Finding Your Spiritual Direction

Acts of the Apostles 1:1-11 Ephesians 1:17-23 Matthew 28:16-20 Today's gospel from Matthew describes the Ascension of the Lord. I was intrigued to read, "When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.” They doubted! Exactly what was it they doubted? There have been multiple post- resurrection appearances of Jesus by this time as Luke recalls in the first reading. Forty days of appearances. Certainly they did not doubt that this was indeed Jesus raised from the

Acts of the Apostles 8:5-8, 14-17 1 Peter 3:15-18 John 14:15-21 “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope…” Clearly, these words from today's second reading presume we are hope -filled! What do you think? Do you feel hopeful? The daily news can rob one of hope. Vulgar and demeaning language fills the airways. Violent action is applauded. The use of power and brute force is touted as the “real” world. The Earth is plundered f

Acts of the Apostles 6:1-7 1 Peter 2:4-9 John 14:1-12 “Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these… “ As one who believes in Jesus, how do you feel about this challenge? Have you ever thought in terms of doing those wonderful works the gospel records Jesus doing? The feeding… the healing… the preaching of the gospel? Scripture says he fed the multitude with just a few loaves and fishes. How could you carry on his work of feed

Acts of the Apostles 2:14a, 36-41 1 Peter 2:20b-25 John 10:1-10 Am I hearing voices? That’s a question a person might ask themself in one of two situations. Either they are remembering a command they heard long ago from a parent or guardian, such as: “Look both ways before you cross the street” - or - they literally believe they hear someone calling out to them. In the case of today’s scripture passages, both of those conditions are true. We are hearing voices of people

Acts of the Apostles 2:14, 22-33 1Peter 1:17-21 Luke 24:13-35 Today’s gospel is one of my very favorite passages. There are several dynamic themes at work here. First, Jesus invites the two disciples to tell him all about what has been happening in Jerusalem. In the process, he gets right to the heart of what is going on in their minds and hearts. Then he proceeds to explain to them, in detail, why it happened and how it all relates to his earthly mission. Still, they d

Acts of the Apostles 2:42-47 1Peter 1:3-9 John 20:19-31 In 1978, I entered graduate school in Pittsburgh. I met a young woman there who was a member of a small faith community of Catholics that was part of a Marianist small faith community of Catholics. Marilyn and I were looking for a spiritual home and we found it with this terrific group of people. Fast-forward to 1981 and we had relocated to Des Moines, Iowa. We were once again looking for a spiritual home. We

Readings will vary, depending upon which Liturgy you attend. Imagine a time in your life when you have read a book, watched a movie/TV show, or listened to someone tell you a profound story. Perhaps you walked away from that experience with a little extra “spring” in your step; because you were feeling inspired, motivated, energized - thankful for the gift of life, and thankful for the story you had just experienced. Perhaps you realized that the story meant something to yo

Isaiah 50:4-7 Philippians 2:6-11 Matthew 26:14 -- 27:66 As a child I disliked Palm Sunday. It was the day I had to stand for the long, long gospel. And I remember having to say the words of the crowd, "Let him be crucified! “ Why do we get the part of the bad guys, I thought? I'd never do that. .. And then I grew up. Fairly early in the gospel, before the crucifixion itself, we see two people betray Christ: Judas and Peter. And these were not casual bystanders. These we

Ezekiel, 37:12-14 Romans 8:8-11 John 11:1-45 Another long gospel today on the Fifth Sunday of Lent, the raising of Lazarus. Because a tomb, an illness followed by death and a resuscitated body figure so prominently in the story, it is easy for us to focus on physical death. But let us look closely at the dialogue in the center of this event. “Martha said to him, ‘I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the lif

1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a Ephesians 5:8-14 John 9:1-41 Today's gospel, John 9:1–41, is quite long. A shorter option is offered but the longer version is well worth reading. We see a fascinating cast of characters each with their own degree of sightedness and blindness. We see a man who was born blind, is cured of his physical blindness by Jesus and comes to spiritual sight gradually. We see neighbors who suddenly do not recognize the same man they had seen begging earli

