message of Gabriel concerning her own pregnancy and that of her cousin, Mary "proceeded in haste into the hill country of Judah" to see Elizabeth.Video reflection by Fr. Roger Lopez, O.F.M. (Franciscan Media): U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Why did she go with such speed and purpose? Because she had found her mission, her role in the theo-drama. We are dominated today by the ego-drama in all of its ramifications and implications. The ego-drama is the play that I’m writing, I’m producing, I’m directing, and I’m starring in. We see this absolutely everywhere in our culture. Freedom of choice reigns supreme: I become the person that I choose to be.
The theo-drama is the great story being told by God, the great play being directed by God. What makes life thrilling is to discover your role in it. This is precisely what has happened to Mary. She has found her role—indeed a climactic role—in the theo-drama, and she wants to conspire with Elizabeth, who has also discovered her role in the same drama. Like Mary, we have to find our place in God’s story.
"Prayer is the breath of the Mystical Body. It is conversation with God. It is the expression of the soul's love & its striving toward the Father."Little Flower Quote o' the Day
—Pope Bl. Paul VI (1897-1978, feast day: 26 September)
"So that is all that Jesus wants from us, He does not need our accomplishments, only our love. He thirsts for love."Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"I have found heaven on earth, since heaven is God, & God is in my soul."
—St. Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880-1906, feast day: 8 November)
"Annie waits for the last time,
Just the same as the last time,
Annie waits for the last time,
Just the same as the last time,
Annie waits, but not for me."
"Fall, people love fall. 'It's my favorite season!' It's not a competition. 'My favorite season, that I'm voting for in America's Next Top Season, is fall.'"
Friends, in today’s Gospel James and John ask Jesus to place them in high places in his kingdom. They are asking for two of the classic substitutes for God: power and honor. Power is not, in itself, a bad thing, and the same is true of honor. Thomas Aquinas said that honor is the flag of virtue. It’s a way of signaling to others something that’s worth noticing.Papal Quote o' the Day
So what’s the problem? The problem is that they are asking for these two things in the wrong spirit. The ego will want to use power, not for God’s purposes or in service of truth, beauty, and goodness, but for its own aggrandizement and defense. When honor is sought for its own sake or in order to puff up the ego, it becomes dangerous as well.
So what’s the way out? “Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.” When you serve others, you are accessing the power of God and seeking the honor of God.
"Radical changes in world politics leave America with a heightened responsibility to be, for the world, an example of a genuinely free, democratic, just, & human society."Little Flower Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II (the Great, 1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"I know that all the eagles of heaven have pity on me & that they guard & defend me, putting to flight the vulture-like temptations which would destroy me."Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!"
—St. Joan of Arc (1412-1431, feast day: 30 May)
"I'm rockin' the suburbs,
Just like Michael Jackson did,
I'm rockin' the suburbs,
Except that he was talented,
I'm rockin' the suburbs,
I take the checks and face the facts
That some producer with computers
Fixes all my shitty tracks…
"I'm rockin' the suburbs,
Just like Quiet Riot did,
I'm rockin' the suburbs,
Except that they were talented,
I'm rockin' the suburbs,
I take the checks and face the facts
That some producer with computers
Fixes all my shitty tracks…"
Trinity Sunday celebrates the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, the three Persons of God: the Father, the Son, & the Holy Spirit.Scripture of This Week
Friends, here is the curious thing about the Trinity: at one and the same time, it is the most extraordinary and the most ordinary of Christian doctrines, simultaneously the most inaccessible and the most obvious.Video reflection by Father Greg Friedman, O.F.M.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
On the one hand, there is a highly developed, technical language regarding this great mystery. On the other hand, the most ordinary Catholic simply and regularly invokes the Trinity every time he crosses himself.
Our Gospel for Trinity Sunday is taken from the very end of Matthew’s Gospel. The risen and glorified Lord speaks to the new Israel of the Church: "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me." This is not an ordinary prophet speaking. This is the very Word of the Father, the exact replica of the Father’s being.
Jesus then tells them to go forth and to do the work of gathering in, of drawing people into the very dynamics of the divine life. Now, how all of this fits together theoretically is indeed a fascinating question, but we should never allow the arcane language of theology to obscure the revolutionary meaning of the Trinity: it is a summons to mission, a call to action.
