Extra! Extra! Be All About It!

August 31, 2018

If teenagers or “young” people say you are “extra” these days, they mean you are over the top dramatic or excessively emotional, however, Jesus tells us that the wise always have a little extra with them. The story of the ten bridesmaids and the oil in their lamps gives us an idea of how we should foster our individual relationship with Christ. A relationship with God requires patience and sometimes a lot of waiting doesn’t it? Raise your hand if waiting patiently is NOT your forte. In our times of waiting on the Lord, it is important for us to store extra resources so that when we encounter Him, we can simply be fully present, fully engaged, and fully receptive. The waiting game goes both ways, as God is constantly waiting for us to notice Him, to come to Him, or to speak to Him. 

Oil represents the Holy Spirit and so our call today is to fill up on the Spirit through prayer, scripture, and service to one another, praise, thanksgiving, and radical love. This extra oil in our lamps will give us the wisdom to recognize our bridegroom when He comes and to have enough light to follow Him wherever He goes, and then it says, we get to party! We get to go to the feast. We are His “Plus 1”!!! 

Having “extra” requires thoughtfulness, discernment, patience, trust, and faith. These things are also required in relationships. Jesus wants us to be in a healthy relationship with Him and He tells us how…have extra. My prayer group and I call it “being prayed up”. Being prayed up means that when life hits you smack in the face as it does when we least expect it (like in the gospel, the bridegroom came at midnight!), you are ready to face the challenge with grace because you have extra. Now I know that we can’t get fixated on measuring grace or good deeds or “earning” God’s love, that is not my point, however, stocking up on the fruits of the Spirit through quality time and relationship with Jesus, give us the extra knowledge that we need to be wise in matters of the soul. Does that make sense?  

Today, I will take a look at my lamp to make sure I have extra oil for the surprise, but not so surprise visit from my Beloved. I only want to be super ready to jump up and follow Him. If that makes me “extra” then so be it, and it is well with my soul. 

Reading 1 1 COR 1:17-25

Brothers and sisters:
Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the Gospel,
and not with the wisdom of human eloquence,
so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
For it is written:

I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the learning of the learned I will set aside.

Where is the wise one?
Where is the scribe?
Where is the debater of this age?
Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish?
For since in the wisdom of God
the world did not come to know God through wisdom,
it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation
to save those who have faith.
For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,
but we proclaim Christ crucified,
a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,
and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

Responsorial Psalm PS 33:1-2, 4-5, 10-11

R. (5) The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten stringed lyre chant his praises.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
For upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
The LORD brings to nought the plans of nations;
he foils the designs of peoples.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

Alleluia LK 21:36

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Be vigilant at all times and pray,
that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MT 25:1-13

Jesus told his disciples this parable:
"The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins
who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 
Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 
The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,
brought no oil with them,
but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. 
Since the bridegroom was long delayed,
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight, there was a cry,
'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' 
Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. 
The foolish ones said to the wise,
'Give us some of your oil,
for our lamps are going out.' 
But the wise ones replied,
'No, for there may not be enough for us and you.
Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.' 
While they went off to buy it,
the bridegroom came
and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. 
Then the door was locked.
Afterwards the other virgins came and said,
'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!' 
But he said in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.' 
Therefore, stay awake,
for you know neither the day nor the hour."

Wow Is Me | August 30, 2018

August 30, 2018

I know it has been a few days since I posted and I don’t really have or need an excuse, I guess, other than needing some time to reset and let the reservoir refill a bit. I find that when my creativity is being expressed in a variety of ways, such as music, speaking, photography, etc., that sometimes my writing is simply interrupted. Last week was filled with many different creative outlets and so my writing was interrupted. I missed the opportunity to write about the “Woes” of Jesus and my only thought today about that is, “Woe is me.” I’d love to think that Jesus was “woe-ing” all the deficient religious leaders that seem to constantly disappoint us and prove the necessity of these “woes”, but if I’m being honest, the “woes” are as much for me as anyone. It really gives me the opportunity to inventory my own hypocrisy and begin living a new life in the Spirit starting right now. The beauty of Jesus and our Good Good Father is that we are welcome to start anew each and every moment and they let us turn our “woes” into “wows”. So, “wow is me” at the mercy and forgiveness of the Lord!

