"…Left town on the Greyhound because there's no love where you grew up,
They always told you you were never good enough.
"But why, oh why are you making it,
Are you making it so hard?
"Be easy on yourself,
Be easy on yourself,
Be easy on yourself
'Cause nobody's been easy on you!…"
He was an Italian Roman catholic priest, educator, & writer of the nineteenth century. While working in Turin, where the population suffered many of the ill-effects of industrialization & urbanization, he dedicated his life to the betterment & education of street children, juvenile delinquents, & other disadvantaged youth. He developed teaching methods based on love rather than punishment, a method that became known as the Salesian Preventive System.Wikipedia-link Salesian Preventive System
Friends, our Gospel for today features the parable of the mustard seed.Video reflection by Barbara McCrabb (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.
How does God tend to work? From the very small to the very great—and by a slow, gradual process. God tends to operate under the radar, on the edges of things, quietly, clandestinely, not drawing attention to himself.
C.S. Lewis speaks to this principle. How, he asks, did God enter history? Quietly, in a forgotten corner of the Roman Empire, sneaking behind enemy lines. How was European Christianity established? Through the handful of people that listened to St. Paul in Philippi and Athens. How did the mighty Franciscan movement come to be? One odd, mystical kid who heard a voice coming from a crucifix: "Francis, rebuild my church, which is falling into ruin." A handful of followers joined him in his quixotic project, then dozens, then hundreds, then thousands.
So don’t be afraid to do small things at the prompting of God! Plant the seed, make the move, take the risk—take even the smallest step, and don’t worry about who notices or how much attention you’re getting. Sow the seed and leave the rest to the mercy and providence of God.
"The Church is the unifying effect of the love of Christ for us. She can herself be considered a living sign, a Sacrament of unity & of love. To love is her mission."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. Paul VI (1897-1978, r. 1963-1978; feast day: 29 May)
"A scientia crucis [knowledge of the Cross] can be gained only when one comes to feel the Cross radically."
—St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (1891-1942, feast day: 9 August)
Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus says the measure that you use will be measured out to you. He is speaking about the loop of grace.Video reflection by Father John Crossin, O.S.F.S. (U.S. Con. of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.
God’s love can truly dwell in us only in the measure that we give it away. If we try to cling to it, it will never work its way into our own hearts. But if we give it away as an act of love, then we get more of it, entering into a delightful stream of grace. If you give away the divine love, then you keep it.
Love is described in the Christian tradition as a theological virtue, a habit or capacity that comes as a gift from God. This is true because love is a participation in the divine life. God is uniquely capable of love in the complete sense, since he alone can fully will the good of the other as other.
What makes real love possible among humans is only a sharing in the love with which God loves, some participation in the divine to-be. When we root ourselves in the God who has no need, who exists in radical self-sufficiency, we can begin to love the other as he does.
"All things are the works of the Lord, for they are very good,Papal Quote o' the Day
and whatever He commands will be done in His time."
"Christ desires to be newly present to this contemporary world with all the explosive force of His Mystery of love. He wishes to meet the people of today through teachers who are true educators, drawn by Christ."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope ST. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005; feast day: 22 October)
"I am only an instrument of the Lord… I would like to lead those who come to me to Him."
—St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (1891-1942, feast day: 9 August)
"The world's thy ship & not thy home."
"Working on a building,
A Holy Ghost building,
O my Lord, O my Lord…"
Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus tells the parable of the sower.Video reflection by Jem Sullivan, Ph.D. (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.
In this famous story of the sower, we focus on the different types of soil and we apply them symbolically to ourselves. Now, there is nothing wrong with this interpretation as far as it goes, but I think that it misses what was at the heart of the parable for Jesus.
Focus your attention on this absolutely mad sower. Imagine a crowd of farmers listening to this parable: a man goes out to sow and he throws the seed on the path, on rocky soil, on thorny soil and finally on good soil. The original hearers of this tale would have have exchanged glances and rolled their eyes at the ridiculousness of this farmer.