When making a decision, the Native Ameican people used to ask themselves how their decision would affect their people seven generations from now. One hundred years from now, none of us will be here. Let us always remember that in the whole scheme of things, the Church is on loan to use for a very brief time[; &] yet in that brief time we determine the Church our children & grandchildren will inherit. In this way, God has appointed us to take care of the vineyard—the Church. This is a responsibility we should take seriously In Matthew's Gospel (Mt. 21:33-41) we are given a vision of what happens when servants are overcome with pride & arrogance.†
"Today we praise God, not for a specific mystery, but simply for Himself, 'for His immense glory,' as declared in the liturgical hymn. We praise Him & we thank Him because He is Love, & because He calls us to enter into the embrace of His communion which is eternal life."Little Flower Quote o' That Day
—Pope Francis (born 1936, reigning since 2013)
"I seek the beauty of heaven. I was ready to become a prisoner in order to give this heavenly beauty to other souls."Saint Quote o' That Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
—St. Caesarius of Arles (468-542, feast day: 27 August)
Friends, today’s Gospel exhorts us to see the radicality and rewards of Jesus’ call to discipleship, which cuts through so many of the social conventions of his time and ours. He urges us to see that everyone—rich and poor, men and women, those on the inside and those on the outs—is summoned to discipleship, and that this summons is the most important consideration of all. It is the better part, to use Jesus’ words; it is the one thing necessary.Video reflection by Father Gene Ulrich: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
St. Augustine was right: “Lord, you have made us for yourself; therefore, our heart is restless until it rests in thee.” We are all wired for God. There is a hunger in us that nothing in this world can possibly satisfy. Only Jesus can lead us to the heavenly banquet; and that’s why we must follow him.
"Science can purify religion from error & superstition. Religion can purify science from idolatry & false absolutes."Little Flower Quote o' This Day
—Pope St. John Paul II (the Great, 1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"It is true that Love knows no such word as 'impossible,' for it deems 'all things possible, all things allowed.'"Saint Quote o' This Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"When you see that I am brought to my last moments, place me naked upon the ground just as you saw me the day before yesterday; & let me lie there after I am dead for the length of time it takes one to walk a mile unhurriedly."
—St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226, feast day: 4 September)
"When there's no love in town,
A new century is bringing you down,
All the places you have been,
Trying to find a love supreme,
A love supreme…"
"July the fourteenth, Eighteen Sixty-one, Washington, D.C.
"Dear Sarah,
The indications are very strong that we shall move in a few days, perhaps tomorrow, & lest I should not be able to write you again I feel impelled to write a few lines that may fall under your eye when I am no more.
"I have no misgivings about or lack of confidence in the cause in which I am engaged, & my courage does not halt or falter. I know how American civilization now leans upon the triumph of the Government, & how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood & suffering of the Revolution, & I am willing, perfectly willing, to lay down all my joys in this life to help maintain this Government & to pay that debt.
"Sarah, my love for you is deathless. It seems to bind me with mighty cables that nothing but Omnipotence can break. And yet my love of country comes over me like a strong wind & bears me irresistibly with all those chains to the battlefield. The memory of all the blissful moments I have enjoyed with you come crowding over me & feel most deeply grateful to God, & you, that I have enjoyed them for so long. And how hard it is for me to give them up & burn to ashes the hopes, future years when God willing we might have lived & loved together & see our boys grown up to honorably manhood around us!
"If I do not return, my dear Sarah, never forget how much I loved you, nor that when my last breath escapes me on the battlefield it will whisper your name. Forgive my many faults & the many pains I have caused you. How thoughtless, you foolish I have sometimes been! But, O Sarah, if the dead can come back to this earth & flit unseen around those they love, I shall always be with you in the brightest day & the darkest night, always, always. And when the soft breeze fans your cheek it shall be my breath, or the cool air on your throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by. O Sarah, do not mourn me dead! Think I am gone & wait for me, for we shall meet again."
Friends, in today’s Gospel a rich young man asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. There is something absolutely right about the young man, something spiritually alive, and that is his deep desire to share in everlasting life. He knows what he wants, and he knows where to find it.Video reflection by Msgr. James Vlaun (Telecare T.V.): United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Jesus responds to his wonderful question by enumerating many of the commandments. The young man takes this in and replies, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my childhood." So Jesus looks at him with love and says, "Go and sell what you have and give to the poor. After that come follow me."