Today’s gospel is one that also reminds us that we better be ready. “Stay awake!” I drank a double dose of coffee yesterday around 3:00pm and so this “stay awake” business rings a bit literal for me today. I was up later than I wanted to be and I was able to identify with what defines being awake. Our eyes must be open. God is constantly giving us “eye-opening” experiences to poke our souls awake. These experiences come in all shapes and sizes from the sudden death of a loved one to an awe-inspiring sunrise. God does not want us to be unprepared for our eternal encounter and so He is constantly hinting as to where we can find Him. There is a woman that lives in the Senior Assisted Living place where I work and her peripheral vision is nonexistent, so I literally scare the crap out of her every time I come to her table to pour her coffee or take her order! Now, however, as I approach her table, I make sure that I come toward her head-on so that she sees me coming and is not surprised, because let’s face it, the sentence, “scare the crap out of her” might be a figure of speech everywhere else, but at my work, it is quite possibly a guarantee, just sayin’! God wants us with Him forever, and so we need to keep the eyes of our heart open and ready to see Him as He comes at us head-on. So what are the kinds of things that can serve as caffeine for our sleepy/lazy souls? How can we revitalize our heart’s eyesight? Spend some time pondering these things today. 

The second part of today’s gospel has to do with integrity. We need to do the right thing always, even when the boss is not around. It seems that since Adam and Eve, we have had a natural tendency to relax the rules when authority is out of sight. Jesus tells us today that we need to act above that tendency and be obedient constantly. Obedience is a choice and we need to practice and exercise it in order to perfect it. What I tend to forget is that much freedom accompanies obedience. I kind of have it backwards and think breaking the rules equals freedom. Breaking the rules requires me to decide and that often ties me down to those attachments that become the dictators in my life. Obedience to God’s better portion and plan for me, gives me the freedom from having to navigate through obstacles that I unnecessarily pile up in the way. I never want to be “caught” doing what I’m not supposed to be doing again. I only want to be found and convicted of being the “prudent servant” at all times. 

Today’s gospel and the gospels from this past week give me a much needed wake up call to get right, open my eyes, and be ready. The good news is that God is way more patient than I am and simply waits for me to find His gaze that is always always always upon me and it is well with my soul. 

Reading 1 1 COR 1:1-9

Paul, called to be an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
and Sosthenes our brother,
to the Church of God that is in Corinth,
to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy,
with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I give thanks to my God always on your account
for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus,
that in him you were enriched in every way,
with all discourse and all knowledge,
as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you,
so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift
as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He will keep you firm to the end,
irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God is faithful,
and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Responsorial Psalm PS 145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R. (1) I will praise your name for ever, Lord.Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Generation after generation praises your works
and proclaims your might.
They speak of the splendor of your glorious majesty
and tell of your wondrous works.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
They discourse of the power of your terrible deeds
and declare your greatness.
They publish the fame of your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your justice.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.

Alleluia MT 24:42A, 44

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stay awake!
For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MT 24:42-51

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: 
if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

"Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant,
whom the master has put in charge of his household
to distribute to them their food at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so.
Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.
But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is long delayed,'
and begins to beat his fellow servants,
and eat and drink with drunkards,
the servant's master will come on an unexpected day
and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely
and assign him a place with the hypocrites,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."

Yes? No? Maybe?

August 23, 2018

Raise your hand if you have ever refused someone’s kindness, or an extravagant gift, or someone’s apology, or a party invitation, or to recognize the gifts that God has given you. I know that when I refuse generosity it comes from a place of pride, or deep pain, or selfishness, and all of these do not allow me to receive. Today’s gospel guards us against this unfortunate tendency. The parable of the King inviting guests to his son’s wedding would be extremely relevant for Jesus’ culture because everyone in the village would be invited to the seven-day wedding feast and it would be crazy to think that someone would refuse the invitation. That would be rude and it would simply insult the families of the bride and groom. And, obviously, a Prince’s wedding would be an irresistible invitation to ignore. So Jesus uses this blatant hyperbolic scenario to demonstrate that yep, we still do turn down the lavish extravagant generosity of God! What reasons does he give for our refusals? “One to his farm, another to his business…the rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them…” How many times have I let work, or a hectic schedule, or anger, or ugliness, or my own shallowness get in the way of God’s unconditional love for me? 