That was precisely the reaction that Jesus wanted. For God is like this crazy farmer, sowing the seed of his word and his love—not only on receptive soil, not only to those who will respond, but also on the path, on the rocks, and the thorns, lavishly pouring out his love on those who are least likely to respond. God’s love is irrational, extravagant, embarrassing, unreasonable, completely over the top.
"It is therefor a service of love which we are all committed to ensure to our neighbor, that his of her life may be always defended & promoted, especially when it is weak or threatened."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great, Evangelium vitae № 77 (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005; feast day: 22 October)
"Remember that Christ has promised us eternal life. What can the world promise? Let it promise anything—it may be making that promise to someone who will die tomorrow. And what does the world threaten? Prisons? Chains? Fires? Torments? Wild beasts? Yes, but not eternal fire. Love what the Almighty promises, & then the whole world becomes vile in our sight, whether it promises or terrifies."Catholic Quote o' the Day
—St. Augustine of Hippo, Doctor of the Church (354-430, feast day: 28 August)
"The Church is not simply a human institution. The Church is a sacrament of Jesus. It shares in the very being, life, & energy of Christ. The Church is the Body of Jesus. Not an institution, not an organization, not a collectivity of like-minded people. The Church is an organism made up of interdependent cells & molecules & organs."9 Days for Life
—Bishop Robert Barron (b. 1959)
Dominican friar, philosopher, Catholic priest, & Doctor of the Church. An immensely influential philosopher, theologian, & jurist in the tradition of Scholasticism.Wikipedia-link Scholasticism
God of wisdom, instruct me in Your ways. Help me dedicate myself to learning more about the Faith, so that like St. Thomas Aquinas my mind & heart may be united in Your love.'Tis also the festival of Blessed Charlemagne (742-814, the "Father of Europe;" Anglicized as Charles the Great), King of the Franks (768-814) & founder of the Carolingian Empire (the early phase of the Holy Roman Empire), formally the Empire of the Romans & Franks, as the inaugural Holy Roman Emperor (800-814); his reign spurred the Carolingian Renaissance: Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Carolingian Empire, Wikipedia-link Holy Roman Empire, Wikipedia-link Holy Roman Emperor, & Wikipedia-link Carolingian Renaissance.
Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus identifies as his mother and brothers those who do the will of God.Video reflection by Father Greg Friedman, O.F.M. (U.S. Con. of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.
The proper attitude in the presence of the saving God is obedience and acquiescence, imitating his moves, responding to his commands, doing whatever he tells us. To live the good life is not finally a matter of autonomy but of obeying commandments: "If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love."
Mind you, listening to commands is tied closely to love on the part of the one who commands, and since love is nothing but the willing of the good of the other, the obedience that Jesus speaks of is a surrender to the one who massively wants what is best for the surrenderer.
When, through faith, we see every moment and every creature as an ingredient in the divine plan, we live in joyful surrender and with a sense of wonder. What is God doing for me now? What path is opening up to me? Why did God send that person, that trial, that pleasure to me just now?
"The way to the heart very often passes through the mind. Today, throughout the length & breadth of the Church there is need for a new effort of evangelization & catechesis directed to the mind."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005; feast day: 22 October)
"Non nisi te Domine." ("Nothing but You, Lord.")
—St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church (1225-1274, feast day: 28 January)
She was an Italian religious educator… & she founded the Company of Saint Ursula in 1535 in Brescia, in which women dedicated their lives to the service of the Church through the education of girls.'Tis also the festival of Saint Julian of Sora, Martyr (died 150), martyred in the reign of the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link.
Friends, in today’s Gospel scribes accuse Jesus of driving out demons by Beelzebul—by Satan.Video reflection by Monsignor James Vlaun (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.
The two great names of the devil in the Bible are "the accuser" and "the scatterer." Both are operative and visible in this story. And this helps us immensely to understand Jesus and his work.
