Category Archives: Daily Reflection

Walking in the World

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There are times when I think groups within the Church offer us a false choice: opposition between liturgy and justice, or between ritual and discipleship. The Church has always taught that both are essential. Today’s readings for Mass pair Micah and Matthew which together have some food for thought about all this so that as the faithful we never mistake external expressions of faith for the whole of faith.

Micah imagines someone sincerely asking: “With what shall I come before the LORD?” (Mi 6:6) The answers become progressively more extravagant. Should I bring burnt offerings? year-old calves? thousands of rams? torrents of oil? Or even my firstborn? Micah is not dismissing sacrifice. Afterall, God himself commanded sacrifice through Moses. Rather, Micah asks: Can external acts of religion substitute for an interior life that reflects God’s own heart? His answer is unforgettable: “You have been told, O man, what is good, and what the LORD requires of you: Only to do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Mi 6:8)

Notice that Micah does not replace worship; he reorders it. The sacrificial system only has meaning when it flows from justice, mercy, and humility.

Jesus faces a similar problem. The scribes and Pharisees ask: “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” (Mt 12:38) At first, this seems reasonable. But Matthew has already recorded numerous miracles: lepers that were healed, storms calmed, sight restored and demons cast out. The issue is not lack of evidence. It is a lack of receptivity. They want another sign because they have not allowed the earlier signs to change them. So Jesus points not to another miracle but to the repentance of Nineveh and the wisdom sought by the Queen of the South. Both responded to far less than what now stands before Israel.

Again, the issue is not external. It is the disposition of the heart.

These readings speak with surprising clarity to the Church where there is a renewed appreciation for reverent liturgy, Gregorian chant, Eucharistic devotion, sacred silence, traditional vestments, kneeling, Latin, beautiful churches, and careful observance of rubrics. Much of this renewal is genuinely good. The Church has always taught that beauty leads us toward God. The danger is not these practices themselves. The danger is thinking that they are sufficient.

Micah would ask: does your reverence at Mass make you more just? Does it make you kinder? More patient? More generous? More truthful? More humble?  Jesus might ask if the beautiful liturgies and devotions have led you to repentance? Have they made you more like Christ?

It is a challenge that cuts both ways as the readings speak the faithful no matter where they exist on the spectrum. These same questions can be those who emphasize: social justice, outreach, and inclusion while being less attentive to the beauty of more traditional practices.  Are these members rooted and grounded in liturgy, prayer, the Sacraments, adoration, or these more?

I think the readings caution us against confusing signs of holiness with Holiness itself. Someone may kneel beautifully, know every rubric, sing every chant, receive Communion on the tongue, pray in Latin, and still be impatient, unkind, self-righteous, unforgiving, or indifferent to the poor. Conversely, someone whose external devotional life is simpler may quietly embody Micah’s words every day. That is not an argument against reverence. It is an argument for ensuring reverence reaches the heart.

James 2:18, “I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works,” is often cited as a grounding for social justice action and activity. Repurposing James’ comments: “You do well, but even non-believers do these things.” Are they signs of holiness that point to an interior Holiness? Can one authentically emphasize social justice, outreach, and inclusion while neglecting prayer, the sacraments, adoration, or reverent worship?

The Catechism speaks to all this when it says that the liturgy is the “summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed” and the “font from which all her power flows” (CCC 1074). Notice the image. A fountain exists to send water outward. The Eucharist is meant to become Christian life. The Mass should form us into people who “do right, love goodness, and walk humbly with God.”

Micah is not replacing worship with ethics. Nor is Jesus replacing signs with moral effort. Rather, both insist that worship and life belong together. The Mass without charity becomes a hollow ritual. Charity without worship loses its deepest source.

Micah and Jesus are calling the fullness of religion to fulfill its purpose. Beautiful liturgy is a gift. Reverence is a gift. Tradition is a gift. But the measure of every Mass is not only how beautifully it is celebrated. The deeper question is: What kind of people does it send back into the world? If the Eucharist truly forms us, then we should become more just, more merciful, more humble, more forgiving, and more like Christ. For in the end, God is looking not only at how we worship, but at what our worship is making of us.