Guess who responds to the King’s invitation? The poor, the lowly, the outcast, the abandoned, the street people, the ones on the margins, the unemployed, the lonely, etc. Today I need to check my RSVP to the party. Yes? No? Maybe? It’s not like He’s inviting me to do laundry, or to scrub toilets, or to drudgery, it’s a party for His son, the Prince of Peace, where everything good overflows in abundance. Once I respond, yes, I need to participate in such a way that gives honor to the one that invited me. This is where the guest that showed up without his wedding garment comes on the scene. The King would have provided proper wedding garments for all those that He invited knowing that they would be lacking these according to their place in life. To show up without it would be shameful to the King’s hospitality and kindness. And so it is with us. We should do all we can to give honor to God always. He has provided the proper garments of love, kindness, peace, patience, gentleness, joy, self-control, and goodness, and when we refuse to wear these, we dishonor our host. Yes, we will still fall short, and sin, and make mistakes, and do things that are shameful, but the generosity of God is not to be outdone if we just accept it.   

So….Yes? No? Maybe? I choose “YES” and it is well with my soul. 

Reading 1 EZ 36:23-28

Thus says the LORD:
I will prove the holiness of my great name, 
profaned among the nations, 
in whose midst you have profaned it.
Thus the nations shall know that I am the LORD, says the Lord GOD,
when in their sight I prove my holiness through you.
For I will take you away from among the nations,
gather you from all the foreign lands,
and bring you back to your own land.
I will sprinkle clean water upon you
to cleanse you from all your impurities,
and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you,
taking from your bodies your stony hearts
and giving you natural hearts.
I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes,
careful to observe my decrees.
You shall live in the land I gave your ancestors;
you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

Responsorial Psalm PS 51:12-13, 14-15, 18-19

R. (Ezekiel 36:25) I will pour clean water on you and wash away all your sins.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. I will pour clean water on you and wash away all your sins.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners shall return to you.
R. I will pour clean water on you and wash away all your sins.
For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R. I will pour clean water on you and wash away all your sins.

Alleluia PS 95:8

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MT 22:1-14

Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and the elders of the people in parables saying, 
"The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who gave a wedding feast for his son.
He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast,
but they refused to come.
A second time he sent other servants, saying,
'Tell those invited: "Behold, I have prepared my banquet,
my calves and fattened cattle are killed,
and everything is ready; come to the feast."'
Some ignored the invitation and went away,
one to his farm, another to his business.
The rest laid hold of his servants,
mistreated them, and killed them.
The king was enraged and sent his troops,
destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
Then the king said to his servants, 'The feast is ready,
but those who were invited were not worthy to come.
Go out, therefore, into the main roads
and invite to the feast whomever you find.'
The servants went out into the streets
and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,
and the hall was filled with guests.
But when the king came in to meet the guests
he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.
He said to him, 'My friend, how is it
that you came in here without a wedding garment?'
But he was reduced to silence.
Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet,
and cast him into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'
Many are invited, but few are chosen."

Careful What You Ask For

August 20, 2018

Today’s gospel seems to be a comment on prayer, spiritual maturity, and attachment. The rich young man asked Jesus, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” Don’t we all want to know the answer, the formula, or the correct way to enter heaven? Have you ever been stumped by a riddle and in exasperation begged for the gosh darn answer! I like this kid’s tenacity. Just tell me what I need to do to have eternal life. And that’s just it, we cannot “do” anything to earn grace or more love from God or eternity. Heaven is an open invitation to all of us, but we must know God in order to choose God. How do we know God? Jesus says, “If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” The commandments he mentions are all ones that have to do with how we treat others. Entering into life means entering into life-giving relationships with others in the name of the One Good God. We will have and know God when we follow Jesus and through our treatment of one another. 

This young man is persistent in his questioning, “All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?” This seems like a simplified version of an examination of conscious and like a very wise thing for us to incorporate into our daily prayer. Lord, what do I still lack that keeps me from being all in? Lord, what am I missing? Lord, how can I love you more? Lord, help me to know you better. What if I began and ended my day with these questions? 

Careful what you ask for kid! Jesus says, alright then, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.” Perfection requires detachment from this world, serving the poor, storing your treasure in heaven, and following Jesus. When we serve the poor, the lowly, the unlovable, the forgotten, the ill, the lost, the marginalized, the sinful, and the powerless, we deposit pieces of our heart in the place already reserved for us in heaven. When we pass from this earth, our heart will reunite itself with the pieces of our heart already sent to heaven through our acts of mercy, kindness, love, and service. These are not earnings per se, but ways of knowing God and the better we know God, the more likely we will be to choose Him in the end. The things of this world are shiny and attractive and irresistible at times, but at the end of the day they are just not enough and we are constantly looking for more. The things not of this world come in distressing disguise; however, they satisfy the longings of our hearts for they draw us into the heart of God. 