We see in the Gospel of Mark that Jesus is known as an exorcist, someone who drives out the demonic. Jesus specifies that his work is in driving out Satan—which is to say, the accuser. The false way of organizing ourselves—present from the beginning—is through accusation, scapegoating, the establishment of us against them, insiders vs. outsiders.
The kingdom of God will be predicated on other assumptions—namely, love, nonviolence, forgiveness of enemies, the overcoming of division. When this vision of life comes into conflict with the powers of the world—which was more or less inevitable—Jesus becomes, himself, an accused victim, a scapegoat.
But instead of responding in kind, he takes upon himself that negative, satanic energy and swallows it up in the divine mercy.
"As people, we are meant to have human joys: the joy of living, the joy of love & friendship, the joy of work well done. As Christians, we have cause for further joy: like Jesus, we know that we are loved by God our Father."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005; feast day: 22 October)
"Believers ought to be distinguished not only by their place, but by their way of life. They ought to be obvious not only by the gift, but also by the new life. He should be distinguishable by everything—by his walk, by his look, by his clothes, by his voice."
—St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church (349-407, feast day: 13 September)
Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus begins his public ministry and calls his first disciples.Video reflection by Father Greg Friedman, O.F.M. (U.S. Con. of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.
When Jesus emerged publicly and began preaching the kingdom of God, he was taken to mean something very specific—namely, that the tribes of Israel, scattered by sin, were being gathered. The Israelite hope was that, in the Messianic era, Israel would become a godly nation gathered around the common worship of the true God at the temple on Mount Zion, and that this united Israel would become, in turn, a beacon to the other nations of the world. Jesus’ entire preaching and ministry should be read under this rubric of the great gathering.
Jesus gathered around himself a band of Apostles whom he shaped according to his own mind and heart and whom he subsequently sent on mission. Priests down through the centuries—from Augustine and Aquinas, to Francis Xavier and John Henry Newman, to John Paul II—are the descendants of those first friends and apprentices of the Lord.
They have been needed in every age, and they are needed today, for the kingdom of heaven must be proclaimed, the poor must be served, God must be worshiped, and the sacraments must be administered.
O Lord, Ss. Timothy & Titus taught the early Churches about the sanctity of family life. May they intercede for the members of my family to make them holy & filled with your peace..'Twould also be the festival of Saint Paula of Rome, Abbess (circa 347-404, A.K.A. the Widow), one of the Desert Mothers: Saint-link ūna, Saint-link duæ, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Desert Mothers.
"God's Word has the power to open our eyes & to embark on a new path of sharing & solidarity."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope Francis (b. 1936, r. 2013-present)
"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish."
—St. Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997, feast day: 5 September)
"Either Jesus is who He says He is, or He’s a bad man. What’s ruled out is the middle ground (that a lot of people take today), which is, ‘I don't think he’s God, but he’s a very interesting, inspiring religious teacher.’ Actually, He’s a dangerous, strange figure. We must either be with Him or against Him. He compels a choice the way no other religious founder does."
—Bishop Robert Barron (b. 1959)
Si Quæris Peninsulam Amœnam CircumspiceOne hundred eighty-three years ago to the day, 26 January 1837, Michigan was admitted into the Union as the twenty-sixth state of these United States of America. Under the protocols of the Missouri Compromise of 1820, Michigan's admission as a free state balanced Arkansas's 1836 admission as the slave state. The Michigan Territory's state constitution was approved by a convention in 1835, but Congressional approval was delayed until after the resolution of a border dispute with the State of Ohio (admitted 1803), which saw the "Toledo Strip" awarded to Ohio & what is now called the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) given to Michigan as compensation.
("If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you")
TueborBonus! Song of Michigan's Statehood
("I will defend")
"I wandered so aimless, life filled with sin,
I wouldn't let my dear Savior in,
Then Jesus came like a stranger in the night,
Praise the Lord, I saw the light!
"I saw the light! I saw the light!
