Articles for Ordinary Time

  We often only come to appreciate our trials some time after the experience, when we can see the fruit that they produced. It is like athletes who challenge their bodies to run faster, jump higher, endure longer, or lift more. They experience pain in the moment, knowing that it will help them in the…

  As human beings, our natural perspective is very limited. We tend to see the world around us in terms of what we have individually experienced. This is especially so for young people who generally have less experience than those who have lived through more events, but we are all prone to view everything in…

  Yesterday we celebrated the Feast of Christ the King, acknowledging Jesus as rightful ruler of all creation. Our first reading today describes the exile of the Israelites from the Promised Land after their kings had failed to lead them in the ways of God. Whereas Jesus exercised true power by submitting his will to…

  Power is the enemy of those who seek it. Many start out with such good intentions, wanting to make a difference in the world, so they seek to become important in order to have influence over people. But the pursuit of power enslaves us. You know the saying: power tends to corrupt, and absolute…

  Monks are said to live the “Angelic Life,” because we anticipate heaven, forsaking marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of God and devote ourselves to prayer. We, therefore, point to the resurrection in Christ with our whole lives. The most important aspect of this life is the part that lasts into eternity and…

  Today we celebrate the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple at Jerusalem. It comes from the tradition describing Mary as the miraculous child of Sts. Joachim and Anne, from a long line of blessed elderly people who had been unable to conceive in the Bible. Like the parents of Samuel, they dedicate…

  This reading from the Book of Maccabees is likely hard for many of us to stomach – let alone understand why it’s in the liturgy. Suffice to say, that the extinction of right worship by an aggressive power left few options for an oppressed people. In our own time and country, freedom of speech…

  This reading from Maccabees is particularly hard to hear: the martyrdom of the seven brothers under the evil King Antiochus. The gruesome narrative speaks to the heroic endurance of martyrs. The brothers make clear that they know the one they should fear. According to Jesus much later: “Do not be afraid of those who…

  Our readings present us with two examples of holiness. The first is Eleazar, the elder scribe martyred for his faith in the Book of Maccabees. The other is Zacchaeus, the tax collector who converts at Jesus’ invitation. The former is the example of steadfast witness and the latter the repentant. Sometimes when we hear…

  The story of the Books of Maccabees is that of the Jewish people holding on to their religious practice against a dominant culture seeking to stamp it out. Most distressing, as we find out today, is that many Jews themselves “sold out.” They figured the material benefits of taking on Greek customs and pagan…

  In today’s second reading, we hear the saying of St. Paul, “Brothers and sisters; You know how one must imitate us. For we did not act in a disorderly way among you.” This speaks to a great truth that dwells within each and every spiritual life, and St. Paul refers to it with the…

  Will the Son of Man find faith on earth when He comes again? When you look into your soul in reflection, do you find faith? What does your faith look like? More often than not, we struggle to have faith! Unshakeable faith in the Lord is difficult in this world because we have no…

  People often ask me how they can know God is real. Usually my answer sounds like this, “have you looked outside recently?” This is my answer because God reveals Himself every day through the Beauty of His creation. Today’s first reading points out the grandeur of creation and how it is so easily missed.…

  Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel, “When you have done all that is commanded of you, say ‘We are unprofitable servants, we have only done what we are obliged to do.’” I don’t know anyone who would speak like that, but I do know a phrase that has a similar meaning and is used at…

  The readings from today are about the mercy of God towards the lowly. In the Gospel, ten lepers approach Jesus to be healed. But they ask him in an interesting way. Instead of asking outright to be healed, they ask him to have pity. To have pity means to be aroused by another’s suffering…

  As a seminarian, I can feel as if I barely have time in a day to fulfill all that’s asked of me. Even with the best effort I can muster, I feel like I’m always lagging just behind where I should be. Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel seem to add even more pressure to…

  “The Spirit of the Lord fills the world, and that which holds all things together knows what is said” (Wisdom 1:7). These words echo the wonder of Psalm 139 “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” There is something both overwhelming and intimate in knowing that the…

  You may have recently heard, as did I, that the penny has been excised as a currency option in the United States. I even received an ominous warning in an email titled “the end of the penny.” Not dissimilar to that of the prophets of Israel in the Old Testament. In today’s readings, we…

  “No servant can serve two masters.” (Luke 16:13a) Jesus’ words are direct and searching: “You cannot serve both God and mammon.” There’s no middle ground, no polite compromise. We must choose what controls our hearts. Sometimes I find that decision is made quietly, in small moments. How I spend my time, what I cling…