It says, the rich young man went away sad for he had many possessions. It occurred to me today that I just assume that this guy didn’t follow through with Jesus’ recommendation, however, just because he went away sad, doesn’t mean that he did not eventually do as the Lord directed. This gives me hope for the times when God reveals things to me that I must do that are hard or inconvenient or scary. One last observation is that he was sad because he had many possessions. Let’s face it, we all have many possessions and possessions do not make us happy. What brings us joy is being possessed by our Good Good Father and we can only become possessed by storing those riches in heaven through service to the poor and powerless. This is what Jesus teaches us very clearly today. I’m not suggesting an epic garage sale of all our worldly things tomorrow, however, giving away pieces of our hearts to those in need is a perfect way to begin, and it is well with my soul. 

Memorial of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 419

Reading 1 EZ 24:15-23

The word of the LORD came to me: 
Son of man, by a sudden blow
I am taking away from you the delight of your eyes,
but do not mourn or weep or shed any tears.
Groan in silence, make no lament for the dead,
bind on your turban, put your sandals on your feet,
do not cover your beard, and do not eat the customary bread.
That evening my wife died,
and the next morning I did as I had been commanded.
Then the people asked me, "Will you not tell us what all these things
that you are doing mean for us?"
I therefore spoke to the people that morning, saying to them:
Thus the word of the LORD came to me:
Say to the house of Israel: 
Thus says the Lord GOD:
I will now desecrate my sanctuary, the stronghold of your pride,
the delight of your eyes, the desire of your soul.
The sons and daughters you left behind shall fall by the sword.
Ezekiel shall be a sign for you:
all that he did you shall do when it happens.
Thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
You shall do as I have done,
not covering your beards nor eating the customary bread.
Your turbans shall remain on your heads, your sandals on your feet.
You shall not mourn or weep,
but you shall rot away because of your sins and groan one to another.

Responsorial Psalm DEUTERONOMY 32:18-19, 20, 21

R. (see 18a) You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
You were unmindful of the Rock that begot you.
You forgot the God who gave you birth.
When the LORD saw this, he was filled with loathing
and anger toward his sons and daughters.
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
"I will hide my face from them," he said,
"and see what will then become of them.
What a fickle race they are,
sons with no loyalty in them!"
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
"Since they have provoked me with their 'no-god'
and angered me with their vain idols,
I will provoke them with a 'no-people';
with a foolish nation I will anger them."
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.

Alleluia MT 5:3

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are the poor in spirit;
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MT 19:16-22

A young man approached Jesus and said,
"Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?"
He answered him, "Why do you ask me about the good?
There is only One who is good.
If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."
He asked him, "Which ones?"
And Jesus replied, "You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
honor your father and your mother;
and you shall love your neighbor as yourself."
The young man said to him,
"All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?"
Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me."
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad,
for he had many possessions.

The “D” Word

August 17, 2018

Today’s gospel is one that we can easily get hung up on if we don’t truly remember the heart of Jesus. Again, the Pharisees loved challenging Jesus publicly as a form of shame and to hopefully trap him into saying something scandalous to use against him. It reminds me a bit of the Press Corp on Pope Francis’ plane. Today’s topic is divorce, and back in those days it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife (not an option for women to divorce her husband) for silly little things like burning dinner or being a nag, etc. Moses was dealing with over a million complaining Israelites and did the best he could in addressing all their petty little requests. Obviously, the Mosaic laws regarding divorce were extreme and the Pharisees wanted Jesus to comment on them to see if he would speak out against them. Jesus explains the reason the laws were instituted in the first place by saying, “because of the hardness of your hearts.” Notice he did not say the hardness of “their” hearts, but “yours”. He is trying to show them when we get stuck in these laws of man, we harden our hearts to the unconditional love of God. 