No more darkness, no more night,
Now I'm so happy, no sorrow inside,
Praise the Lord, I saw the light!
"Just like a blind man, I wondered alone,
Worries and fears claimed for my own,
Then like the blind that God gave back his sight,
Praise the Lord, I saw the light!…
"I was a fool to wonder and stray,
For straight is the gate and narrow the way,
Now I have traded the wrong for the right,
Praise the Lord, I saw the light!…"
Paul's conversion reminds us that a sincere change of heart is essential for the spiritual progress of individual Christians as well as for full unity among them. Only be a change of attitude & behavior toward one another can Christ's disciples remove the obstacles to such unity.Scripture of the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005; feast day: 22 October)
Friends, today in our Gospel Jesus commissions the Apostles to evangelize all people: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.”kerygma, this Paschal Mystery, is not at the heart of the project, Christian evangelization effectively disappears, devolving into a summons to bland religiosity or generic spirituality. When Jesus crucified and risen is not proclaimed, a beige and unthreatening Catholicism emerges, a thought system that is, at best, an echo of the environing culture.
To evangelize is to proclaim Jesus Christ crucified and risen from the dead. When this
"A great prayer for life is urgently needed, a prayer which will rise up throughout the world. Through special initiatives & in daily prayer, may an impassioned plea rise to God, the Creator & lover of life, from every Christian community, from every group & association, from every family & from the heart of every believer."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great, Evangelium vitae № 100 (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005; feast day: 22 October)
"The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children & women against men. It has portrayed the greatest of gifts—a child—as a competitor, an intrusion & an inconvenience."
—St. Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997, feast day: 5 September)
"Fight like s title holder,
Stand Like a champion,
Live like a warrior,
And never let 'em break you down.
"We're up against the ropes but we never choke,
When the pressure comes, we go for broke,
We've been beat up, yeah we've been knocked down,
Come by twice as hard and go round for round.
Hit 'em pound for pound, we're gonna see it through,
Not giving up, it's not what we do,
Bell rings and they're counting down,
But we won't be counted out…
"I've been told I can't, been told I won't,
Been told to compromise but I don't,
I've been beat up, yeah I've been knocked down,
Come by twice as hard and go round for round.
Hit 'em pound for pound, I'm gonna see it through,
Not giving up, I've been black and blue,
And all my scars remind me
My worst days are behind me…"
His ardent love of God & soul, his great kindliness, rare wisdom, & sure teaching made St. Francis exceptionally influential in bringing abotu conversions & in guiding souls in the spiritual life. He won back to the faith more than seventy thousand (70,000) heretics, thus restoring to the Church a great part of the Chablais, which had been ravaged by Protestantism.Quoth Minute Meditations from the Popes:
O Lord, St. Francis de Sales spoke about how people can encounter You in the ordinary circumstances of their life. May his life & teachings call me to a greater commitment to spiritual growth.'Tis also the festival of Saint Felician of Foligno, Bishop & Martyr (circa 158-250), Bishop of Foligno (193-250), martyred in the reign of the Roman emperor Decius, a victim of the Decian Persecution; first bishop to receive the pallium: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Foligno, Persecutions-link & Wikipedia-link Decian Persecution, & Pallium-link & Wikipedia-link Pallium.
Friends, today in the Gospel Jesus gathers his disciples. And he appointed twelve Apostles "that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach."Video reflection by Jem Sullivan, Ph.D. (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.
St. Thérèse of Lisieux tells us that she endeavored to write down her spiritual memoir at the prompting of her sister, who was also her religious superior to whom she was bound in obedience. After praying that she say nothing displeasing to Christ, she took up the Gospel of Mark, and her eyes fell on these words: "He went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him."
This verse, she says, is the interpretive key to her life, for it describes the way Christ has worked in her soul: "He does not call those who are worthy, but those whom he pleases." Hers was a story of a divine love, graciously willing the good of the other, that awakens an imitative reaction in the one who is loved.
