Finding Your Spiritual Direction

Isaiah 22:19-23 Romans 11:33-36 Matthew 16:13-20 In today’s gospel, Jesus asks his disciples a profoundly important question. “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They reply with a litany of the many different titles and names they are hearing from his various followers. This is Jesus’ way of introducing the question he really wants to pose specifically to the disciples. “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter, often the first to respond, (I suspect he was a gre

Isaiah 56:1, 6-7 Romans 11:13-15, 29-32 Matthew 15:21-28 Today we are presented with a series of sometimes complicated readings, that all point to one conclusion: The message of Jesus Christ is for all people, not just the Jews. Personally, I am most intrigued by the gospel passage, where Jesus has the following conversation with a Canaanite (not Jewish) woman: Jesus says: “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She replies: “Pleas

1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a Romans 9:1-5 Matthew 14:22-33 In today’s first reading, Elijah experiences God’s call to him - not in a violent wind (think hurricane or tornado), not in an earthquake, not in a raging fire, but in a whispering sound. Isn’t it interesting that God does not need bombast, God does not need to bolster his ego or to reassure himself that he is the greatest, the strongest and the most powerful. Of course, God is all of those things, but does not desire

Isaiah 55:1-3 Romans 8:35, 37-39 Matthew 14:13-21 I love today’s readings! Each one contains a powerful message of reassurance and, collectively, they indicate God’s providential love and care for each and every one of us. St. Paul’s passage from Romans 8, for example, is one of the most powerful passages in all of sacred scripture: For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, no

1 Kings 3:5, 7-12 Romans 8:28-30 Matthew 13:44-52 They say that Carl Jung, the famous psychoanalyst, had this wisdom posted in his office: “Voctus Atque Nonvocatus Deus Adheret.” For those of you without benefit of four years of high school Latin… that means, "Called or not called, God comes.” The first two short parables in today's gospel give that wisdom flesh and blood. The man plowing his field, just minding his own business, serendipitously discovers a hidden tre

(My apologies. This entry is late this week because I was on a trip and did not get it posted in a timely manner.) Wisdom 12:13, 16-19 Romans 8:26-27 Matthew 13:24-43 I suspect most of us have seen the poster that reads "Be patient with me. God isn't finished with me yet!” Wise words. We are all just a work in progress. Still growing. Still intentionally working to eliminate faults, correct foibles, strengthen weak places. That is who we all are… part wheat, part wee

Isaiah 55:10-11 Romans 8:18-23 Matthew 13:1-23 Like many other people I have kept a prayer journal over the years. To be completely honest, I use the term “kept” rather loosely. Sometimes I look back and see writing day after day, week after week, for several months before the entries become sporadic and the empty pages more frequent… I stop. Then, after some time, I start again. Looking back over those journals I see traces of today’s gospel played out in my own life.

Zechariah 9:9-10 Romans 8:9, 11-13 Matthew 11:25-30 “Come to me all you who labor and are burdened. “ Today's reflection is for all those who feel overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by the pictures of apartment buildings and hospitals and schools reduced to rubble in places like Gaza, southern Lebanon and Ukraine. Overwhelmed by TV footage of body bags carrying victims of Ebola in Africa. Overwhelmed by the number of Ohio families who will soon see their healthcare premiums skyro

Jeremiah 20:10-13 Romans 5:12-15 Matthew 10:26-33 Examining the readings today, we should note that there are some striking similarities between what Jeremiah endures in the first reading and what the disciples are being prepared to endure in today’s Gospel. Jeremiah remarks that he hears “the whisperings of many, terror on every side!” Jeremiah was trying to warn the Israelites to change their ways - to honor the covenant they had made with the Lord - or they would sure

Exodus 19:2-6a Romans 5:6-11 Matthew 9:36-10:8 There is something about today’s readings that reminds me of part of a prayer I often say. It is a prayer of my own making, to the Blessed Trinity. During the part of the prayer that I specifically address to Jesus, I praise him as the Son of God and as my brother. At that moment, I think of him as a close friend and a sort of older and very much wiser brother. I think of him as my primary and most important teacher, helpin

Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 John 6:51-58 I once heard a story about a mother who was cooking dinner for her children. The family was of modest means, but the mother was careful to purchase and prepare food that was nutritious and included all the major food groups. One one occasion, when the young ones were complaining about what was being prepared for dinner, mom got a bit flustered and blurted out: “Look here now, I work hard to feed you good whol

Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 John 3:16-18 I was the kid who asked a lot of questions. And when the grown-ups answered, “That is a mystery, “ I thought they just didn't know the answer… or they just wanted me to stop questioning! Now that I am an adult myself, I realize that there are things one cannot wrap one's mind around try though we may. There is such a thing as mystery. Today we celebrate the Trinity. And we are presented with a couple of m

Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 John 20:19-23 Today the church celebrates our birthday, the feast of Pentecost, the day the church was born! Our scriptures record the gift of the Holy Spirit to the disciples. The reading from Acts begins with a picture of the disciples “all in one place together. “ The gospel from John records the disciples gathered behind locked doors out of fear. They seek support and comfort from one another but they are inw

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