Image credit: created with Dalle-3 | downloaded Jul-18-2026 | prompt: “Based on Micah 6:8, please prepare a 1200 by 675 px image of walking in the world with Micah”

What God Sees

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Today’s readings for Mass again pair Hosea and Matthew. Both are rich with themes and topics, but one that came to mind was the way in which God views the world. When we view the world and all it contains we easily see what is on the surface and perhaps, from time to time, look more deeply into what we see.  God sees all the way to the heart of it.

The prophet Hosea is speaking to the northern kingdom of Israel during a time when, outwardly, things looked quite successful. The nation enjoyed prosperity. It had kings, armies, places of worship, and a thriving economy. If you judged only by appearances, you might conclude that everything was going well. But God saw something very different. 

The people saw prosperity; God saw spiritual poverty. The people saw impressive altars; God saw hearts that had wandered from him. The people thought they were secure; God saw a nation drifting farther and farther from the covenant. The people were sowing the seeds of their own destruction. 

A farmer who scatters seed into a field may not notice anything happening for a while. The field looks the same the next day and even the next week. But eventually the harvest comes. God sees that Israel has been planting seeds of idolatry, injustice, self-reliance, and empty religion. Through Hosea, the Lord says: “They sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.” (Hos 8:7)  The harvest they have sown has not yet arrived, but it surely will. God sees what we cannot.

In the Gospel, Matthew tells us that Jesus healed a man who had been unable to speak because he was possessed by a demon. The crowds are amazed even as the Pharisees dismiss the miracle. But Matthew invites us to notice something even more important than the miracle itself. “At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Mt 9:36) Again, Jesus sees what others do not.

The crowds simply see people. Jesus sees hearts. He sees burdens that no one else notices. He sees grief hidden behind smiles. He sees fears that are never spoken aloud. He sees loneliness. He sees confusion. He sees people searching for meaning. And what is remarkable is not only what he sees, but how he responds: his heart is moved with compassion. Not irritation. Not condemnation. Compassion.

We spend much of our lives making judgments and assessments based on appearances. We don’t mean to but we do. We assume someone is happy because they are successful. We assume someone is at peace because they smile. We assume someone has no struggles because they appear confident. But we rarely know the whole story.

Only God sees the heart. That realization should make us both humble and compassionate. Humble, because we recognize how limited our own vision is. Compassionate, because we begin to treat people with the same patience that Christ shows us. 

There is another comforting truth hidden in these readings. Sometimes we ourselves cannot even see our own hearts clearly. We may not recognize the habits that are slowly pulling us away from God. Or we may fail to see the quiet growth of grace within us. We may think our prayers accomplish nothing. Our small acts of kindness make no difference. Our daily faithfulness goes unnoticed. But God sees all of it.

He sees the seed before it becomes the harvest. He sees the struggle before it becomes holiness. He sees the quiet fidelity that no one else notices. That is why Jesus can say that the harvest is abundant. He already sees what is growing.

In today’s intercessions perhaps we should each ask for one simple grace: “Lord, help me to see as you see.” Help me to look beyond appearances. Help me to recognize the burdens others carry. Help me to notice the quiet work of your grace. And when I cannot clearly see my own path, help me to trust that you do. 

In today’s gospel, the people saw a mute man. The Pharisees saw another reason to criticize Jesus. But Jesus saw a human being who was suffering. That is still how Christ looks upon us. He sees beyond our failures, our fears, our confusion, and even our sins. He sees hearts that need a shepherd. And because he sees so deeply, he also loves so completely.

Image credit: Jesus Heals a Mute Possessed Man | James Tissot, c. 1890 | Brooklyn Museum | PD-US

Speaking to the Heart

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Today’s readings for Mass pair Hosea and Matthew.  At first glance, they seem unrelated. The Book of Hosea speaks of God courting Israel like a faithful bridegroom. The Gospel of Matthew recounts two healing miracles: the raising of a synagogue official’s daughter and the healing of the woman with the hemorrhage. But when read together they reveal something wonderful about God – He never stops pursuing the human heart.

