Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi

Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

Jesus makes clear in today’s Gospel reading that one thing is necessary: to sit beside the Lord at his feet and listen to him speak. While Martha was busy serving and preparing, Mary sat at the feet of the Lord. I imagine Martha in the kitchen taking account of things she still has to do before everybody can sit down, eat, and rest. Being burdened means completing a seemingly endless list of things, exacting tasks that must be done before taking a breath. Mary chooses the better part, and it will not be taken from her. Another way of saying that: being present before God and listening to him gives what is everlasting and can’t be taken away even amid the demands of a day.

God, you know how I will deceive myself today in the seemingly endless list of things I have to do before I rest. Help me understand that there will always be more to do that drains and leaves me feeling burdened with many cares. Yet, if I return to you in the day through prayer—even a few quiet moments—I will choose something that will not be taken from me. Let me be mindful that you will supply the grace I need in order to sit beside you and listen to you speak.

On this memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi, teach me, Lord, to measure my success not by how much I acquire in the world and how much surplus I possess. I know you are rich in mercy, and I am poor to whatever degree I dismiss that. As Saint Paul says, “For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” Show me, Lord, how to succeed in listening to you and doing your will by letting go of excess—all that places an obstacle between you and me.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Readings

Monday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.

In the well-known parable from today’s Gospel reading, Jesus responds to a scholar of the law who asks him, “Who is my neighbor?” A priest and Levite separately passed by the man who had been stripped and beaten, but a Samaritan saw him, stopped, and eventually took him to an inn. Jesus finishes the parable and asks the scholar which of the three was the neighbor. “The one who treated him with mercy,” he says. And Jesus replies, “Go and do likewise.”

God, help me understand your mercy. There will be opportunity today to show mercy to someone in need—probably not in a dramatic or memorable way—but nonetheless in a way that through my actions, another may receive your mercy. The question is whether I will be too busy to notice or find justification in some other necessary task. The readings from a few days ago describe Jesus and his disciples trying to pass through a Samaritan village on their way to Jerusalem, but they were not welcome so went another way. Here, Jesus places the Samaritan in the role of giving tender care to a wounded human being. Rather than demonize Samaritans, Jesus shows one of them giving mercy where mercy is sorely needed.

Lord, amid all the necessities and distractions of the day, put in my path the means to show someone your mercy. You know me, Lord; unless you make things very clear to me, I will miss it. Be with me today, and show me how I can please you best.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Readings

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." The Lord replied, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.

The apostles ask Jesus for the gift of faith, and he reassures them with his reply. Just as Jesus heals those who called out to him in their illness or distress by reaching out for him, so it is with the apostles. Only a little faith is necessary for God to supply what is lacking.

God, help me understand that the little faith I have is enough as long as I desire you. Lord, I believe; help my unbelief. Help me see the mulberry trees in my life that the mustard seed of faith can move. I can do little, but as Job says in yesterday’s reading: “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be hindered.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Readings

Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

“At that very moment he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. . . . No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son.”

On hearing from the seventy-two disciples Jesus sent out that even the demons are subject to them, Jesus rejoices. One of the translations from Greek for rejoice is to jump for joy. Jesus acknowledges the power the he has given his disciples through God the Father and the Holy Spirit and quickly adds, “Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” Because of the power Jesus gives the disciples, they could face Satan and not be harmed and rejoice that he had a place for them in heaven.

God, what is it about childlike faith that brings you more closely into view? It means being able to see you beyond the veil or hear you, as Job did, speaking through the storm. Surely childlike faith does not mean returning to the faith I had as a child; it means returning to a mature faith that is childlike in trusting in your gracious will, in recognizing that you are my God and I am your child. To be childlike means to see beyond the veil what remains hidden to the wise and learned. How often, Lord, I count myself among the wise and the learned? Help me return to you and put that aside so that your Son can rejoice in saying to me: “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.”

From the Psalms today, we hear “The revelation of your words sheds light, giving understanding to the simple.” And from the refrain: “Lord, let your face shine upon me.” Just as the sun bathes me in light and warms me, let me bask in your love, God. Teach me childlike wisdom and learning, even in the midst of trials so that I can say as Job did: “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be hindered. I have dealt with great things that I do not understand; things too wonderful for me, which I cannot know.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Readings

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am72_e-h9d8