August 23, 2026: 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sooner or later, we must all answer the question that Christ poses to His Apostles, "Who do you say that I am?"

We must answer it in a personal way, because the answer affects how we live our lives.

May Christ truly be our Lord, directing our lives closer into union with Him, and His Church.

Christ established the Church, with St. Peter as the leader.  By the authority given to St. Peter and teh apostles, handed on to their successors, the Church stewards the Truth of His teachings and upholds them so that we can enter more deeply into a life-giving relationship with Him, building His Kingdom on Earth, declaring our praises to the Great One Who is beyond understanding yet is the Source of All, and is worthy of all praise.

I answered this question in an important way 17 years ago when I attended Mass for the first time at St. Teresa's, the day after I arrived at Valparaiso University to begin my time as a student there.  At that first Mass, I felt the call to make a decisive commitment ot faith and take my part in the Church, to live out my answer to Who Christ is to me.

August 16, 2026: 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God sent His Son as Savior for Israel and created a way for all people outside of Israel to receive His salvation and come to Him.

I greatly enjoy this Sunday's Gospel story.  While Jesus at first seems dismissive of the woman, even to the point of saying that food for teh children shouldn't be thrown to the dogs, she has great faith to recognize Jesus can provide healing for her daughter and she masterfully draws upon Jesus's metaphor to talk about dogs even eating scraps.

Jesus rewards such faith.  He has come to break down barriers in providing salvation. So let us build faith, constantly striving after Jesus and waiting upon Him, in His way and His timing to meet our needs.

August 15, 2026: Solemnity of the Assumption

After a life living by faith in her Son, the Blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary, was assumed body and soul into Heaven, receiving the great reward for living by faith.

We have hope to follow Mary, who was the first disciple, and experience the fullness of the Resurrection, body and soul, because Christ was the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep, as St. Paul writes.

In this hope, we rejoice in God our Savior, Who has already manifested the power of redemption in transforming our lives.  Indeed, we join with Mary in magnifying the Lord, who, like Pope St. John Paul II declared at the end of World Youth Day 1993 in Denver, has done great things for her and for us.

August 9, 2026: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Even in the storms and distractions of life, God is present.

It is for us to make ourselves aware of how God is presenting Himself, and to reach out as a true act of faith.

He came to us, as the Savior born of the people of Israel, and brought salvation to all the world.

By faith, we reach out to Him, and embrace the strength He gives us to even walk in the storms as we keep our eyes fixed on Him.

Through the power of faith, we go beyond the noise and still ourselves to be aware of the tiny, whispering sound, the still small voice of His presence.

Focusing on His presence, He sends us forth for the great works we do in building His Kingdom.

August 6, 2026: Feast of the Transfiguration

Like the Son of Man in the vision in Daniel, Jesus Christ reveals a glimpse of His Heavenly glory, appearing so powerfully in a way that transcends Earth.

Furthermore, He appears with Moses and Elijah on the mountain to signal that He is going to fulfill God's great plan of salvation through His Paschal Mystery.

This glimpse of glory offered the three apostles, and offers to us, the perspective that the way we follow in Christ calls us to transformation, to reflect Christ in this world, and it leads us to glory.

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.