Friends, our Gospel for today features a question that people have been asking from time immemorial and that they still ask today: "Lord, will only a few people be saved?" Heaven, hell, salvation, damnation, who will be in and who will be out? We have remained fascinated with these questions for a long time.Video reflection by Jem Sullivan, Ph.D.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Here’s how I would recommend we approach this issue. The doctrine concerning hell is a corollary of two more fundamental truths—namely, that God is love and that we are free. Love (willing the good of the other) is all that God is. He doesn’t go in and out of love; he doesn’t change his mind; he’s not loving to some and not to others. He is indeed like the sun that shines on the good and bad alike, in the words of Jesus.
No act of ours can possibly make him stop loving us. In this regard, he is like the best of parents. However, we are free. We are not God’s marionettes, and hence we can say yes or we can say no to his love. If we turn toward it, we open like a sunflower; if we turn from it, we get burned.
"The person who does not feel indebted to God remains entangled in restless inclination toward self. But to the heart of the truly humble believer the Lord reveals His presence, His sovereignty in saving power, His justice in the infinite greatness of His mercy."Little Flower Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"My frail barque has great difficulty in reaching port. I sighted it long since, & still I find myself afar off. Yet Jesus steers this little barque, & I am sure that on His appointed day it will come safely to the blessed haven of the Carmel."Christian Quote o' the Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"A religion without mystery is necessarily a religion without God."
—Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667, feast day:)
He was an early Christian writer & bishop of Antioch. En route to Rome, where he met his martyrdom, Ignatius wrote a series of letters. This correspondence now forms a central part of the later collection known as the Apostolic Fathers.Wikipedia-link Letters, Saints-link Fathers, & Wikipedia-link Fathers
Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus says, "Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them."Video reflection by Jem Sullivan, Ph.D.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Some religious leaders get their kicks from burdening people, laying the law on them heavily, making demands that are terrible, exulting in their own moral superiority. At the core of Jesus’ program is a willingness to bear other people’s burdens, to help them carry their loads. And this applies to the moral life as well. If we lay the burden of God’s law on people, we must be willing, at the same time, to help them bear it.
When were you cured by Christ and how? What was it like to receive, through the Church, his healing touch? When did you feel ostracized, despised, unworthy—and how did Christ, through his Church, restore you to health and communion? Remember that moment and share it.
"In order to continue & grow the Gospel life-style as the early Christians did, you must be united among yourselves & with your bishops. You must persevere in the liturgical & sacramental life & meditate on the truth of the Faith within your heart."Little Flower Quote o' That Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"How happy I am to see myself imperfect & to be in need of God's mercy."Catholic Quote o' That Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"Jesus is evident."
—Father Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905-1988)
Friends, today’s Gospel compares the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed. It seems to be a law of the spiritual life that God wants good things to start small and grow over time.Video reflection by Msgr. Robert E. Zapfel, S.T.D.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
We’re tempted to say, "You’re God. Just get on with it. Do it." But why would God work the way he does? We might attempt a few explanations. It is a commonplace of the Bible that God rejoices in our cooperation. He wants us to involve ourselves—through freedom, intelligence, creativity—in what he is doing. And so he plants seeds, and he wants us to cultivate them.
"Francis, rebuild my Church." Heck, God could have rebuilt his Church, but he wanted St. Francis to get involved. God could have renewed the spiritual life of Christianity through a great infusion of grace, but he inspired St. Anthony to leave everything behind and go live alone in the desert.
There’s something else. When things start small, they can fly under the radar for a time, while they gain strength and heft and seriousness. And those involved can be tested and tried.
"God is so great that He can become small. God is so powerful that He can make Himself vulnerable & come to us as a defenseless child, so that we can love Him."Little Flower Quote o' This Day
—Pope Benedict XVI (-, feast day:)
"The smallest actions done for His love are those which charm His Heart."Saint Quote o' This Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"A new era is unfolding of faithfulness to the Holy Spirit, of love of the crucified Christ, of dedication to one's brothers & sisters, of the building up of a more human & just society. We do not want to lag behind. Forward, in the Name of the Lord."