The prophet Hosea lived during one of the darkest periods in Israel’s history. The people had turned away from God. They had become unfaithful to the covenant. If anyone had reason to give up on a relationship, it was God. Yet listen to what he says: “I will allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak to her heart.” (Hos 2:16) God does not say, “I’ll wait until she deserves my love.” Or, “When she finally gets her life together, I’ll take her back.”

Instead, God takes the initiative. He pursues. He invites. He speaks to the heart. God makes one of the most beautiful promises in all of Scripture: “I will espouse you to me forever: I will espouse you in right and in justice, in love and in mercy.” (v.21)

That same divine love appears in the Gospel; not in words this time, but in the actions of Jesus.A synagogue official comes to Jesus carrying every parent’s worst nightmare. His daughter has died. At the same time, a woman who has suffered for twelve years quietly reaches out to touch Jesus’ cloak. According to the Law, her condition made her ritually unclean. For years she had likely lived not only with physical suffering but also with isolation.

Two very different people. One is respected. The other lives on the margins. One approaches Jesus openly. The other comes quietly from behind. Yet Jesus welcomes both. He allows the woman to touch him, and then he says: “Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.” (Mt 9:22)  Think about the word “Daughter.”

Jesus does not define her by her illness. He does not call her “the sick woman.” He calls her by a relationship: daughter. Then Jesus goes to the house of the official, takes the little girl by the hand, and gives her back to life. What do these two miracles have in common? They reveal the heart of God.

Jesus is always moving toward those who are suffering, those who are grieving, those who feel forgotten, those who have reached the end of their own strength. That is exactly what Hosea proclaimed centuries earlier. That remains true today. God never stops pursuing the human heart; He always makes the first move. 

We might think: “I’ll get back to consistent prayer when my life is less busy.” or “I’ll go to confession once I’ve worked things out.” or “I need to be a better person if I want God in my life.” Today’s readings tell a different story. God has already made the first move.

Long before we began searching for him, he was searching for us. Long before we reached out to touch his cloak, he had already stretched out his hand toward us. The spiritual life is not primarily about our search for God. It begins with God’s search for us. Every desire to pray, every stirring of conscience, every longing for peace, every moment we feel drawn back to the Lord is already evidence that he is pursuing our hearts.

Perhaps the best response we can make today is simply to stop running and allow God to speak to our hearts. To trust, like the woman in the Gospel, that even the smallest act of faith is enough for Christ to begin his healing work. 

God does not keep his distance. He is the Bridegroom who comes looking for his beloved. He is the Savior who walks toward the sick and the grieving. He is the Lord who never grows tired of seeking those he loves.

So stop running and listen to the God who is already speaking to your heart.

Image credit: The Woman with an Issue of Blood | James Tissot, c.1890 | Brooklyn Museum of Art | PD-US

Blessed are those…

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Today is the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostles. The readings include the well known account from John 20:24-29 when Thomas, in response to the testimony of the other apostles, says: “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”  And from that episode these days he is “Doubting Thomas.”  The story of Thomas’ initial refusal to believe is, of course, as old as the Gospel of John itself from the late first century. But the nickname “Doubting Thomas” and the idiomatic expression developed much later.

The Church Fathers were much more interested in what Thomas became than in his moment of hesitation. For example, John Chrysostom emphasizes Thomas’s confession, “My Lord and my God.”  Augustine says that Thomas “saw one thing and believed another” i.e, he saw Christ’s humanity but confessed his divinity. Gregory the Great wrote: “The disbelief of Thomas has done more for our faith than the faith of the believing disciples” because Thomas’s careful examination became stronger evidence for later believers. None of them reduce Thomas to a permanent label. For them, the climax of the story is not doubt. It is faith.

