Solemnity of All Saints

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest, says the Lord.

The readings today reflect what sainthood is, who the saints are, what they long for (to see God face to face), and how Jesus calls us to sainthood. The first reading from the Book of Revelation describes John’s vision of heaven, where a great multitude stands before the throne and the Lamb. Saint Paul says, “We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” In the Gospel acclamation, Jesus invites all who are burdened to come to him to find rest. In the Gospel reading, Jesus shares the beatitudes with the disciples and the crowds who followed him, promising to the blessed that their reward in heaven will be great. It seems a little overwhelming to consider all of this; yet, the Communion of Saints intercedes for us in a way that brings us closer to the Father. As Saint Thérèse of Lisieux says of the intercessory prayer of the saints: “I want to spend my Heaven doing good on Earth.”

God, help me understand that as I celebrate today’s Solemnity of the Saints the particular path you see for me to bring me to sainthood—something you desire for every one of your children. I feel humbled to know that in the midst of an ordinary day, I have the means to lead me to greater sanctity, not by any of my own doing but by every good you give me in this life. Let that realization deepen my need to follow the lives of the saints and call upon them to intercede for me as I discern from among choices the path that leads to you. When the way is difficult, let me take heart that the striving, the suffering, and even the persecution is purposeful and redemptive. As Pope Benedict XVI said of saints: “They are all in joy, in a festival without end, but, like Jesus, they achieved this goal passing through difficulties and trials, each of them shouldering their own share of sacrifice in order to participate in the glory of the Resurrection.”

Lord, I long to see your face. I long to see the face of those I no longer see in this world but am confident I will see in the next. Through the Blessed Sacrament, I participate in that joy already, knowing that you care for those you call your children in mercy and love, and in the hope of the Resurrection. “Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever.”

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=o0CYfJg8-Jw

Monday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees. He said to the host who invited him, “When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

The words of Jesus in today’s Gospel reading are an invitation to authentic selflessness. What is there to gain by inviting the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind to dine with us at a banquet? Although Jesus speaks to the Pharisee, he also speaks to everyone who would read and hear the Gospel. It would be unusual for a lunch or dinner to be held for the sake of inviting the marginalized, but the meaning is both literal and and figurative. It would be equally unusual to go through an entire day without encountering someone who is brought low or incapacitated in some way. Those people, the everyday encounters, are the ones to whom Jesus says give without expecting repayment.

Today, God, I will feel the pressure to pursue my own interests and complete all I hope to complete in a neat package. It won’t be that easy. There will be interruptions, requests, coworkers and family members who will call me away from that aim. The words of Saint Paul from today’s first reading are a strong antidote to any delusions I might have about carving out a path of selfishness: “Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also everyone for those of others.” God, help me welcome rather than shun the interruptions of others. Instead, let me find God in those moments, getting my attention. As the psalmist says, “In you, O Lord, I have found my peace.”

God, I am anxious about the day and its tasks. Be my strength. I will forget you during the day and this moment with you will fade. Be present as you are present always in the Blessed Sacrament. How can I repay you, Lord, for quieting my soul?

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

Saturday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

He told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor. . . . Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, ‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’”

In today’s Gospel reading, Luke describes how Jesus notices the people who chose places of honor at the table. I can imagine Jesus silently watching. His notice of this is the divine gaze of God the Father, from whom nothing is hidden. Jesus knows the arrogance and futility of competing for honor. “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,” Jesus says, “but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

God, thank you for being present among your people to read our hearts. I want to understand how to live a life that is not in competition with others but in selflessness that allows me to keep my eyes on you. Saint Paul expresses this same self-emptying in his letter to the Philippians from today’s reading: “And this I know with confidence, that I shall remain and continue in the service of all of you for your progress and joy in the faith.” Lord, help me put honor in its rightful place—namely, with you—by doing your will and giving glory to your name.

Jesus, just as you observed carefully the people seeking places of honor at the table, let me see with your eyes the choices that lie before me. At the Annunciation, Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Stay with me today, God, so that I can rest in you and through your grace find solace in humility.

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

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