  “Because of the grace given me by God.” (Romans 15:15b) St. Paul speaks not from pride but from gratitude. He knows that everything fruitful in his life—his preaching, his perseverance, his hope—comes from grace. He is not the source of his strength; he is its steward. “Because of the grace given me by God.”…

  “Each of us shall give an account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:12) Every life, every choice, every thought, will one day meet the gaze of God. There is no act too small, no gesture too fleeting, no silence too insignificant. Each step is part of our journey, and each moment will be seen…

  “Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another.” (Romans 13:8) In the Christian life, to love is a commandment, an obligation. In monastic life, to love one another has a particular resonance. We live in a rhythm of prayer, work, and shared life where each brother depends on the other. We try not…

  “We are one Body in Christ.” (Romans 12:5) St. Paul uses the image of a human body to describe the interdependence of believers. Christian life is never a solo endeavor. Faith draws us into communion. Each member’s gift sustains the whole. In a world that prizes self-sufficiency, being dependent on others can be hard.…

  “The gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:29) God does not take back what He has given. St. Paul reminds us that God’s fidelity is not like our human moods or passing affections. Once God has called, He does not un-call; once He has gifted, He does not reclaim. Even when…

  “Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me.” (John 6:37) All Souls’ Day draws me into a quiet space of remembering my departed relatives and those I never knew. The Abbey grounds are beautiful this time of year, the trees turning color,…

  In 2009, Abbot Gregory gave a homily on the Beatitudes that I find quite fine and worth offering for our reflection. Here is the gist of it: We begin to see God’s blessed ones in places it would not have occurred for us to look. We begin to see that the poor in spirit,…

  “Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” St. Paul gives us something of a commentary on our Lord’s approach to the Pharisees in this passage in this text: “theirs the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, is…

  “… on the third day I accomplish my purpose.” Something of a commentary on this text is in our first reading: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Jesus accomplished his “purpose” because his food and drink – his passion – was to accomplish the will of the Father! And, in…

  The scholars who have studied the Gospels tell us that St. Luke in today’s Gospel has grouped some sayings of Jesus around the notion of “the rejection of Israel and the call of the gentiles to salvation.” In our hearing, his words come to us as a call to know him! If we do…

  This dwelling in which we live—“members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets”—is not one in which we have chosen our journey companions, not unlike the family we were born into. This fact speaks to us of God’s saving action: “You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but…

  “Our God is the God of salvation.” This responsorial verse may seem obvious. But there is something in it we might easily forget: realizing ourselves as members of a body of sinners. St. Paul puts it in these words: “God delivered all to disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all” (Rom. 11:32). We…

  One of the notions we struggle with as human beings, from very early in life, is that of justice. It seems bound up very early with the very experience of our existence: ‘It’s not fair,” the child is heard to say. It echoes through adolescence – to the frequent exasperation of parents and teachers.…

  God is the gardener. God is patient, but our time on earth is limited. The great lie of the devil is that ‘we have all the time in the world.’ We do not have all the time in the world, and there are some things that we must do today—like repent. Each day is…

  When I was attending a conference for seminary spiritual directors, one of the speakers offered an interesting insight that seemed to resonate with a lot of the spiritual directors who were present. The presenter said that he has not met many priests or religious who were lazy, but he has encountered many who were…

  If Jesus came to establish not peace on the earth, but division, then our world is doing a really good job at following His plan. But, it seems that division is more of a product of our fallen world rather than God’s designs. Yet, divisions will arise, because Jesus challenges us to make a…

  In one of the books I read on ‘discerning religious life’—it offers a list of 10 things not to do while discerning. It addresses various fears, like the “fear of missing out.” But, ultimately it encourages the discerner to invite Christ into one’s heart so that fears do not overwhelm him, but that his…

  When I was a child, whenever the phone or the doorbell rang, it immediately initiated a race between my brothers and me to see who could be there first to answer it. When we became teenagers, we showed a lot less interest in it, and would often yell at one another: “You, go answer…

  It is a good and holy thing to plan ahead and be prudent when it comes to our future. But, humility encourages us to remember that our future is not guaranteed, and there is not really a time when we can simply “coast” in the spiritual life. The man who decides to “tear down…

  From a very early age we learn to be persistent, and often enough this persistence gets us what we want. Over time our plans tend only to get more elaborate and we become more successful in our attempts: We use persuasive words, logical arguments, appeal to the emotions, or just simply hound others. We…

  What better finale for the week than the dynamic duo of St. Paul the great Apostle to the Gentiles, followed by St. Luke the Evangelist who wrote with pastoral sensitivity? Someone might say that these two readings combine to give us an important insight into both the messenger and the message of the Good…