It is not a narrative of economic exchange—rewards for worthiness—but of the loop of grace, unmerited love engendering disinterested love, the divine life propagating itself in what is other.
"(The Gospel of Life) is the proclamation that Jesus has a unique relationship with every person, which enables us to see in every human face the face of Christ."Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great, Evangelium Vitae № 81 (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005; feast day: 22 October)
"A man of the theater came to see me a few years ago. His reason was this: one night after a show he was talking to a number of theatrical people backstage & they said to him, 'You are a Catholic, aren't you?'Proverb of the Day (Jeremiah, 1:5)
"And he said, 'I used to be, but I've done considerable reading in comparative religion, psychology, psychiatry, & metaphysics, & I had to give it up. Nobody could answer my questions.'
"Someone said, 'Why don't you go to Bishop Sheen & have him answer your questions?'
"So he said, 'Here I am, & I have a number of questions that I would like to put to you.'
"I said to him, 'Now before you ask a single question, you go back to the hotel where you are living, get rid of that chorus girl you're living with, & then come back & ask the questions.'
"He threw up his hands & laughed, & he said, 'Oh, certainly. I am trying to fool you just like I tried to fool myself.' That's the reason.
"I saw him not very long ago & I said, 'Well, you are still off the track aren't you?'
"'Yes,' he said, 'but I have not thrown away the map.' Now here was a perfect example of someone covering up conscience."
—Ven. Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you.
"Are you aware of how much you complicate me?
And are you aware your words suffocate me?
And don't deny you're talking behind my back to your friends,
And don't deny, one day you'll need me, need me.
"All my life I've been lookin' for the answers
To the questions you never asked and
We never planned on this disaster,
When will I let it go?…"
St. Vincent is Spain's most renowned martyr. Ordained deacon by Bishop [St.] Valerius of Saragossa [22 January], he was taken in chains to Valencia during the Diocletianic Persecution & put to death.'Tis also the Optional Memorial of Saint Marianne Cope, Virgin, T.O.S.F. (1838-1918, of Moloka'i; baptized Maria Anna Barbara Koob, Americanized as Cope upon immigration): Saint-link ūna, Saint-link duæ, & Wikipedia-link.
In 1883, St. Marianne Cope led a group of sisters to the Hawai'ian Islands to care for the poor, especially those suffering from leprosy. In 1888 she went to Kalaupapa, Moloka'i, where she set up a home for girls.'Tis also the festival of Saint Messalina of Foligno, Virgin & Martyr (died 251), martyred in the reign of the Roman emperor Decius, a victim of the Decian Persecution: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Persecutions-link & Wikipedia-link Decian Persecution.
Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus cured so many people that he had to climb into a boat to escape the press of the crowd. To this day the Church carries on his gracious healing ministry.Miracles or visit the Church in Africa, Asia, or Latin America, where the expectation of the miraculous is taken for granted. But the Church also brings healing to mind, soul, will, and imagination. The Bible knows that sin has done tremendous damage to us, and anyone involved in pastoral ministry knows what this looks like: broken minds, divided hearts, addicted passions.Video reflection by Monsignor James Vlaun (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.
We recall that the Apostles of Jesus simply continued what the Master did. And one of the principal marks of the Lord’s ministry was clearly healing. There was, of course, a deep biblical conviction that when the day of the Lord arrives, creation would be set right. What we witness in the healings of Jesus is just this repairing of creation.
If you doubt that miracles of physical healing still take place in the life of the Church, I invite you to read Craig Keener’s book
"How can we genuinely teach the importance of concern for other vulnerable beings if we fail to protect a human embryo, even when its presence is uncomfortable & creates difficulties? 'If personal & social sensitivity towards the acceptance of the new life is lost, then other forms of acceptance that are valuable for society also wither away.'"Saint Quote o' the Day
—Pope Francis, Laudato Si' № 120 (b. 1936, r. 2013-present)
"Let us make best use of the fleeting moments. They will not return."
—St. Marianne Cope (1838-1918, feast day: 23 January)
