“The head of John the Baptist.”

 

Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist | USCCB

Today we commemorate the martyrdom of John the Baptist. John is considered the forerunner of the Lord, Jesus Christ. From the time he was in his mother’s womb until he was killed by King Herod, he was always pointing people towards Jesus Christ and encouraging people to know the truth that Jesus was the savior. Important to him was that people knew and understood God’s commandments. He was never afraid to speak the truth, even when it meant his life

In today’s gospel, we hear that Herod liked to hear John speak: “When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him. (Mark 6:20) John was pointing out the sinfulness of the adulterous relationship Herod was having with his brother’s wife. There was something in what John was saying that touched King Herod’s heart. But because of lust and of fear of being rejected by those around him, Herod had John killed.

John’s bravery in speaking the truth, even though it meant being put to death, is an example for all of us. We are called to proclaim the truth that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we are also called to encourage others to follow God’s commandments. This may not go over well with those we meet who may be living contrary to God’s Laws, like King Herod, but we are called to bring people to knowledge of Jesus Christ and of God’s laws. We may not be called to live out our lives as dramatically as John the Baptist, but we are called to live out our Christian lives in a way that people may be attracted to know who Jesus is and to encourage them to live a Christian life.

Saint Bede the Venerable is quoted as saying about John, “Through his birth, preaching and baptizing, he bore witness to the coming birth, preaching and baptism of Christ, and by his own suffering he showed that Christ also would suffer.” We are to be like John the Baptist, bearing witness to Jesus Christ and the salvation he won for us by his Passion and Death on the Cross. We may have to suffer at times for speaking this truth, but it is what we are called to do as followers of Jesus Christ.

May God give us courage to always live out our lives as followers of Jesus Christ, and to be always willing to bring others to the knowledge that Jesus Christ is our Lord and savior.

The Queenship of Mary

 

Scripture readings for today can be found at Memorial of The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary | USCCB

Today the church commemorates The Queenship of Mary. Pope Pius XII established this feast in 1954. This memorial was related to the Feast of the Assumption. The Feast of the Queenship of Mary was set a week after her Assumption, body and soul, into heaven.

It is entirely appropriate that Mary be made Queen of Heaven and Earth. Her entire life was that of doing the Holy Will of God. Her openness to doing God’s Will was evident from the start when the Angel Gabriel approached her to ask if she would be willing to be the mother of the Savior. After the angel explained how it would occur, Mary quickly said yes, “Let it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38) Mary listened to what the Angel had to say, and was courageous enough to say yes, even though she probably knew it would cause a lot of problems and difficulties for her in her life. But she trusted that God would be present for her to guide her throughout her life as Mother of the Savior. She had total trust that God would protect her throughout her life.

Following Mary saying “yes” to being the Mother of the Lord, she goes to serve and help her elderly cousin, Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist. This trip for Mary, now pregnant with Jesus, would have been a difficult journey, but she made this journey out of love and concern for Elizabeth. Upon Mary’s arrival, Elizabeth says, “Why am I so greatly favored that the mother of my Lord should visit me?” (Luke 1:43) It was then that Mary gives us the Magnificat, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord…” (Luke 1:46) This prayer, prayed daily at Evening Prayer, shows the humility Mary has towards all that has happened to her. She was always open to doing the Will of God no matter how difficult, but she accepted it out of love for the Lord.

Then all throughout the life of Jesus, from his birth until his death on the cross to his resurrection on Easter Sunday morning, Mary was always present to him in his needs. Looking lovingly from the Cross, the Lord saw Mary there, tears in her eyes. Jesus also saw the beloved disciple, John. At that point Jesus give Mary to John, and to us: “Woman, behold your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold your mother.” (John 19:26-27)

So, with all we know of Mary from scripture, it’s no wonder that God, in his Wisdom, after Assuming Mary into heaven, would make her Queen of Heaven and Earth.

Mary, our Queen, is now in heaven at the side of Our King, Jesus Christ. Let us always feel free to turn to our loving mother with all our problems and concerns in order for her to bring them to her divine Son to respond in the way that’s best for us.

Holy Mary, Mother of God pray for us sinners, now and forever.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…

 

Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary | USCCB

Today we commemorate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven. In the Eastern Church, they understand it as the dormition, or falling asleep, of Mary.

The Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it on November 1^st, 1950 as the assumption of Mary, body and soul, into heaven. The four dogmas of Mary in Catholic theology are: Divine Motherhood (Theotokos), Perpetual Virginity, Immaculate Conception, and Assumption. These dogmas are considered to be divinely revealed truths that Catholics are obligated to believe. 

Because of the grace of her Immaculate Conception, Mary’s whole life was centered to be always open to the Holy Will of God. God was always center to who she was as a Jewish woman. She long awaited the coming of the Messiah. So she was very surprised to find out, through the Angel Gabriel, that she herself would be the mother of the Messiah. Her willingness to do God’s Will led her to say “Yes” to Gabriel, and as a result she conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In our gospel for today we hear of her visiting her cousin, Elizabeth, who is six months pregnant with John the Baptist. Elizabeth recognized the importance of Mary and asked, “And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Further, John, in his mother’s womb, leaped for joy at the presence of his cousin, so close to him in Mary’s womb.

Mary responds with the Magnificat, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.” This prayer of Mary is prayed every Evening by the church during Evening Prayer. Mary in her humility realized that all generations will call her blessed.

It is through her life of service to her Son, and those around her, that God decided that her body would know no corruption of the grave. When it was time, God the Father brought her to heaven to be with her loving Son, Jesus Christ.