In the Middle Ages the episode became enormously popular in art, drama, and preaching. It was usually called “The Incredulity of Thomas” (Incredulitas Thomae). This remained the standard title for centuries. The expression “a doubting Thomas” as a common English idiom appeared in the late nineteenth century, with the earliest documented English usage around 1883. 

Ironically, the nickname misses John’s point; he is not primarily interested in Thomas’s doubt. The story ends with one of the highest Christological confessions in the New Testament: “My Lord and my God!” (Jn 20:28).  Thomas’s story occupies only six verses (20:24–29), while Christian tradition remembers him for a single week of unbelief rather than, according to ancient tradition, decades of faithful missionary work culminating in martyrdom in India.

So, is there a more appropriate moniker?  When the apostles tell Thomas that they have seen the Lord (v.25) the Greek is: Heōrakamen ton Kyrion. The verb heōrakamen is in the perfect tense and so does not simply mean “we saw him.” The perfect tense is an ongoing, continuing experience which is best understood as “We have seen him, and that experience continues to shape us.” The apostles are giving testimony.

Thomas’ reply is equally important: “Unless I see… unless I put my finger… unless I put my hand… I will not believe.” The last phrase is literally, “I certainly will not believe.” He does not say: “Jesus cannot have risen.” Nor does he argue that resurrection is impossible. Rather, he is saying: “I will not believe your testimony unless I myself experience what you experienced.”

This becomes even more interesting in the broader context of John’s Gospel. One of John’s major themes is witness (martyria). John the Baptist bears witness. The Scriptures bear witness. The works of Jesus bear witness. The Father bears witness. The Beloved Disciple bears witness. Eventually, the apostles bear witness. Thomas represents the first Christian who is asked to believe through the testimony of others. That sounds remarkably familiar. Because that is precisely the position every Christian after the apostolic generation occupies.

Is Thomas doubting the Resurrection?  In one sense, yes. He has not yet come to believe Jesus has risen. But in another sense, the immediate object of his doubt is: Can I trust the testimony of these men? Remember the circumstances. Only a few days earlier these same Apostles had all fled, they were hiding behind locked doors, they were frightened, confused, and emotionally devastated. Now they suddenly claim: “We have seen the Lord.”

Thomas has to wonder if this is wishful thinking, group delusion or something else. What Thomas essentially says is “That is an extraordinary claim. I need more than your word.”

In the gospel account from this point the structure of the story provides that Jesus appears and invites Thomas to touch his wounds, but without touching Jesus, Thomas responds: “My Lord and my God!”

Then Jesus says “Blessed are those who have touched.” … wait, no He does not say that. He says: “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” Jesus is contrasting those who have seen with those who believe without seeing. That final beatitude is addressed directly to later Christians who must rely upon apostolic testimony.

I think St. John intended a gentle irony. At the beginning of the story, Thomas refuses to trust the testimony of the apostles. By the end of the Gospel, the Church will ask every generation to trust the testimony of Thomas himself. Thomas becomes the witness he initially hesitated to trust.

Doubting Thomas? He was struggling to trust the witness of the very people who claimed to have encountered the risen Lord. In that sense, Thomas is the first person asked to believe because of apostolic testimony. And that is exactly where we stand. None of us has physically seen the risen Christ. We believe because the apostles saw him, were transformed by him, and handed on their witness through the Church.

That leads naturally into the first reading from Letter to the Ephesians: “You are… built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.” (Eph 2:20)

The pairing of the readings is elegant. Thomas is not only the apostle who comes to faith; he is one of the apostles upon whose witness the Church is built. The Gospel traces his journey from demanding proof to becoming a trustworthy witness himself, while Ephesians reminds us that our own faith rests upon that apostolic foundation. That is a fitting message for the Feast of St. Thomas: we honor not merely a man who overcame doubt, but an apostle whose testimony continues to support the faith of the Church.