—Pope St. Paul VI (1897-1978, feast day: 26 September)
Friends, our Gospel today is one of the best-known of Jesus’ parables, the story of the Good Samaritan. Every story, parable, illustration, and exhortation is, at the end of the day, a picture of the Lord.Video reflection by Msgr. James Vlaun (Telecare T.V.): United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
In one of the great windows of Chartres Cathedral there is an intertwining of two stories, the account of the fall of mankind and the parable of the Good Samaritan. This reflects a connection that was made by the Church Fathers. The Good Samaritan is a symbol of Jesus, himself, in his role as Savior of the world.
Now our task is to be other Christs. "Which of these three was neighbor to the man who fell in with the robbers?" "The one who treated him with compassion." Jesus says to him, "Go and do the same."
We spend our lives now looking for those people stranded by the road, victimized by sin. We don’t walk by, indifferent to them, but rather we do what Jesus did. Even those who are our natural enemies, even those who frighten us. And we bring the Church’s power to bear, pouring in the oil and wine of compassion, communicating the power of Christ’s cross.
"At the heart of the human family & of the Church the work of assistance to the poor, the sick, the elderly, the disabled, the marginalized, the alienated, is as fruitful as the love that inspires it. It is the living force of Christ's disciples that causes today's observers to repeat, 'See how they love one another.'"Little Flower Quote o' That Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"The only happiness here below is to strive to be always content with what Jesus gives us."Catholic Quote o' That Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"Knowledge about God without an awareness of our misery produces vanity. Knowledge of our misery without an awareness of God produces despair. Knowledge of Jesus Christ provides the middle ground, because in Him we find God & our misery."
—Blaise Pascal (1588-1651)
Friends, today’s Gospel gives us a wonderful story Jesus of performing a miracle, something he still does today. I want to draw your attention to an extraordinary book by Protestant scholar Craig Keener titled Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts. The most surprising section of the book contains his reports of some of the millions of miracles that come, even today, from all over the world.Video reflection by Msgr. James Vlaun (Telecare T.V.): United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
I’ll relay to you just one case from Keener’s book. Ed Wilkinson’s eight-year-old son was found to have two holes in his heart. Surgery was scheduled and, while he was waiting, Ed prayed, but he was struggling with doubts. When his son asked whether he was going to die, his father was honest with him.
Ed’s pastor decided to hold a prayer service for the boy, during which hundreds gathered to pray for his recovery. The day of the surgery arrived, and Ed was told the surgery would take four to six hours. After about a half hour, the surgeon entered the waiting area, and Ed feared for the worst. Instead, the doctor had inexplicable news: there were no holes in the boy’s heart. They had simply closed up.
"Wherever God does not have pride of place,… human dignity is at risk. It is therefore urgent to bring our contemporaries to 'rediscover' the authentic face of God, who revealed Himself to us in Jesus Christ."Little Flower Quote o' the Day
—Pope Benedict XVI (born 1927, reigned 2005-2013)
"My God, by how many different ways you lead souls!"Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"Only Christ's law, only Christ's grace can renew & restore private & public life. He alone can redress the true balance of rights & duties, check unbridled self-interest, control passion, implement & perfect the course of justice with His overflowing charity."
—Pope Venerable Pius XII (1876-1958)
Friends, today in the Gospel passage we see Jesus’ mercy toward the blind man as a hallmark of his ministry. Jesus comes as healer, savior, inaugurator of the kingdom. He is the embodiment of hope. Jesus wanted to connect human suffering to the very source of life and health. The energy of God pours through him to the needy.Video reflection by Father Greg Friedman, O.F.M.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Now, I realize a question may be forming in your mind: "Well, why doesn’t he simply cure everyone, then?" The answer is obviously wrapped up in the mystery of God’s will, but the important point is this: Jesus is healer in many senses, but ultimately in the sense that he heals us from sin and death, not only physical maladies. What appears historically in Jesus is an eschatological anticipation, a hint and foreshadowing of what is coming in God’s time and in his everlasting kingdom.
Grace is the power of God alive within us. It heals the wounds that our sins have created & helps us to maintain moral balance. Grace helps us to persevere in the pursuit of virtue. It enlightens our minds to see & know which actions will help us become all God has created us to be. Grace inspires us to love what is good & shun what is evil. Grace is not a magical illusion. It is mystical & real.†
I come to Confession to reconcile with myself, with God, & with the community. Confession is not just a cleansing experience; it is also a strengthening experience. Confession is an opportunity for you & God to work together to forma-better-version-of-yourself. It also increases our desires for holiness, & that is a desire we should fan will all our energy.
