August 2, 2026: 18th Sunday in Ordinary TIme

God provides for us in abundance.

For those of us with so little, God invites us to an abundant Feast, as in Isaiah the prophet.

We experience the fullness of God's abundance in Jesus Christ.  Nothing can separate us from God's love, as we experience in Jesus Christ.

While Jesus feeds a crowd of over 5000, He offers the greatest gift in Himself that brings our salvation.

So we partake of what satisfies our souls completely in Christ.

In light of the 250th Annivesrary of the Independence of the USA, and even the recent celebration of Colorado, the Centennial State, at 150 years, we can look all around our land to see how God is powerfully manifest and invites us to live with purpose in this time and place He has placed us, because He provides for us so generously so we can fulfill such a great purpose.

July 26, 2026: 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Wisdom is a great gift from God that helps us see what is most valuable in life.
 

God values us, and offered Himself completely through Jesus Christ that we might have life.

I recall reflecting on these readings 21 years ago at a summertime meeting for Confirmation preparation.  One of the seven Gifts of the Spirit is wisdom, which helps us to see everything as God sees, so that we can value what is most worthwhile, that which leads us closer to God.  King Solomon, in humility, recognized he would need wisdom to govern God's people, and that is what he asked of God, recognizing its worth above all earthly treasures.

As we follow the way of discipleship, may we embrace that which leads us closer to God, growing in devotion to the greatest treasure of a relationship with Him.

He is the One Who has come to us in the Incarnation, and makes us alive in the Paschal Mystery of Christ's Death and Resurrection, so that we can be justified and live according to His purposes, with hope of sharing in His glory.

Today is customarily the Feast of Saints Anne and Joachim, the parents of the Blessed Mother Mary.  Let us rejoice in the ways our grandparents and elders impart to us wisdom they gain from years of life, and how, by sharing in love with them, we can see what is most worthwhile in life, as this love in relationships is a way to experience God.

July 19, 2026: 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God shows great mercy in the face of evil.  Even though weeds grow among wheat, God, instead of having the weeds pulled, offers an opportunity for repentance in the time before the judgment.

Cooperating with God's grace, we can respond to the weeds that are even in our own hearts, and strive to cultivate growth of good fruit that is pleasing to God.

The Holy Spirit comes to aid us in our weaknesses, because He intercedes according to God's will, as St. Paul writes.  So as we strive to bear good fruit, the Holy Spirit helps direct us toward what is pleasing to God.  Starting with small acts of faith, God will work abundantly, even in ways that aren't readily perceptible.  Eventually, in God, our acts of faith contribute to the flourishing of the Kingdom.

This month has been special in celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the Independence of the USA.  This weekend marks 2 years since the 10th National Eucharistic Congress.  God has sanctified all time and placed each of us in a specific place and time so that we may live with a purpose in building God's Kingdom now.

Cooperating with God's grace leads us on the path to shining for Eternity while even now we reflect God's glory at work in our lives.

July 12, 2026: 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God sends out His Word abundantly into the world, and as the prophet Isaiah proclaims, God's Word doesn't come back void, but accomplishes His purposes.

His purpose is to redeem the whole world, which is the work Christ accomplished on the Cross.  Now we wait with all Creation for the work of redemption to be completely fulfilled, with the coming of God's Kingdom on Earth as the Spirit guides and consoles us to that fulfillment.

We participate in the coming of the Kingdom now as we open our hearts to the work God desires to do in us.  The Word is spread abundantly, and we are called to open our hearts to receiving it.

Some hearts receive but don't bear fruit because they don't understand or ground themselves in it.  Let us cast aside the thorns and open our hearts so that the seed of the Word may enter deeply into us.  It is the Word that speaks and transforms. When we keep close to God, our hearts can produce a great abundance of fruit as we respond actively to the Word and let it shape our lives so that we may reflect God's image in this world.

Today is the Feast of Saints Louis and Zelie Martin.  After discerning out of religious life, they married, and their marriage certainly reflected God's glory in the world and produced the wonderful fruit of five daughters who all entered religious life, including St. Therese.

July 5, 2026: 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

We praise our God for His greatness because He displays a wondrous sense of what it means to be meek.

The reading from Zechariah depicts the King coming not on a horse like a warrior but gently on a donkey.

Furthermore, Jesus says God, Who is over Heaven and Earth, offers amazing revelations to those who are lowly.  He then invites His disciples to find rest in Him.

We find this rest because Christ has conquered sin and brought us to new Life in Him.  We now ground ourselves in a relationship with Him, and day by day, we draw from the power of the Spirit He gives us to live not according to the flesh and worldly ways, but according to the ways that lead us to Life.  Even when life gets difficult, we take on His yoke, and the burden becomes lighter as He aids us.

In light of the 250th Anniversary of the Independence of the USA, we behold the Lord of Heaven and Earth, in Whom we rest, as we walk with Him through this Life and do our part to build the Kingdom of God on Earth.

June 29, 2026: Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

Christ established a Church so that we may, by faith, draw near to God and participate in the mission to build the Kingdom of God on Earth.

The Church has an apostolic grounding, which includes the important leadership of Saints Peter and Paul.  They both opened themselves to God's revelations. St. Peter became the rock upon which the Church was built.  St. Paul proclaimed the word of salvation to the Gentiles.

As God reveals Himself to us in teh way of salvation, may we, like Saints Peter and Paul, respond to God by proclaiming the Gospel with our lives.

June 28, 2026: 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus calls us to wholehearted devotion to Him, bearing our crosses as we accept the challenges that come, even in following Him.  This devotion rises above our family relationships because those relationships are meant to find importance in the light of our faith in God.

The woman in Shunem shows what it means to be devoted by serving Elisha, who is moved to offer her a reward.

We receive Jesus, because He is the One God has sent, Who has brought us life, and leads us to Eternal Life.  In His work of redemption, we know that God has the power to work through paradoxes to bring out of evil, good, and out of death, life.

Even as we wait for our reward in its fullness, we can experience signs of our Eternal reward now as we come together as the Church, the Body of Christ, together living out our relationship with God as He works marvelously in us.

As we conclude the month of June, devoted to the Sacred Heart, we behold the gift of God's love shown to us in the Paschal Mystery, which invites us to devotion in response to God's love for us and to be channels of that love.