As a divorced woman, this reading tends to pinch my heart and recalls the shame that accompanies “breaking” such a sacred covenant, however, two things stood out to me today that give me comfort: “(unless the marriage is unlawful)” and “Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom that is granted. Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some because they have renounced marriage for the sake the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.” Jesus pretty much covers all vocations with these two statements. There are some marriages that are considered “unlawful” and Jesus reaches out to those that do find themselves divorced for the plethora of legitimate (“unlawful”) reasons (of which abuse is most definitely one). And then Jesus mentions all the other non-married “vocations” if you will as completely acceptable and honorable life choices. I know that from the minute I was divorced, kind-hearted people wanted to immediately set me up with someone else so that I could get a marriage “do over” suggesting (innocently) that living a single life was really really not as honorable as being married. But today Jesus reaches out to those that don’t feel called to marriage or re-marriage, and he says, “whoever can accept this ought to accept this.” Also the statement, “Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others”, is a very compelling one that suggests that some were born a certain way and some were programmed a certain way by the experiences in their lives. All are welcome and legitimized by Jesus today. 

The bottom line is that each and every one of our “vocations”, married, single, divorced, consecrated, celibate, religious, should have love at the center and should be a reflection of the Holy Trinity’s love. Earthly covenants are most definitely flawed and imperfect, but if we focus on our covenant with God, through Jesus, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we will be able to live lives that magnify the love and mercy of God. This, in my opinion, is the heart of Jesus in today’s gospel. Have a heavenly covenant kind of day and it is well with my soul.

P.S. I love the covenant of marriage and am in awe of those amazing married couples that have stayed the course and remained committed to that covenant. Didn't want to sound like I did not honor marriage. In fact, sometimes I think divorcees can more fully revere marriage because we know just how difficult it is to persevere. Peace. 

Reading 1 EZ 16:1-15, 60, 63

The word of the LORD came to me: 
Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations.
Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem:
By origin and birth you are of the land of Canaan;
your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.
As for your birth, the day you were born your navel cord was not cut;
you were neither washed with water nor anointed,
nor were you rubbed with salt, nor swathed in swaddling clothes.
No one looked on you with pity or compassion
to do any of these things for you.
Rather, you were thrown out on the ground as something loathsome,
the day you were born.

Then I passed by and saw you weltering in your blood.
I said to you: Live in your blood and grow like a plant in the field.
You grew and developed, you came to the age of puberty;
your breasts were formed, your hair had grown,
but you were still stark naked.
Again I passed by you and saw that you were now old enough for love.
So I spread the corner of my cloak over you to cover your nakedness;
I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you;
you became mine, says the Lord GOD.
Then I bathed you with water, washed away your blood,
and anointed you with oil.
I clothed you with an embroidered gown,
put sandals of fine leather on your feet;
I gave you a fine linen sash and silk robes to wear.
I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms, 
a necklace about your neck, a ring in your nose,
pendants in your ears, and a glorious diadem upon your head.
Thus you were adorned with gold and silver;
your garments were of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth.
Fine flour, honey, and oil were your food.
You were exceedingly beautiful, with the dignity of a queen.
You were renowned among the nations for your beauty, perfect as it was,
because of my splendor which I had bestowed on you,
says the Lord GOD. 

But you were captivated by your own beauty,
you used your renown to make yourself a harlot,
and you lavished your harlotry on every passer-by,
whose own you became.

Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were a girl,
and I will set up an everlasting covenant with you,
that you may remember and be covered with confusion,
and that you may be utterly silenced for shame
when I pardon you for all you have done, says the Lord GOD.

Or:EZ 16:59-63

Thus says the LORD:
I will deal with you according to what you have done,
you who despised your oath, breaking a covenant.
Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were a girl,
and I will set up an everlasting covenant with you.
Then you shall remember your conduct and be ashamed
when I take your sisters, those older and younger than you,
and give them to you as daughters,
even though I am not bound by my covenant with you.
For I will re-establish my covenant with you,
that you may know that I am the LORD,
that you may remember and be covered with confusion,
and that you may be utterly silenced for shame
when I pardon you for all you have done, says the Lord GOD.

Responsorial Psalm ISAIAH 12:2-3, 4BCD, 5-6

R. (1c) You have turned from your anger.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
R. You have turned from your anger.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
R. You have turned from your anger.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!
R. You have turned from your anger.

