July 31, 2022: 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Life has a way of appearing meaningless a theme that persists throughout the whole book of Ecclesiastes and is clear in the selection from it for today's first reading.

There are echoes of that theme in the Gospel reading.  Jesus tells a person in dispute with his brother to not be so focused on earthly treasures.  He elaborates with a parable about a man who appears to have much, but ultimately, it is without substance.  (Notably, as Father Rex indicated in his homily, in this parable, God makes an appearance, which is rare for parables.)

St. Paul reminds us in the 2nd reading that we have been raised with Christ.  Now in this reality, it's time to turn our gaze upwards and focus on building treasure in Heaven.  We are called to leave aside wrongful behaviors of our old selves, and grow closer in relationship with God, more closely reflecting His image, and live to be a blessing to others.

Cardinal George was known for saying, "The only thing we can take with us when we die is what we have given away."  The statement seems counterintuitive at first:  Yet when we focus more on serving the good of others, driven by the spirit of what we have by faith, we truly build the kind of treasure that lasts, because we're living in love, made known powerfully when we give of ourselves.

Today is the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, who had a radical conversion in his life, and was driven to focus on building up heavenly treasure, especially in founding the Society of Jesus.

Also, on today's date 20 years ago, Pope St. John Paul II canonized San Juan Diego.  The Virgen de Guadalupe appeared to him in 1531, and he had a part in helping foster the mass conversion of native Aztec people in Mexico.

Indeed, let us open ourselves up to how God is all around us, and how we can use the opportunities of each day to build heavenly treasure.

July 24, 2022: 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Prayer is a way for us to communicate with God.  Ultimately, we come to know God more closely through prayer, and are transformed to reflect Who He is and see everything from His perspective.

Through prayer, we grow in faith and became more assured that our God is gracious and merciful.

That is why Abraham dared to beg God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah, as he bargained from pleading for 50 to down to 10 innocent people.  He had faith in God's mercy, and God recognized Abraham's faith, and so kept granting his requests.

So in our prayer, we seek from God the greatest good, the gift of the Holy Spirit, His living presence ever abiding with us.  Reading that last sentence in the Gospel reminds me of this day 17 years ago, Sunday, July 24, 2005, when I attended a summertime Confirmation preparation meeting.  It was an opportunity to embrace the greatest treasure of all that we have by faith.

We constantly ask, as a sign of our faith that God is the giver of the greatest goods. God may not always give us exactly what we ask, but, by faith, we are confident He will give us the very best, and so we go deeper into faith as a result.

July 22, 2022: Feast of St. Mary Magdalene

St. Mary Magdalene knew the great power of God at work in her life, through the healing touch of Jesus.

She was so devoted to Him, even when she went to visit the tomb after His death.

It was there that she first encountered evidence of the Resurrection.

And she was furthermore transformed when she encountered the Risen Christ.

She went to proclaim the reality of the Resurrection to the Apostles.

We now share in that mission, to be filled with God's love, and proclaim His Resurrection and the transforming power it brings.

July 17, 2022: 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

There's something mystical about how God appears to Abraham as three people.  While the hosts in the two stories strive to wait on their divine guests, God ultimately desires to bless them.  Furthermore, we take time to listen and discern how He is directing our lives.

When God makes an appearance, we strive to welcome Him, knowing that He does marvelous work in our lives, just Abraham, Sarah, Martha, and Mary did in the readings for this Sunday.

He invites us into relationship with Him, to truly meditate on the Truths that lead us deeper into the abundant life.

When we are consumed with that Life, we are drawn more deeply into the mystery.  And we live it out through deeds of justice and service inspired by the transformation we experience when we deeply listen to God.  Ultimately, our service is a prayer that reflects Who God is, as we make Him real in the world.

July 10, 2022: 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God has clearly given us the commandments for our lives.  It's not something inaccessible, but very near to us.  We love Him, and we love our neighbor by meeting the needs of those around us.

In Jesus Christ, we see that this commandment transcends the Law of Old and is meant to motivate us to reach out beyond our usual boundaries to meet needs.

We see ourselves under a mighty and gracious God Who created all things, and in Christ, has recreated everything by reconciling all to Himself through the Cross.

So we are now equipped to show our love for God by caring for others, making our love real and tangible.

He has given us access to Eternal Life, and we experience that reality now as we make God's presence real in our lives when we live out the love He has shown us to others.

July 3, 2022: 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God greatly desires to bring abundance to all the earth, as described in the vision in the reading from the prophet Isaiah.  He has brought us abundance through Christ, Who declared He came so that we "might have Life, and have it more abundantly." 

Now, in Christ, we are sent forth on a mission to proclaim the coming of His Kingdom into our world, and the Abundant Life it brings.

Regardless of how people respond, we hold firmly to what Jesus says at the end of today's Gospel reading, that we should rejoice that our "names are written in Heaven", because God has put His mark upon us.  That is what truly counts, and what truly drives us forth.  We boast in God Who has saved us by His Cross.

We have been freed from obligations to the Law of the Old Covenant, through the salvation of the Cross.  In the New Covenant in Christ, we are now a new Creation, filled with God's grace, so we can carry on His mission.  We rejoice in the freedom we have in Him so that we can live to serve Him.