Image credit: The Incredulity of Saint Thomas by Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi), c. 1602 | Public Domain

Comfort, Confirm or Change

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Today’s readings for Mass continue the odd pairing: Amos and Matthew. Amos the fiery prophet to the Northern Kingdom of Israel during a time of prosperity for the elite, but not so much for the poor who did not participate in the prosperity and at the same time faced corrupt courts and dishonest business practices. At same time Amos is also critical of the empty religious observance: “I hate, I spurn your feasts… Let justice surge like water, and righteousness like an unfailing stream.” Meanwhile, Matthew continues his mission account: Jesus casting demons out of two possessed men, with the demons entering a herd of swine. One is about worship and justice; the other is an exorcism. Yet both readings ask the same penetrating question: What happens when the living God actually comes among us? Not surprisingly, the answer is that God’s presence always demands a decision.

Amos is preaching to people who are quite religious. They attend festivals, offer sacrifices, sing hymns, and keep the festivals as required by the Law. The problem is not that they have abandoned worship. The problem is that worship has become disconnected from life. Through the prophet Amos God says: “I hate, I spurn your feasts… I will not accept them.” God is rejecting worship that is externally correct but internally false because the same people who praise God in the Temple exploit the poor in the marketplace. That is why Amos concludes with perhaps his most famous words: “Let justice surge like water, and righteousness like an unfailing stream.” (Am 5:24). God desires worship that transforms the worshiper.

In the Gospel, Jesus arrives in Gentile territory. Immediately, the demons recognize him. The people are not so quick on the uptake. The demons cry out: “What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?” (Mt 8:29) Notice the contrast. The demons cannot pretend Jesus is simply another traveling rabbi. His presence forces a confrontation. Something has to change.

After witnessing an extraordinary liberation, the restoration of two men who had been living among the tombs, the townspeople do not rejoice. As Matthew tells us: “The whole town came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him they begged him to leave their district.” (v.34) Why? Matthew does not explicitly tell us. Perhaps they feared Jesus’ power. Perhaps they were upset over the economic loss of the swine. Perhaps they simply preferred the familiar to the disruptive presence of God. Whatever the reason, they choose comfort over conversion.

That is precisely Amos’ accusation. Israel wanted religion without transformation. The townspeople wanted life restored to normal without the unsettling presence of Jesus. In both readings, God’s presence exposes what people truly value. Amos asks: Do you love justice more than ritual? Matthew asks: Do you desire Christ more than comfort?

Both readings reject a faith that remains comfortable and unchanged: God is not satisfied with shallow religion. You cannot worship God while ignoring justice. You cannot encounter Jesus without making a choice. Neither reading presents God as simply making people feel comfortable. Instead, God disrupts, reveals, challenges and calls. This is often how grace works.

Which is more frightening? Two violent demoniacs living among the tombs or the possibility that Jesus might actually change my life? The townspeople apparently preferred the first. At least they knew how to live with it. The presence of Jesus meant everything might change.

Sometimes we are not so different.

The living God does not come merely to comfort us or to confirm us in our present way of life. He comes to reclaim us. And every encounter with him asks us to decide whether we will welcome that transformation or ask him, politely, to leave us alone.

Image credit: cropped image of Baie 102 of Église de la Madeleine (Verneuil-sur-Avre) | PD-US

Meeting God in the Disruptions

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Today’s readings for Mass are an odd pair: Amos and Matthew. The first reading from the Book of Amos is a prophetic oracle of judgment. Amos speaks in stark images of roaring lions, traps, trumpets, and disasters before concluding, “Prepare to meet your God.” The Gospel from Gospel of Matthew tells the familiar story of Jesus calming the storm at sea. One sounds like doom and the end of the world; the other is a miracle story of rescue. Yet, in their own way each asks how we respond when God disrupts our sense of security?