Exodus 17:3-7 Romans 5:1-2, 5-8 John 4:5-42 Today's first reading begins,"In their thirst for water the people grumbled against Moses.“ The Samaritan woman in the gospel has come to the well alone in the heat of the day to draw water. In our own day, people all over the world are on the move to find water for themselves and their animals as climate change turns their home uninhabitable, without enough water. The need for life-giving water is so elemental that when Jesus

Genesis 12:1-4a 2 Timothy 1:8b-10 Matthew 17:1-9 Ah, Peter. Man of action. You gotta love him! "How about if I walk on water to meet you?“ (glug, glug, sound of water splashing). “I’ll never deny you!” (sound of cock crowing). And today's gospel."How about if I build three tents here?“ And while he is still speaking… “A voice from the cloud” said “Listen!” The church gives us a Transfiguration story every year on the Second Sunday of Lent. This year we hear from M

Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7 Romans 5: 12-19 Matthew 4:1-11 Like many other people, I use the monthly periodical, "Give Us This Day,” as an aid to daily prayer. There, in reflecting on this weekend’s readings, Fr. John Kartje shared an insight I thought well worth passing on to you. He suggests that we "pay attention to (our) temptations, not just (our) sins.“ Our temptations reveal where we are vulnerable.Those words brought back to me an experience from my own life. A number

Sirach 15:15-20 1 Corinthians 2:6-10 Matthew 5:17-37 The gospel for today, Matthew 5:17- 37, is quite long. The second and longer portion of the gospel, which is offered as a stand alone option, includes the portion of Matthew’s gospel that elaborates on the commandments. Jesus quotes some of the Ten Commandments, "You shall not kill, “ then adds "But I say to you, “whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment… “ But before discussing the individual comm

Isaiah 58:7-10 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 Matthew 5:13-16 One of the most beautiful parts of the Easter Vigil for me occurs at the very beginning. The Easter candle, having been lit outside with the New Fire, is carried into the darkened church. The light of Christ. That light passes from the Christ candle to us as we share the light with each other. And soon the whole church is alive with light. We are living in dark times. Today’s gospel tells us that we are to be li

Zephaniah 2:3, 3:12-13 1Corinthians 126-31 Matthew 5:1-12a As I write this reflection, world leaders are gathering at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Because I have been reflecting on today's gospel, the words of our president jumped out at me. He described our country as, “rich, powerful, and strong. Again, I looked at the gospel, the Beatitudes, which Pope Francis described as "the Christian’s identity card. “ I saw very different qualities: poor in spir

Isaiah 8:23—9:3 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17 Matthew 4:12-23 At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I must repeat a theme from today’s readings that has been prevalent in recent weeks: The good news of Jesus Christ is for all people, not simply the Hebrew people. If repetition is a form of emphasis, God really seems to want us all to understand that. The message is for all people, no matter their race, color, nationality, social status or creed. That is important.

Isaiah 49:3, 5-6 1 Corinthians 1:1-3 John 1:29-34 Three little words can be used to summarize all three of today’s readings. And they are very powerful indeed! They are: “called to testify”. In the first reading, Isaiah is called to testify, as he is commissioned to be “a light to the nations” (Isaiah 49-6). He realizes that he is called, not just to deliver the news of the coming of the Messiah to the people of Judah and of Israel, but to the people of the whole wor

Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7 Acts of the Apostles 10:34-38 Matthew 3:13-17 Today’s first reading, from Isaiah, Chapter 42, is the first of four passages in Isaiah that are referred to as Servant Songs. For us, as Christians, these are very important passages. They foretell of one to come - not as an earthly king, but as a servant - who will “bring forth justice to the nations” and establish a new covenant between God and humankind. We understand this special servant to be none ot

Isaiah 60:1-6 Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6 Matthew 2:1-12 Today’s readings are filled with challenging and intriguing concepts, designed to prompt us to think intently and act decisively. The more we study them, the more we will receive from them. As usual, the messages are relevant, not only for the people of biblical times, but for all of us. For myself, I am particularly challenged and intrigued by the theme of “inclusivity”. Isaiah’s passage begins with a reference to t