"We know that we have no riches other than that which we have received. Therefore, we must dare to question those who are going astray or who are leading others astray on deadend streets of a closed individualism or of an indifference to essential values."Little Flower Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"Jesus Christ alone is singularly to be loved, Who alone is found good & faithful above all friends."Deist Quote o' the Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"Whereas the life & death of Socrates are the life & death of a wise man, the life & death of Christ are the life & death of a God."
—Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)
Friends, the statement of Jesus that we have in the Gospel for today is frightening: "I have come to cast a fire upon the earth; how I wish it were already kindled." He’s throwing fire down, much like the God who destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.Video reflection by Father Roger Lopez, O.F.M.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Okay, so how do we make sense of all this? I thought the angels on Christmas morning said that he had come as the Prince of Peace? Jesus is the Incarnation of the God who is nothing but love, but this enfleshment takes place in the midst of a fallen, sinful world. Therefore, it will appear as something threatening, strange, off-putting.
The world, on the Biblical reading, is a dysfunctional family. When Jesus comes, he necessarily comes as a breaker of the peace, as a threat to the dysfunctional family. Now we can begin to understand that strange language about setting three against two and two against three.
This is why Jesus wants to cast a consuming fire on the earth. He wants to burn away all that is opposed to God’s desire for us. He has to clear the ground before something new can be built. Is this utterly painful? Yes!
"Abortion isn't a lesser evil, it's a crime. Taking one life to save another, that's what the Mafia does. It's a crime. It's an absolute evil."Little Flower Quote o' the Day
—Pope Francis (born 1936, reigning since 2013)
"I ask Jesus to draw me into the fire of His love, & to unite me so closely to Himself that He may live and act in me."Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"We are not the sum of our weaknesses & failures; we are the sum of the Father's love for us & our real capacity to become the image of His Son."
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"My evil twin,
Bad weather friend,
He always wants to start
When I want to begin…
"Here he comes again,
My evil twin,
My friends have seen him hiding
Underneath my skin…
"I'd hate to see you leave,
'Cause I have grown so grateful
For the blame you've saved me from…
"I know he looks like me,
Hates work like me,
And walks like me,
He's even got a twin like me.
"My evil twin,
bad weather friend,
I know some day I'll meet him,
But I don't know where or when."
The Duke of Bohemia from 921 until his assassination in 935, his younger brother, Boleslaus the Cruel, was complicit in the murder. He is the subject of the well-known "Good King Wenceslaus," a carol for St. Stephen's Day [26 December].Wikipedia-link Carol
St. Lawrence Ruiz & his companions shed their blood for Christ in Nagasaki, Japan. These martyrs were members of the Order of St. Dominic. They were nine priests, two religious, two sisters, & three laymen.'Twas also the festival of Saint Faustus of Riez, Bishop & Abbot (circa 405-495): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
Friends, the Gospel for today is incomparably rich and mysterious. First, we notice that peculiar question, "Who do people say that I am?" No other religious figure or founder would ask such a question. This is the primordial and peculiar question of the Christian faith. It has to do with Jesus and who he is.Messhiach, the anointed, the long-awaited Savior, but more to it, as Peter says in other Gospels, you are the Son of God, not just a human hero. This is the mystical faith that stands at the heart of Christianity. This is the standing or falling point. To hold this Petrine faith is to be a Christian; to deny it is not to be a Christian.Video reflection by Father Praveen Lakkisetti: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The first group that "responds" is the general public: "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets." A range of opinions—and all of them wrong.
Then that devastating question: "But who do you say that I am?" You who are closest to me, you whom I have chosen. But the disciples don’t speak. Are they afraid? Perhaps. Are they ignorant? Probably.
Finally Simon Peter speaks: "You are the Messiah." You are the
"There is nothing passive about nonviolence when it is chosen out of love. It has nothing to do with indifference. It has everything to do with actively seeking to resist evil & conquer it with good."Little Flower Quote o' That Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"I understand clearly that through love alone can we become pleasing to God, & my sole ambition is to acquire it."Catholic Quote o' That Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"People do not criticize Christ. They criticize Christians because they do not resemble Him."
—François Mauriac (1914-1996)
He was a Spanish Roman Catholic archbishop & missionary, & was confessor of Isabella II of Spain. He founded the congregation of Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, commonly called the Claretians.'Tis also the festival of Saint Senoch, Priest & Abbot, O.S.B. (died 576), founder of a monastery around which arose the commune of Saint-Senoch: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Commune.