Amos is speaking to the prosperous Northern Kingdom of Israel during a time of relative peace and economic success. The people assume that God is with them because life is good, so everything must be fine. The prophet offers a different vision. He describes a series of seemingly inevitable events.  If the lion roars, that means it has prey in sight. If the city guards sound the trumpet warning, people’s natural response is to be frightened.  Amos is pointing out cause and effect. Then comes the key verse: “Indeed, the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants, the prophets.” (Am 3:7, NAB)

Historically, Amos preached during the reign of Jeroboam II (about 760–750 BC). It was one of Israel’s most prosperous periods. Economically trade flourished, borders expanded, and wealth increased. Spiritually and socially, however, Amos saw something very different: exploitation of the poor, corrupt courts, dishonest business practices, luxurious living by the wealthy, empty religious observance, over confidence that because Israel was God’s chosen people, disaster could never happen.

Our reading omits Amos 4:6-10, which explains the disasters: drought, failed harvests, some military defeats and more. The disasters Israel is experiencing were not random. They are prophetic wake-up calls. God has been speaking, but the people have refused to listen. There is a heartbreaking refrain that punctuates each disaster: “Yet you did not return to me.” Again and again God allowed hardship, not out of cruelty, but to call his people back. Yet they remained unmoved. Thus Amos concludes: “Prepare to meet your God.” That is not merely a threat. It is an invitation to conversion before it is too late.

“Too late” happened in In 722/721 BC, the Neo-Assyrian Empire conquered the Northern Kingdom. The capital was razed, many inhabitants were deported, and the kingdom ceased to exist.

Amos portrays a God who warns repeatedly before judgment falls. Judgment is not God’s first word. His first word is always an invitation to return. In that sense, Amos is remarkably consistent with the Gospel. God is patient, persistent, and merciful but he also takes human freedom seriously. If people continually refuse every invitation to conversion, there are real consequences. That makes Amos less a prophet of doom than a prophet of urgent hope: it is not too late to return but the time to return is now.

The Gospel is a different kind of wake-up call. The disciples also experience something that shatters their security. A violent storm threatens the boat but unlike Israel in Amos the disciples do exactly the right thing. They cry out: “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” (Mt 8:25).  They do this with imperfect faith: “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith? (v.26).  Nonetheless, they turn toward Christ. Israel ignored God’s warnings. The disciples run to Jesus.

Amos describes people who are spiritually asleep during good times. The disciples discover their weakness during bad times. Both groups encounter God through disruption but they respond differently.

Most of us don’t like interruptions and disruptions. We prefer stability, predictability and control. Yet throughout Scripture, God often speaks through interruptions. For Israel it was drought, famine, and military threats. For the disciples it was a storm. Today, our “interruptions” include illness, unemployment, family struggles, disappointment, and unexpected changes. The question we face is not whether disruptions come. The question is will the disruptions drive us away from God, or toward him?

There is one subtle connection between the readings. In Amos, God asks Israel to prepare to meet him. In the Gospel, the disciples discover that God is already in the boat with them. The God whom Amos tells Israel to prepare to meet is the same God who has entered the storm with his disciples in the person of Jesus.

We do indeed prepare to meet God. Not because he is distant, but because in Christ he has already come to meet us. The storms of life become not simply tests of endurance but opportunities to discover that the Lord is nearer than we realized. Jesus is already in the boat…so, stay in the boat.

Image credit: ChatGPT / Dalle-3, June 29, 2026 from prompt: “Please prepare a 1200×675 px image appropriate to the daily mass readings: Amos 3:1-8; 4:11-12 and Matthew 8:23-27.”

Persistence

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Today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles gives us a glimpse into the ordinary life of Saint Paul and how God’s extraordinary grace works through very human circumstances.

Paul arrives in Corinth, a bustling, morally complex city (a nice way of saying it was a typical naval port town). Apart from its activities in support of Mediterranean trade and shipping, because of its international flavor it was a center of a wide variety of temples. One of the larger communities was Jewish, in part because of political persecution in Rome. It is there that Paul  meets Aquila and Priscilla, refugees from Rome. It seems as though they met in the course of their ordinary work: tentmakers. Of course, we remember them as great evangelizers.