Alleluia SEE 1 THES 2:13

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Receive the word of God, not as the word of men,
but, as it truly is, the word of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MT 19:3-12

Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying,
"Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?"
He said in reply, "Have you not read that from the beginning
the Creator made them male and female and said,
For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?
So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate." 
They said to him, "Then why did Moses command
that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?"
He said to them, "Because of the hardness of your hearts
Moses allowed you to divorce your wives,
but from the beginning it was not so.
I say to you, whoever divorces his wife
(unless the marriage is unlawful)
and marries another commits adultery."
His disciples said to him,
"If that is the case of a man with his wife,
it is better not to marry."
He answered, "Not all can accept this word,
but only those to whom that is granted.
Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so;
some, because they were made so by others;
some, because they have renounced marriage
for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven.

Whoever can accept this ought to accept it." 

The Heart Of Worship

August 15, 2018

Mary, Elizabeth, and John the Baptist teach us the fundamentals of worship in today’s gospel. John, the very first to worship Jesus, teaches us that joy is the primal response to a personal encounter with Christ. The infant leaped for joy within his mother’s womb at the nearness of God. Does the nearness of God make my soul leap for joy or do I miss it because I’m too consumed in my own issues? Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cries out in full voice, “Blessed are you among women and blessed of the fruit of your womb!” When Jesus reveals Himself to me, do I welcome the Holy Spirit in so that I can declare Him blessed above all with full confidence, faith, and trust? When people recognize Jesus within me, do I have the gracious heart of Mary to proclaim that it has nothing to do with me, and everything to do with the bigness of God’s love and mercy? Do I have the humility to acknowledge how God works in my life and in the world?  

The heart of worship is: the leaping of joy within our souls at the nearness of God, welcoming the Holy Spirit with enthusiasm, confidence, faith, and trust, so that God’s glory be proclaimed with full voice, humble gratitude for the workings of God’s love among us, a song to express it all, and don’t forget communion with one another. This one visitation of faithful women gives us the very essence of how to praise the Lord in all things. In Psalm 34:3, David sings, “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.” Worship is the act of magnifying God. Magnification allows us to look deeper, wider, and bigger into the heart of God. Mary, Elizabeth, and John the Baptist get it. 

A sweet kind of visitation story happened to me in real life yesterday. I’m a server at a Senior Living facility and we sadly ran out of the resident’s favorite dessert, chocolate éclairs! I can’t express to you how much they LOVE éclairs. One table of two women called me over to tell me how disappointed they were and if there was any way for me to magically bring them their beloved éclairs. After my best effort to find what did not exist, I returned to their table to deliver the sad news, but offered them a song instead. They gladly accepted my replacement dessert and I serenaded them with “Edelweiss” from the Sound Of Musicsince one of the women was from Austria. They were greatly satisfied and sure enough their souls leaped for joy at the encounter. Next thing I know word had gotten around and all the tables that were denied chocolate éclairs opted for a song from Jen as their dessert  Visitation happened and God was magnified in the serenade of hearts joined in delight. The bigness of God was revealed, the Holy Spirit welcomed in, and the fruit of the womb stirred the joy within our souls. 

May you have lovely visitations that invoke the heart of worship today and it is well with my soul. 

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Mass during the Day
Lectionary: 622

Reading 1 RV 11:19A; 12:1-6A, 10AB

God's temple in heaven was opened,
and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.

A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet,
and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.
Then another sign appeared in the sky;
it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns,
and on its heads were seven diadems.
Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky
and hurled them down to the earth.
Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth,
to devour her child when she gave birth.
She gave birth to a son, a male child,
destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod.
Her child was caught up to God and his throne.
The woman herself fled into the desert
where she had a place prepared by God.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
"Now have salvation and power come,
and the Kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Anointed One."

Responsorial Psalm PS 45:10, 11, 12, 16

R. (10bc) The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
The queen takes her place at your right hand in gold of Ophir.
R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
Hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear,
forget your people and your father's house.
R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
So shall the king desire your beauty;
for he is your lord.
R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
They are borne in with gladness and joy;
they enter the palace of the king.
R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.

Reading 2 1 COR 15:20-27

Brothers and sisters:
Christ has been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since death came through man,
the resurrection of the dead came also through man.
For just as in Adam all die,
so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,
but each one in proper order:
Christ the firstfruits;
then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ;
then comes the end,
when he hands over the Kingdom to his God and Father,
when he has destroyed every sovereignty
and every authority and power.
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
The last enemy to be destroyed is death,
for "he subjected everything under his feet."

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Mary is taken up to heaven;
a chorus of angels exults.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 1:39-56

Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled."

And Mary said:

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever."

Mary remained with her about three months
and then returned to her home.