Posts by Kaity Holtman

  “In you, my God, I place my trust.” Ps. 91.2 A common pattern emerges in Salvation History, God initiates and we respond. God is always the one who begins in creation and the divine action, and humanity responds to it. This pattern has played out from time immemorial in Genesis, Exodus, the Prophets, to…

“I will raise up the cup of salvation.” Ps. 116. 13 To eat and drink with Jesus, our Lord, our Savior and our God, is to realize that we are not in our own world anymore. We walk and wine and dine where “angels have longed to tread.” I took a class recently on St.…

  In the three short years of his ministry, Jesus had to contend with much controversy. How’s that for an understatement? Perhaps controversy reminds us that changing our minds and our deeply held attitudes does not happen easily or without a certain amount of personal discomfort. “My mind is made up, don’t confuse me with…

  Every family has family stories. These are the stories that children love to hear over and over as the elders share their memories within the family circle. Perhaps the story of Mary crossing the Judean hills on a solo journey to visit and assist her cousin Elizabeth qualifies as one of those beloved family…

  The figure of Bartimaeus the blind beggar in Mark’s Gospel today is powerful in the midst of weakness. It’s hard to imagine the helplessness and isolation of a beggar in ancient times compounded by blindness. Jesus did not shy away from the most desperate as he found them. Here there is the added dimension…

  The Gospel of Mark is known to be the shortest, the first to be written Gospel, and perhaps the most blunt. Today’s reading from Mark is jarring, not so much in what is said, but in what is omitted. Jesus was leading a caravan of apostles and assorted friends as they approached Jerusalem with…

  “If I had known then what I know now” is a common expression as we look back over the events and experiences of our lives. Some early choices and decisions might seem rather naïve or even misguided in the light of hard-won wisdom and valuable learning experiences. Today we can either choose to focus…

  The story of the encounter between Jesus and the very self-assured young man in the Gospel today reminded me of a comment attributed to the American author Mark Twain about himself. He said that, as an 18-year-old, he thought his father was just about the dumbest man alive. And then when we got to…

  It would seem that in today’s world, anything of importance must be superlative in some way, as in the biggest, the fastest, the deepest, the highest, the strongest, etc. Perhaps it’s part of our human nature to measure greatness according to size, and that often means trying to supersize everything around us from hamburgers…

  The kingdom of God belongs to such as these. We regularly hear these phrases in the gospels. They often come as a conclusion to some particular sayings of Jesus. Much of Jesus’ teaching was intended to instruct the disciples in the ways of the kingdom: Often in the gospel, a child is held up…

  Remaining faithful to the breaking of the bread, let us live together in love. (Refrain of a song from the monks of St Meinrad) That seems to be the key: Remaining faithful. Today we have more instructions for living the way of the Lord. From James: do not complain about one another, that you…

  I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me. Anyone who gives even a cup of water will be rewarded. Whoever welcomes a child, in the name of the Lord, welcomes the Lord. These words make following…

  Wherever you are Lord, there is mercy, there is truth, and there is compassion. That states it pretty clearly. Today’s short gospel passage talks about being with the Lord, being in the circle of faith, or not being with the Lord. As was often the case, the disciples and their responses to situations provide…

  Today a teacher might start the day with, “Where did we leave before the break?” Today we return to “ordinary time” with readings from the Letter of St James, and back to Mark’s gospel chapter 9. We left off back in February before Ash Wednesday. Since then, we’ve had our annual revisiting of what…

  In today’s readings, I find a beautiful teaching on the value and necessity of faith, patience, and perseverance. Before, when I read this Gospel of Mark passage, I would be somewhat confused. Why would Jesus refuse to give “this generation” a sign? Why not just give it to them, and then they would believe…

  Today’s readings and psalm powerfully communicate that while we get caught up in this world by sin and wickedness, God constantly pursues us with love and the promise of salvation. In today’s first reading, we hear of the brutal, painful quality of life someone with leprosy endured as an Israelite in the Old Testament.…

  If our liturgical readings for today could be color-coded to measure their emotional content, we would get a full spectrum of color. Since the Word of God uses the prism of human experience to teach us, it’s not surprising to see the full range of human feelings. The first reading from the Second Book…