This passage reminds us that evangelization often begins and happens in the ordinary. Paul’s partnership with Aquila and Priscilla is not just practical—it’s providential. It’s a reminder for us: our workplaces, our homes, our daily routines can become sacred spaces if we allow God to work through them.

Later in the passage, we see Paul’s persistent preaching. Despite rejection in the synagogue, he doesn’t give up. He simply moves next door, to the house of Titius Justus. And what happens? Crispus, the synagogue leader, comes to believe in the Lord, along with his entire household. Paul’s endurance, guided by the Spirit, bears fruit—just not in the way or place he may have first expected.

Paul is “kicked out” of Corinth, but he has sown the seeds of faith. Someone else will harvest the fruit of his work – as it often is and will be.

So, what does this mean for us? Few of us are preachers, but your example of faith in your job, in your family, or among your neighbors, can touch hearts. Maybe you’re facing rejection or disappointment, but, like Paul, be persistent; don’t give up. New possibilities exist in the very next session of ordinary. And don’t convince yourself that your life is too ordinary to matter in God’s plan. The history of CHristianity is a story of butchers, bakers, candlestick makers – and tentmakers, too – being used by God as a springboard for the Gospel.

Ask for the grace today to be faithful in the ordinary, open to the Spirit’s prompting, and persistent in love, so that like Paul, we trust that God is at work, even when we can’t yet see the full fruit..

Image credit: Saint Paul Writing His Epistles | attributed to Valentin de Boulogne | Houston Museum of Fine Arts| PD-US

Faith that Frees

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In today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Paul and Silas are stripped, beaten, and thrown into prison. Their only “crime” was setting a slave girl free from possession by a spirit – and interfering with the men who profited by her oracles. But what stands out most in this passage isn’t the injustice they suffered — it’s what they did while imprisoned: they prayed and sang hymns to God.

Paul and Silas were not only physically bound, but also humiliated and wounded. Yet, “about midnight”, when things seemed darkest, they chose to pray and sing. This is more than optimism — it is deep trust in God. They didn’t wait for their chains to fall off before worshiping. They worshiped while still in chains.

What about us? How often do we wait for our problems to be solved before thanking God? Paul and Silas show us that praise is not dependent on our situation — it needs to be rooted in our relationship with God.

“there was suddenly such a severe earthquake that the foundations of the jail shook; all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose” (Acts 16:26)

But Paul and Silas don’t run — and neither do the other prisoners. Something about their prayerful presence kept everyone calm and centered.

What about us? I hope you realize that your quiet prayers, your long years of trust in God might be helping others just by being steady, faithful, and present. It is witness and can influence those around us. The jailer, who was ready to take his own life thinking the prisoners had escaped, finds hope because of their witness. Paul says, “Do no harm to yourself; we are all here.” (v.28)  The jailer, shaken to the core, falls before them and asks: “…what must I do to be saved?”

Paul responds with the Gospel in its simplest form: “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved.” That very night, the jailer and his whole household are baptized. He who once held Paul and Silas captive now washes their wounds. This is the power of grace: it reverses roles, heals enemies, and brings salvation where there was despair.

When we find ourselves “in prison” — whether through suffering, discouragement, or uncertainty — may we remember this lesson from Paul and Silas. Let us choose prayer over panic, praise over bitterness, and faith over fear. God still opens prison doors and loosens chains — sometimes not by removing the problem, but by transforming hearts, starting with our own.

Image credit: “Paul and Silas in Prison” | Joseph Mulder (ca.1725) | Museum of Fine Arts Ghent | PS-US

Love: the obedience of Faith

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This is my commandment: love one another as I love you…You are my friends if you do what I command you.” (John 15:12,14)

I have to admit the words “if you do what I command you” have always struck me as somewhat “off.” These words come in the middle of a long talk Jesus is giving the Apostles. It occurs after the conclusion of the Last Supper but before the events at the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus is arrested and begins the Passion. Is Jesus’ love and friendship going to be conditional or provisional in some way? Does this mean the statement “Jesus loves us no matter what” has some serious limits somewhere in the small print?

