Monthly Archives: June 2017

Friday of Week 12 in Ordinary Time (Year A)
Genesis 17:1,9-10,15-22 | Psalm 127(128):1-5 | Matthew 8:1-4

‘Sir,’ he said ‘if you want to, you can cure me.’ (Matthew 8:2)

If we want to, we can follow Jesus in deed, and not just in word.

If we want to, we can center our lives around Him, instead of giving Him only an hour of fidgeting and inattention every Sunday.

If we want to, we can feel His presence in others, especially those who quietly suffer the indignity of serving others who return nothing but scorn and ill-treatment.

Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him and said, ‘Of course I want to! Be cured!’ (Matthew 8:3)

But do we want to?

Or would we rather bask in the glow of knowing that we’re better off than the others around us?

Lord God, You gave us the precious gift of free will, which we then twisted into dark mastery over our fellow human beings. You know we can do better, if we want to.

Give us the burning desire to want to do better. Open our eyes to see the hurt we cause others, open our hearts to their suffering, and move our hands to make good all that was done in prideful sin.

Amen.

Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles
Acts 12:1-11 | Psalm 33(34):2-9 | 2 Timothy 4:6-8,17-18 | Matthew 16:13-19

I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:7)

I started this blog entry last night, but stopped for no apparent reason. This morning, that reason became clear, and this entry has completely changed as a result.

I was privileged to serve as organist for a noon-day thanksgiving mass today, celebrating the wedding anniversaries of two couples from the same family (grandparents and parents). With the “connivance” of the children, other family members, and a few friends, it was a simple celebration that still overflowed with rich meaning.

I have no doubt that these two couples have had their fights; I too have fought with my own wife from time to time.

Their “race” on this earth, like mine, isn’t over yet.

And, most importantly, we’re all struggling to keep our faith in God.

That last bit can sometimes be rather difficult, but there was an extra spring in my step as I left that celebration today.

✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞

This reflection from St. Paul is a popular one for engraving on headstones, but it’s really a look back at a life lived in love of the Lord. For it to have any meaning for us, we need to understand it as a recipe for good living:

• Fight the good fight, ensuring that our actions bring life to all, not misery.
• Run the race of life with gusto, but also stopping to lift up those who have fallen by the wayside.
• Keep the faith that has been nurtured in us, and the love of the One who gave all for us.

Despite all the uncertainties of modern life, now is a good time to be truly alive in God.

We just need to make the effort to deliberately turn to our Creator, seek His counsel through the quiet voice within us that is the Holy Spirit, and be ever mindful of the Son of Light whose Divine Mercy floods our hearts each day.

Amen.

Tuesday of Week 12 in Ordinary Time (Year A)
Genesis 13:2,5-18 | Psalm 14(15):2-5 | Matthew 7:6,12-14

Looking round, Lot saw all the Jordan plain, irrigated everywhere – this was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah – like the garden of the Lord or the land of Egypt, as far as Zoar. So Lot chose all the Jordan plain for himself and moved off eastwards. Thus they parted company: Abram settled in the land of Canaan; Lot settled among the towns of the plain, pitching his tents on the outskirts of Sodom. (Genesis 13:10-12)

We all know how Lot’s story ends, but its beginning is a lesson for us all.

Lot chose the easy route, the bountiful land, the Eden lookalike. Focused on near-term ease, he failed to notice the impending problematic neighbours that were Sodom and Gomorrah.

Likewise, we sometimes choose the easy way out, prioritizing immediate personal comfort over long-term support of our heavenly objectives. It’s perfectly natural for wealth and ease to be the fruits of our labour, or even the side-effects thereof, but when they become our goals, we inevitably lose sight of our main target: reunion with the Lord.

So let us pay heed to the soft voice that is the Holy Spirit within us. Let our conscience be our guide in doing what is right, not what is easy.

Lord, You know we can be lazy, desiring just to wallow in ease and luxury. Help us clear the fog of hedonism from our minds, and focus on You before us, and our neighbours in whom we see Your face. Amen.

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
Jeremiah 20:10-13 | Psalm 68(69):8-10,14,17,33-35 | Romans 5:12-15 | Matthew 10:26-33

The Lord is at my side, a mighty hero; […] I have committed my cause to you. (Jeremiah 20:11-12)

Not so long ago, I mused that there may come a day when I can no longer find the words to express my love for God on this blog.

That day may be coming sooner than I expected; I’ve already come up dry twice last week. I’ve also found myself going to bed several times without completing the next day’s entry.

As we Catholics love to say:

The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord!

I believe the day I finally stop writing words of praise and encouragement on this blog, is also the day I move on to some other way of spreading His love to others.

Or perhaps I’ve just moved on to eternal life.

Either way, He’s been at my side through it all, the good and bad, and especially during the times when I refused to acknowledge His presence.

So I’ll continue with this endeavour, and hope that at least one person will take heart in the words I write. You might say I’ve committed myself to God’s cause.

And though I may turn away from Him again in my human weakness, I pray that I’ll not tarry too long in returning to the One who gave all for us.

Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Amen.

The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
Deuteronomy 7:6-11 | Psalm 102(103):1-4,6-8,10 | 1 John 4:7-16 | Matthew 11:25-30

Moses said to the people: ‘You are a people consecrated to the Lord your God; it is you that the Lord our God has chosen to be his very own people out of all the peoples on the earth.’ (Deuteronomy 7:6)

We often forget that we have been chosen by God to be His own.

What we choose is whether to acknowledge His choice, and whether to follow His commands in turn.

We aren’t the “boss” in this relationship, but this relationship isn’t burdensome either…unless we choose to believe it is.

Jesus certainly didn’t think it was a burden. Instead, He willingly opened His Sacred Heart out to all mankind, giving His very life to save what was lost, all for the sake of the love that knows no end.

Let us honour and glorify that decision today, as we venerate the greatest love ever known…

Sweet Heart of Jesus, fount of love and mercy
Today we come, Thy blessing to implore;
O touch our hearts, so cold and so ungrateful.
And make them, Lord, Thine own forevermore.

Sweet Heart of Jesus, we implore
Oh, make us love Thee more and more.

Amen.