Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles.

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus chooses the Twelve Apostles. The reading from Luke names each of them. From the Greek word apóstolos, apostle means “one who is sent forth.” Able to trace this apostolic lineage all the way back to the Twelve, Jesus also calls us to be apostles sent forth on a special mission. Just as Jesus went up to the mountain to pray before choosing the Twelve, he continues to intercede for us to his Father that we may be the ones who are sent forth to accomplish the mission he gives us.

God, help me understand my apostolic mission, just as you entrusted Saints Simon and Jude with a mission. It seems overwhelming to think that Jesus calls me by name to be an Apostle, and that I stand in the company of Peter, Andrew, James, John, and the other apostles. Help me understand that it is Jesus himself who calls me and sends me and that, as Saint Paul says, Jesus as the capstone in which “the whole structure is held together.” In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus says, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations . . . teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

Lord, I have neither the knowledge or strength to understand the mission you have given me. Deepen my dependence on you so that I am open to your Word. Through your grace, let my words and actions be a selfless witness for the glory of your name. Free me from all distress today that would turn my eyes away from you; let my trust in you be firm in the knowledge that I am one of, as Paul says, the “fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God.” We praise you, O God, we acclaim you as Lord; the glorious company of Apostles praise you.

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

Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

Someone asked Jesus, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” He answered them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.”

Imagine the person who timidly asks Jesus this question. In the question itself is a longing to know the answer and trembling expectation. Not everyone will enter the Kingdom of God. Jesus himself says in today’s reading, “And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out.” What is the difference between those who will not be saved and those who will? One word: strive. The English translation from the Greek term means to struggle. How do I struggle? Elsewhere in the Bible, Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven.” Does God see me daily striving to enter?

God, help direct my gaze toward the narrow gate. Even if I keep it in sight, it doesn’t mean I will strive to enter. Give me the grace to fight the good fight and enter the narrow gate. Lord, will I be the one knocking at the locked door, saying, “Lord, open the door for us”? Twice you say to those at the door: “I do not know where you are from.” By my words and actions today, Lord, let it be that you recognize where I am from—that is, always falling short—and that I need you to lift me up.

God, thank you for the words of your Son. At first the words “strive to enter” seem harsh to me, and taste of rejection. But coming straight from the mouth of Jesus and intrinsic to the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love, they call me to go on, to move forward in love of the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and the teachings of the Bride of Christ, the Church. Lord, open the door for us.

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

Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.” Again he said, “To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened.”

Jesus compares the Kingdom of God in two ways: the mustard seed that is planted and the yeast that is mixed into a batch of dough. In both parables, Jesus describes what his Father’s kingdom is like; in both, he describes a man and a woman taking action: planting seed and adding yeast. Is this God’s way of inviting everybody to take part in growing and nurturing the Kingdom of God? Do a little; let God take that offering, bless it, and make it grow. It takes a bit of effort to cooperate with God’s Word. How the Word of God spreads, how his kingdom grows is a mystery—one that I would understand better with the mind of a child. As the Gospel acclamation says, “You have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.”

God, help me understand my part in making your kingdom grow. On the grand scale, there is little I can do to broaden and deepen your kingdom. How can I help it grow? In my own family and among those around me on any given day, it seems enough to be mindful of the reality of your kingdom and trust in its existence. As Paul says in the first reading, “Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ. . . . This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the Church.” Let me not look to myself or be concerned about the little I do; instead, out of reverence for Christ, let me be subordinate to your Divine Will. Give me the grace to know and do your will to grow your kingdom.

Dear God, be with me today. Stay with me in the fight of the day as I struggle to bring your kingdom into my limited sight and restless hands. By my words and actions, through your grace, show me where to plant and what to leaven for the sake of your glory.

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 Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath. And a woman was there who for eighteen years had been crippled by a spirit; she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect. When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said, “Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.” He laid his hands on her, and she at once stood up straight and glorified God.

After Jesus had cured the woman, the leader of the synagogue approached him, indignant that Jesus cured on the sabbath. Jesus replied by calling the leader a hypocrite and saying how it was fitting that the woman be healed from bondage by Satan on the sabbath day, the day when God rested from all the work he had done in creation. In the many healing miracles Jesus performs, most of the time people approach Jesus to be healed; they raise their hand and call for help. In today’s Gospel reading, however, Jesus calls to the woman to come to him to be healed. There is great comfort in knowing that there may be times when I don’t know well enough to ask God for healing; instead, when I am crippled by a spirit, he comes to me out of love. As Jesus says of the woman, I could say of myself: “ought she have not been set free on the sabbath day from this bondage?"

God, you know me better than I know myself. Wherever I am crippled by a spirit and have infirmity because of it, come heal me even if I am not fully aware of the kind of healing I need. Free me, so that as the woman stood erect and glorified you, I can cease from being stooped over and do the same. Whatever prevents me from living in your love, shatter the obstacles that bind; break through that darkness and bring healing so that the glory may be yours. As Paul says in the first reading: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.”

Lord, you bring me in your presence the foundation on which I long to build this day. You are the light that leads me out of confusion and darkness as I take on tasks and interact with others. How will I live in love, compassion, and forgiveness today, as Paul encourages? Teach me to please you in my words and actions, and teach me to desire this more and more today and every day.

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