There is something huge being played out that gives context to Jesus’ words. Jesus is offering a relationship far deeper than that of a master-servant. He calls His disciples “friends”, not just followers or servants. This is radical —friendship with the Son of God is possible. But this friendship is not casual or superficial. It’s grounded in obedience to His commands, which center around love (John 15:12 – “Love one another as I have loved you”).

Maybe, like me, you sometimes hear this as conditional: “I’ll be your friend only if you obey.” But the long arc of Jesus’ teaching and his mission shows that He is not setting a bar they must clear to earn His friendship. Rather obedience is the evidence of that friendship. It is the fruit of abiding in the love of Jesus. Friendship leads us into His way, following His words and actions. We may not always understand, but we trust our friend. This walk with Jesus naturally leads to transformation so that we want to obey Him.. 

St. Paul talks about the obedience of faith in Letter to the Romans.  It is a phrase that reflects the covenantal nature of love. Biblical love is covenantal, not just emotional. Jesus is inviting His disciples (and us)  into a relationship that mirrors His relationship with the Father—a relationship marked by love and shared purpose. His command is not a burdensome law, but a calling to live in the fullness of divine love.

It is this obedience of faith that echoes a reading earlier this week: the parable of the Vine and the Branches. The goal is to remain in Jesus and bear good fruit. A passive faith that shows no evidence of a transformation is not what Jesus means when He says “love one another as I love you.” It is about love one another sacrificially; always seeking the good for the other.

John 15:14 is not about Jesus setting conditions for His affection. It’s about revealing the nature of true friendship with Him—a relationship of intimacy, loyalty, and obedience. To be Jesus’ friend is to walk in His love, listen to His voice, and live His way.

Image credit: Duccio di Buoninsegna (1255–1319), “Jesus taking leave of his Apostles,” ca. 1310 | Panel 4 of the Maestro, Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Siena | PD-US

Pruning

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The vineyard does not just happen by itself. There is a complex dance between the vine, the branches and the vine grower. For example, did you know that a single grape-vine can produce as much as 13 feet of new branch growth in one growing season. What happens if all that new growth remains un-pruned? It would not be unusual for that un-pruned vine to have as many as 300 fruit producing buds. While that might sound great, that’s way too many buds for the plant to support. You might have lots of produce, but it will be incredibly low quality, and good for not much. It would probably just end up as fuel for the fire. You would have to prune as much as 75% of the buds and other vegetative growth so the plant can properly develop and ripen the good fruit. The goal is always good fruit.

And it is not just the buds that need to be pruned in growing season. In the late winter, some of last year’s branches need to be cut off. A branch that is more than two years old will no longer produce fruit – and so you cut it off to leave capacity for the new growth to flourish and produce fruit.

There have been many seasons in my life and the harvest of each season has been uneven. The barren seasons are the ones when I removed myself – at least to some degree – from the nourishment of the vine; when my needs outweigh the needs of the community. And yet, by the grace of God, there have been more seasons when the fruit has been plentiful. Those were, and continue to be, the seasons when I allow the grace of the vine grower to empty my garages and storage units, set down the baggage and burdens, and move away from the paths of sin. The seasons when I remembered to whom I belong – the One who said: “Remain in me, as I remain in you.”

This is more than good advice or an invitation. This is a promise, like it or not, Jesus will hold onto us as surely as the vine holds dear the branches. No matter what has been accumulated that is burdensome, troublesome, onerous, worrying, or unsettling, God is committed to nourish life and hope from the very places that seem most devoid of goodness. It is a promise that God in Jesus will bring all things to a good end.

That promise is real. So real that His only Son Jesus chose not to sit back in heaven, removed from the messiness of life, but planted himself as the true vine right in the middle of our days and nights, our joys and sorrow, and all the frailties and faults of life in this world – so that we would know of God’s unending promise to us.

Remain in Him as He remains in you.

Image credit: Pexels CC-BY-NC-ND