Friends, in today’s Gospel we meet a prudent steward who serves his master wisely. I would like to say something about prudence and wisdom. In the Middle Ages, prudence was called “the queen of the virtues,” because it was the virtue that enabled one to do the right thing in a particular situation.Video reflection by Jem Sullivan, Ph.D.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Prudence is a feel for the moral situation, something like the feel that a quarterback has for the playing field. Justice is a wonderful virtue, but without prudence, it is blind and finally useless. One can be as just as possible, but without a feel for the present situation, his justice will do him no good.
Wisdom, unlike prudence, is a sense of the big picture. It is the view from the hilltop. Most of us look at our lives from the standpoint of our own self-interest. But wisdom is the capacity to survey reality from the vantage point of God. Without wisdom, even the most prudent judgment will be erroneous, short-sighted, inadequate.
The combination, therefore, of prudence and wisdom is especially powerful. Someone who is both wise and prudent will have both a sense of the bigger picture and a feel for the particular situation.
"To celebrate Advent means: to become Marian, to enter into that communion with Mary’s ‘Yes,’ which, ever anew, is room for God’s birth, for the ‘fullness of time.’"Little Flower Quote o' This Day
—Pope Benedict XVI (born 1927, reigned 2005-2013)
"The Lord has given me the grace never to fear the conflict, to do my duty no matter what the cost."Saint Quote o' This Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"Among creatures, no one knows Christ better than Mary; no one can introduce us to a profound knowledge of His mystery better than His Mother."
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
Saints Cosmas & Damian were twin brothers born in Arabia. They had three younger brothers; their father died, so their mother Theodotaia raised the five children. Cosmas & Damian saw in every patient a brother or sister in Christ. These martyrs are named in the First Eucharistic Prayer of the Mass & the Litany of the Saints.'Twas also the festival of Saints Cyprian, Bishop, & Justina, Virgin, Martyrs (died circa 304, of Antioch, of Carthage, of Nicomedia), martyred in the reign of the Roman emperors Diocletian & Maximian, victims of the Great Persecution: Martyr-link Charlie, Martyr-link Juliett, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Persecution.
Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus sends the Twelve on their mission to announce the nearness of the kingdom. I want to say a few things about embracing our mission and being equipped for it.Video reflection by Jem Sullivan, Ph.D.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
What do you need for your mission? You need a keen sense of God as the absolute center of your life. In a word, you require the spiritual gifts of piety and fear of the Lord. I realize that these terms can sound fussy and puritanical, but they are actually naming something strong and essential.
First, you need fear of the Lord, which does not mean that you are afraid of God. It means that nothing to you is more important than God, that everything in your life centers around and is subordinate to your love for God. Second, your equipping needs to include piety. Piety means you honor God above everything else, that you worship him alone. These spiritual gifts enable you to find true balance; they allow you to discover what your life is about.
Equipped with these gifts, you are ready for mission. Having received the fire of the Holy Spirit, you are ready to set the world on fire.
"Change must be judged not so much for its own sake as for its content, it finality. Is the new of today leading us to a really better Christianity?"Little Flower Quote o' That Day
—Pope Bl. Paul VI (1897-1978, feast day: 26 September)
"Be quite sure that God will bless you & that the depths of your sufferings will be matched by the consolation reserved for you."Catholic Quote o' That Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"Speak about Christ only when you are asked. But live so that people ask about Christ!"
—Paul Claudel (1868-1955)
Friends, today’s Gospel is the parable of the lamp, which, placed on a lampstand, gives light to all. Light obviously isn’t for itself. Rather, we see things by it. It illuminates things upon which it shines.Video reflection by Msgr. James Vlaun (Telecare T.V.): United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
We are light by which people around us come to see what is worth seeing. By the very quality and integrity of our lives, we shed light, illumining what is beautiful and revealing what is ugly. The clear implication is that without vibrant Christians the world is a much worse place. Let me illustrate this principle with an example. One of the most painful truths of the last century is that the weakness of Christian witness allows some of the worst elements in society to flourish.
Think of the rise of the evil powers that created World War II. Christianity had become so weak, so uncompelling, so attenuated that great evil was allowed to flourish. Yes, indeed there were a handful of powerful Christian resisters, but let’s face it: the overwhelmingly vast majority of Christians either supported Hitler or remained in silence, out of either fear or indifference.