Mary is an example of how we, as followers of Jesus Christ, are to live out our lives while still here on earth. When Mary became pregnant with Jesus, she became a walking tabernacle, carrying Jesus everywhere she went until the day he was born. We, too, become walking tabernacles each time we receive Holy Communion at Mass. We say “yes” to Jesus as we receive Him in Holy Communion with our “Amen.”

With that in mind, let us remember that when we leave church, the Lord Jesus Christ is traveling with us as well. With His presence sacramentally in us, let us remember to bring His love to all we meet during the day.

 

We greet you, Holy Cross, our only hope!

 

Today on the Church calendar we commemorate Blessed Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, better known as Edith Stein. 

Edith Stein was born to a Jewish family in Beslau on October 12th, 1891. She studied philosophy and was a college professor. For a while she had turned away from believe in God and became agnostic. But she was always seeking the truth and understanding as to our human existence.  Then she read the Autobiography of St. Theresa of Avila. She read this in one night and realized that she had discovered the truth and came to faith in Jesus Christ. 

She was baptized a Catholic in 1922 and then, influenced by her reading of St. Theresa of Avila, entered the Carmelite Monastery of Cologne in 1933. It was there that she took the religious name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. Through her influence, her biological sister, Rosa, also converted to the Catholic Faith and would be an extern for the needs of the Carmelite Community that Edith was a member of.

It was during this time that the Nazi's were spreading their hatred by rounding up the Jews and all they considered undesirable. It was during this time that the Nazis rounded up Edith and her sister Rose. Both were murdered in the gas chamber at Auschwitz. 

In her spiritual writings, Edith would always focus on the sufferings of Jesus on the Cross. She once wrote, "Contemplate the Lord who hangs before you on the wood, because he was obedient even to the death of the cross." It was through the strength of her faith in Jesus that she was able to face her death at Auschwitz.

Let us pray today, through the intersession of Edith Stein, that the hatred and war that is going on between Israel and Hamas be resolved in a way that is pleasing to God. Let us pray that all hatred, which is the cause of all war, be removed from our world and that we may grow to love and respect all people, even with those people we may not find easy to get along with. 

“Lord, save me!”

 

Scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Tuesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB

There's a lot to unpack in today's gospel from St. Matthew. The first thing that touches my heart is at the beginning. After dismissing the crowds and sending the disciples into the boat to precede him to the other side of the sea, the Lord went up the mountain to pray. All throughout the gospels the Lord teaches us the importance of being alone with God in prayer and meditation. We can do that in many different ways. The Lord chose to go up the mountain to be with God and to pray and meditate. For myself, I often pray and meditate alone in the morning just after rising. I take my breviary and bible, and I take time to pray and focus on what God is trying to tell me in the Divine Office and the readings assigned for mass that day. It is during this time alone that helps me get closer to the Lord and to try to be open to what God is trying to teach me for that day. It's important for me to have scripture as part of my daily meditation so that I can allow God to speak to me through the Holy Bible. I encourage this routine for anyone trying to get closer to God. Find a time of day, whether in the morning or the evening, to be quiet with God and to meditate on the Word of God in your life.

The other part of today's Gospel that touches me is the storm that breaks out and there's the Lord walking towards them. They failed to recognize him at first, but he reassures them that it is truly him that is coming towards them on the water. He invites Peter to walk on the waters towards him. At first, Peter is walking on the water towards Jesus. But as soon as he takes his eyes off of the Lord he starts to sink. He then prays, "Lord, save me!" The Lord extends his hand and Peter is saved.

How many times during our lives do we take our spiritual eyes off of Jesus and then to start having problems in our lives (which are pretty much the storms of our lives)? It is during these "storms" in our lives that we need to pray to Jesus, "Lord, save me!" Jesus will always extend his hands towards us and brings us the peace and comfort that we need to deal with whatever issues we are facing. It's always important to keep reaching out to Jesus in good times and bad times so that we can have the peace and comfort that can only come from Him.

"A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house."

 

Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church | USCCB

In our gospel for today we hear of how the people that knew Jesus growing up had a problem with who he was and the wisdom he was exhibiting as the Messiah. They even had problems accepting the miracles that were attributed to him. They were saying, "Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?” (Matthews 13:14) It reminds me of that old saying, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” They had trouble wrapping their minds around the fact that someone they knew from childhood could be so special. They just considered him as someone ordinary.

These people of His hometown thought they knew who he was. They were thinking that Jesus was just a “nobody” from Nazareth. They thought he was just the carpenter’s son. They thought they knew him and as a result looked down on him. They were thinking that he wasn’t special. But as it turns out they didn’t really know him. And because they did not have faith in him, Jesus could not perform any miracles there.

This shows that faith is essential in our relationship with Jesus. All throughout his ministry while on earth, he would often tell someone that their faith in him was the cause of their healing. For example, the woman with the issue of the blood disease in Mark 5:34 and Luke 8:48, we hear Jesus tell the woman that her faith has healed her and to go in peace.

As with individuals described in scripture who experienced healing through Jesus, we need to approach Him in prayer concerning the various challenges present in our lives.  We need to ask ourselves, “Do I really believe that Jesus can perform this miracle for me?” In Mark 5:28 we hear the woman in need of being cured say to herself: “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” We need that same faith in Jesus in the issues that we bring before him, whether it’s health issues, problems with family or financial problems. We need to reach out to Jesus in prayer and believe that he will help us in the way we need.

As we pray and bring our problems to the Lord at Mass, let’s bring all our needs to him as we approach him in Holy Communion and believe that he will bring us the healing and peace we long for in our lives.