God is nothing but love straight through, and therefore the life of friendship with him, in the richest sense, is a life of total, self-forgetting love. Jesus senses that this young man is ready for the high adventure of the spiritual life; he is asking the right question and he is properly prepared.
But at this point, the young man tragically balks. The spiritual life, at the highest pitch, is about giving your life away, and this is why having many possessions is a problem.
"The world you are inheriting is a world which desperately needs a new sense of brotherhood & human solidarity. It is a world which needs to be touched & healed by the beauty & richness of God's love."Little Flower Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II (the Great, 1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"Let us not grow tired of prayer: confidence works miracles."Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"Today, the Majesty of God is surrounding me. There is no way that I can help myself to prepare better. I am thoroughly enwrapped in God. My soul is being inflamed by His love. I only know that I love & am loved. That is enough for me. I am trying my best to be faithful throughout the day to the Holy Spirit & to fulfill His demands. I am trying my best for interior silence to be able to hear His voice…"
—St. Maria Faustyna of the Blessed Sacrament (1905-1938, feast day: 5 October)
"…God in Three Persons,
Blessed Trinity."
"Only Thou art holy,
There is none besides Thee,
Perfect in power,
Perfect in power,
In love, and purity.
"Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty,
All Thy works shall praise Thy Name,
In Earth and sky and sea,
There is a sign at the sight of Thee,
There is none besides Thee,
God in Three Persons,
God in Three Persons,
God in Three Persons,
Blessed Trinity."
"Third Apostle of Rome," after Saints Peter & Paul, Saint Philip Neri was an Italian priest noted for founding a society of secular clergy called the Congregation of the Oratory.'Tis also the festival of Saint Eleutherius, Pope (died circa 189, also spelt Eleuterus), thirteenth (XIII) Bishop of Rome, who worked against the Montanist heresy: Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Pontiff & Wikipedia-link Heresy.
Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus declares that the kingdom of God belongs to children. "Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."Video reflection by Harry Dudley, D.Min.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
How so? Well, children are like stars or flowers or animals, things that are what they are, unambiguously, uncomplicatedly. They are in accord with God’s deepest intentions for them. The challenge of the spiritual life is to realize what God wants us to be—to find out what is in line with the deepest grain of our being—and thereby come to the same simplicity and directness in our existence.
Let me put this another way: children haven’t yet learned how to look at themselves. Why can a child immerse himself so eagerly and thoroughly in what he is doing? Because he can lose himself; because he is not looking at himself, conscious of the reactions, expectations, and approval of those around him. The best moments in life are when we lose ourselves in the world and just are as God wants us to be.
"Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought."Little Flower Quote o' the Day (+ Bonus! Saint Quote o' the Day)
—Pope St. John Paul II (the Great, 1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"I love You, Jesus, & bear in mind the words of St. John of the Cross: 'The least act of pure love is of more value than all the other works put together.'"Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"As the soul is the life of the body, so the Holy Spirit is the life of our souls."
—St. Peter Damian, Doctor of the Church (1007-1073, feast day:)
"Try living in this world,
Try dealing with this, girl,
Instead of the mixed up mind inside your head,
Try living in this world,
Try dealing with this, girl,
Instead of the little lies you spread…"
St. Bede wrote the history of the Christian churches in England, & of England generally; its main focus is on the conflict between the pre-Schism Roman Rite & Celtic Christianity. it is considered one of the most important original references on Anglo-Saxon history.'Tis also the Optional Memorial of Saint Gregory VII, Pope, O.S.B. (circa 1015-1085, A.K.A. Hildebrand of Sovana), one hundred fifty-seventh (CLVII) Bishop of Rome,who defended the liberty of the Church in the Investiture Controversy: Saint-link ūnus, Saint-link duo, Saint-link trēs, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Pontiff & Wikipedia-link Controversy.
Gregory is perhaps best known for this part he played in the Investiture Controversy, his dispute with Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor that affirmed the primacy of papal authority & the new canon law governing the election of the pope by the College of Cardinals.'Tis also the Optional Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi, Virgin, O.Carm. (1566-1607, A.K.A. Caterina de' Pazzi): Saint-link ūna, Saint-link duæ, & Wikipedia-link.
Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi, O.Carm. was an Italian Carmelite nun & mystic. She was affectionately known as "The Passion Flower of the Eucharist," St. Mary Magdalene was taught mental prayer, also known as meditation, at the tender age of nine, at the request of her mother.'Tis also the festival of Saint Zenobius of Florence, Bishop (337-417): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
Friends, in our Gospel today, Jesus defines the fundamental sacredness of marriage. I’m convinced that the deep sacramental and religious meaning of marriage—even within the Church—has been, in recent years, dramatically compromised. We say that marriage is a vocation, but do we mean it?Video reflection by Lucia Luzondo, J.D.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
We can look at human sexual relationships at a number of different levels. Two people can come together purely for physical pleasure, for economic reasons, or for psychological companionship. And we might witness two people coming together out of authentic love.
But none of these levels is what the Bible means by marriage. When I was doing parish work I would invariably ask young couples, "Why do you want to get married in church?" Most would say something like, "Because we love each other." But I would reply, "Well, that’s no reason to get married in church."
They usually looked stunned, but I meant it. You come to church to be married before God and his people when you are convinced that your marriage is not, finally, about you; that it is about God and about serving God’s purposes; that it is, as much as the priesthood of a priest, a vocation, a sacred calling.
"Social justice cannot be attained by violence. Violence kills what it intends to create."Little Flower Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II (the Great, 1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"I am always discovering in [the Gospels] new lights & hidden mysterious meanings. I know & I have experienced that 'the Kingdom of God is within us.'"Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"Those whose hearts are pure are temples of the Holy Spirit."
—St. Lucy (283-304, feast day: 13 December)
Friends, in our Gospel, Jesus speaks, with incredible bluntness, about cutting off one’s hand and foot and plucking out one’s own eye. If these things are a block to your salvation, get rid of them, for it is better to enter life maimed than to enter Gehenna with all of your limbs and members.Video reflection by Fr. Roger Lopez, O.F.M. (Franciscan Media): U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The hand is the organ by which we reach out and grasp things. The soul is meant for union with God, but instead we have reached out to creatures, grasping at finite things with all of our energies.
The Lord also speaks of the foot. The foot is the organ by which we set ourselves on a definite path. We are meant to walk on the path which is Christ. Do we? Or have we set out down a hundred errant paths, leading to glory, honor, power, or pleasure?
We are designed to seek after and look for God. Have we spent much of our lives looking in all the wrong places, beguiled by the beauties and enticements of this world? And are we willing to pluck out our eye spiritually, to abandon many of the preoccupations that have given us pleasure?
"And this is the job of the catechist: constantly to go forth to others out of love to bear witness & to talk about Jesus & to proclaim Jesus. This is important because the Lord does it; it is the Lord that impels us to go forth."Little Flower Quote o' the Day
—Pope Francis (born 1936, reigning since 2013)
"He is compassionate & filled with gentleness, slow to punish, & abundant in mercy, for He knows our frailty, He remembers we are only dust."Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"O Holy Spirit, descend plentifully into my heart. Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling & scatter there Thy cheerful beams."
—St. Augustine of Hippo, Doctor of the Church (354-430, feast day: 28 August)
Friends, today in the Gospel John complains to Jesus that some people not of their group were driving out demons in Jesus’ name. Jesus responds: “Don’t prevent them.…whoever is not against us is for us.” What a wonderful, generous attitude!Video reflection by Jem Sullivan, Ph.D.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
John was undoubtedly angry that someone outside of their little circle was going to get credit. If you think that this sort of thing only happened in biblical times, you haven’t spent too much time around the Church! I’m a proud churchman, and I love and admire all of the great people who do so much for Christ’s kingdom, and for very little compensation. But I’ve also been around long enough to see this problem on parish staffs, in diocesan offices, within rectories, and among parish communities. We get so tied up in our little games and protecting our turf, and making sure things go according to the bureaucratic structures that we have established, that we forget what the mission is about.
What Jesus saw was that the mission is what matters. Bringing God’s love to the world, being a conduit of grace: that’s what matters. All of our personal glory, position, privilege—all of that is finally a matter of indifference.
"This is how the word of God describes the working of the Spirit: first He rests on each & then brings all of them together in fellowship. To each He gives a gift, & then gathers them all into unity."Little Flower Quote o' the Day
—Pope Francis (born 1936, reigning since 2013)
"For me, prayer means launching out from the heart toward God; a cry of grateful love from the crest of joy or the trough of despair: it is a vast supernatural force that opens out my heart & binds me close to Jesus."Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"To make room in our life for the Eucharistic Lord, so that He can change our life into His—is that asking too much?"