"We need a docile heart in order to build an exemplary Christian community. We need a spirit that is strong in the Faith in order to proclaim the love of God that conquers sin & saves in Christ Who died & is risen."Little Flower Quote o' That Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"Kindness is my only guiding star. In its light, I sail a straight route, I have my motto written on my sail: 'To live in love.'"Catholic Quote o' That Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"The worst thing is not to commit crimes but, rather, not to accomplish the good that one could have done. It is the sin of omission, which is nothing other than to be unloving, & no one accuses himself of it."
—Léon Bloy (1846-1917)
Famous as a preacher, theologian, & inquisitor, he earned himself the nickname "the Soldier Saint" when in 1456 at age seventy he led a crusade against the invading Ottoman Empire at the siege of Belgrade with the Hungarian military commander John Hunyadi.'Tis also the festival of Saint Ignatius of Constantinople, Bishop & Abbot (circa 798-877, A.K.A. Niketas): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus urges us to be ready for his second coming. It reminds me of John the Baptist preparing us: "Make ready the way of the Lord, clear him a straight path." He is saying that his job is to prepare for the mighty coming of the Lord. A change is coming, a revolution is on the way, a disaster (the destruction of the old) is about to happen. Prepare the way of the Lord.metanoia), going beyond the mind that you have. How our minds are conditioned by the fallen world! How our expectations are shaped, stunted by what has gone before. The world of Tiberius and Pilate and Herod and Caiaphas has shaped our imagination. It’s time, John is saying, for a new mind, a new set of eyes, a new kind of expectation. God is about to act!
And what is the manner of preparation? It is a baptism of repentance. Baptism—an immersion in water—reminded first-century Jews of the exodus, passing through the Red Sea, leaving the ways of slavery behind.
And repentance (
"In prayer, we come to see the stark reality of our own poverty, the absolute need we have for a Savior. We discover in a more profound degree the many ways in which we ourselves are poor & needy, & thus we begin to feel an increasing solidarity with all the poor."Little Flower Quote o' This Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"If I cannot walk in paradise for the glory of Jesus, I prefer to remain in [this] exile."Saint Quote o' This Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"The way Jesus shows you is not easy. Rather, it is like a path winding up a mountain. Do not lose heart! The steeper the road, the faster it rises toward ever wider horizons!"
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
He prepared the Church for the Third Millennium. He was the first non-Italian pope in centuries, who, as a young priest & bishop, stood up to the communist regime in Poland. He traveled all over the world to bring the good news of Jesus. He started World Youth Day as he saw in the youth the future of the Church. He miraculously escaped an assassination attempt, & good-naturedly lived his life-limiting illness until his death.Wikipedia-link World Youth Day
John Paul II is recognized as helping to end Communist rule in his native Poland & eventually all of Europe. John Paul II significantly improved the Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, Islam, the Eastern Orthodox Church, & the Anglican Communion. He upheld the Church's teachings on such matters as artificial contraception & the ordination of women, but also supported the Church's Second Vatican Council & its reforms.Wikipedia-link Council
Friends, today in our Gospel Jesus tells of a rich man who has been so successful that he doesn’t have space enough to store his harvest. So he tears down his barns and builds bigger ones. But that very night, he dies—and all of it comes to naught. "Thus it will be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God."Video reflection by Msgr. James Vlaun (Telecare T.V.): United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
No matter how good, how beautiful a state of affairs is here below, it is destined to pass into non-being. That sunset that I enjoyed last night—that radiantly beautiful display—is now forever gone. It lasted only a while. That beautiful person—attractive, young, full of life, creative, joyful—will eventually age, get sick, break down, and die.
An image that always comes to mind when I think of these things is the gorgeous firework that bursts open like a giant flower and then, in the twinkling of an eye, is gone forever. Everything is haunted by non-being. Everything, finally, is a bubble.
But this is not meant to depress us; it is meant to redirect our attention precisely to the things that are "above," to the eternity of God.
"As far as the Christian is concerned, ethical behavior in public life must be restored. However, this must go hand in hand with an awareness of one's identity & of the message of salvation of which one is the humble but diligent witness."Little Flower Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"I do not concern myself about what God might be asking of others. Whatever God asks of me always makes me happy."Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"Young people, have you ever thought of committing your existence totally to Christ? Do you think there can be anything greater than to bring Jesus to people & people to Jesus?"
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