  Be Still After a long week, with lots of activity, maybe we need to take a break and be still. Jesus rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” (See Mark 4:39) Is he saying that to you? Set a timer. Five minutes. Just be still for five short minutes. What…

  Administration as Gift Today, we reflect on the early Christian saints, Timothy and Titus, who were disciples of St. Paul. Both are mentioned throughout the New Testament, and some of Paul’s letters addressed to them have come down to us: the First and Second Letters to Timothy and the Letter to Titus. Timothy was…

  I Thought I was Right Some people are blind. Including ourselves. “On that journey as I drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from the sky suddenly shone around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’” (Acts 22:6-7, NABRE)…

  Sowing Seeds Have you ever sown a seed? Being January here in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s been a while since sowing season. But in a few short months, those green thumbs up here will be at it again. But even if you’re not green-thumbed (myself included), Jesus’ Parable of the Sower is still relatable.…

  Move for the Lord The Lord has come. He is in our midst. Can you feel Him? King David danced before the ark of the Lord with abandon (2 Samuel 6:14). What a sight it must have been to see the ruler of the nation dance with abandon before the ark of the Lord,…

  Death and Life Recent events have been a legislative victory for the Pro-Life Movement in the United States. Namely, the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade from 1973, which made the right to have an abortion constitutionally protected, was overturned on June 24, 2022 (in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization). This…

  Repent. Repent. Repent. How many times do we have to hear it preached? How many times do I have to repent? What does it mean, anyway? Merriam-Webster, America’s oldest and foremost publisher of dictionaries, defines this intransitive verb to mean: “to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one’s life.” Turn…

  We continue the saga of David and Saul with Saul gathering an army to search for and to kill David. But when David had the opportunity to strike first and kill Saul, he was remorseful and showed him mercy. In our lives, we might have moments in which we are persecuted, hated, or betrayed,…

  In today’s first reading, we see Saul and David returning after David had slain the Philistine. They were greeted with much joy and festivities as the women sang, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” Saul became jealous that they attributed more to David, and the jealousy consumed him to the…

  Today’s first reading is known well by many people. The story of David and Goliath is not a story of David’s strength or bravery, but it is a story of his deep faith and trust in God’s strength and glory. He says to the Philistine giant, “You come against me with sword and spear…

  In today’s first reading, Samuel was sent to Jesse of Bethlehem to seek the LORD’s anointed among Jesse’s sons. Upon seeing Jesse’s son Eliab, he thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is here before me” but he was not the chosen one. For Samuel looked upon them and saw their stature, strength, and outward appearance…

  In today’s readings, we see that it is not by action alone that we please God, but by the desire behind the action. The Psalm says, “Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you, for your burnt offerings are before me always.” And further, “Why do you recite my statutes, and profess my covenant…

  In today’s readings, we hear God calling out to us. In the first reading, the LORD called out to Samuel but he did not realize that is was God speaking because “at that time Samuel was not familiar with the LORD.” Thinking it was Eli, he went to him saying, “Here I am. You…

  In yesterday’s reading from First Samuel, we heard how God told the prophet Samuel to choose a king for Israel. Today’s reading describes how Samuel carried out this divine directive. We are introduced to the figure of Saul. While he is searching for some lost sheep of his father, he runs into the prophet…

  The readings from First Samuel jump from chapter 4 to chapter 8. The situation has changed. The prophet Samuel is now an old man. Many of the Chosen People had treasured him. He was a good leader, following in the tradition of Moses and Joshua and the several “judges.” The people were worried about…

  Today’s reading from the First Book of Samuel presents a bit of history. The Chosen People are trying to establish themselves in the Holy Land. But the land was already occupied by a people called the Philistines. War between the two peoples was the unfortunate result. In the first battle between the opposing armies,…

  The first reading continues yesterday’s story. But Samuel is now approaching adulthood. He lives in the Shiloh temple and is being trained by the elderly priest Eli. The text states that “a revelation of the Lord was uncommon and vision infrequent.” We can expect that this is going to change. One night, Samuel hears…