—St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (1891-1942, feast day: 9 August)
"Wow!"
"I'm a shark fighter, I fight sharks,
I fight 'em in the water 'cause that's where they are…"
In many Catholic countries, Rita came to be known as the patroness of abused wived & heartbroken women. One day when she was about sixty years of age, she was meditating before an image of Christ crucified, as she was long accustomed to doing. Suddenly a small wound appeared on her forehead, as though a thorn from the crown that encircled Christ's head had loosed itself & penetrated her own flesh. For the next fifteen years she bore this external sign of stigmatization & union with the Lord.'Tis also the festival of Saint Bobo of Provence, Hermit (died 986, also spelt Beuvon, Bovo): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus presents a child as the model for his disciples. Jesus lays out for his disciples what is going to happen to him in Jerusalem, how he will be rejected, tortured, and killed. Oblivious to this, the disciples are discussing who among them is the most important. For Jesus, the path to greatness lies on the road to Calvary, to self-forgetting love; for the disciples—and for most people of most ages—it lies along the road to ego inflation.Video reflection by Sister Sharon Erickson, R.S.M.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
What is the antidote? A child is proposed as a kind of living icon to these ambitious disciples. We notice first how Jesus physically identifies with the child, sitting down at his level and placing his arms around him. It is as though he is saying that he himself is like a child. How so? Children don’t know how to dissemble, how to be one way and act another. They are what they are; they act in accordance with their deepest nature.
Why was this story of Jesus’ identification with children preserved by all of the synoptic Gospels? Somehow it gets close to the heart of Jesus’ life and message.
"The longing of Christ's Heart [that all be one] must be our invitation. We must dedicate ourselves anew to the task of establishing among Catholics a firm & abiding love & witness to that unity which is the first mark of the Church."Little Flower Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John XXIII (1881-1963, feast day: 11 October)
"The greatest of all is that He has shown me my littleness & how, of myself, I am incapable of anything good."Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"Be children of the Church."
—St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821, feast day: 4 January)
Pope Francis has declared the feast of "the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church" on the Monday after Pentecost each year.The decree was promulgated on 3 March 2018, just over two months ago. In Church time, that is last-minute notice. Unusually for a Memorial (third in rank, beneath Feasts & Solemnities), the daily e-mail from the U.S.C.C.B. contained only the readings for the Memorial, not the readings for the weekday in Ordinary Time (or feria). This is not standard procedure, which I attribute to the short liturgical notice, making this first Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church a bit of a catch-as-catch-can affair.
St. Christopher Magallanes, along with twenty-one other priests & three lay companions, were martyred between 1915 & 1937, by shooting or hanging, throughout eight Mexican states, for their membership in the Cristero movement.'Tis also the festival of Saint Godric of Finchale, Hermit (circa 1065-1170): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
Friends, today we celebrate the brand new Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church.Video reflection by Msgr. James Vlaun (Telecare T.V.): United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
We hear in today’s Gospel that, as he was dying on the cross, Jesus looked to his mother and the disciple whom he loved, and he said to Mary, "Woman, behold, your son," and then to John, "Behold, your mother." We are told that "from that hour the disciple took her into his home."
If Mary is the one through whom Christ was born, and if the Church is indeed Christ’s mystical body, then she must be, in a very real sense, the mother of the Church. She is the one through whom Jesus continues to be born in the hearts of those who believe. This is not to confuse her with the Savior, but it is to insist on her mission as mediator and intercessor. At the close of the great "Hail Mary" prayer, we Catholics ask Mary to pray for us "now and at the hour of our death," signaling that throughout one’s life Mary is the privileged channel through which the grace of Christ flows into the mystical body.
God delights in drawing secondary causes into the dense complexity of his providential plan, granting to them the honor of cooperating with him and his designs. The handmaid of the Lord, who is the mother of the Church, is the humblest of these humble instruments—and therefore the most effective.
"The future is in your hearts & in your hands. God is entrusting to you the task, at once difficult & uplifting, of working with him in the building of the civilization of love."Little Flower Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II (the Great, 1920-2005; feast day: 22 October)
"Our Lord has granted me the grace never to fear the conflict; at all costs I must do my duty."Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"Be joyful, & keep your faith & your creed. Do the little things that you have seen me do & heard about. I will walk the path that our fathers have trod before us."
—St. David (500-589, feast day: 1 March)