Solemnity of All Saints

After a brief vacation, the reflection returns.

You may find today's readings here.

When Jesus speaks in the gospel, he speaks of the trials that we must face in our lives: times where our faith falters, times when we mourn our losses, times when we chose to turn the other cheek instead of fight back, times when we strive for what is good, times when we show mercy, times when we see the good in situations instead of evil, times when we make peace, times when we suffer because of our goodness, and times when we are insulted or persecuted because of our faith in God, Most High. If we face the trials of life in this way, we are to receive a great reward in heaven. However, we will need strength and a strong identity to overcome these trials.

Our second reading today, tells us who we are and how we got that way. “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are.” We have entered into God's family and become His children. We have done this by our participation in the sacraments and our willful commitment to them, but most of all, because God loves us and wills us to be a part of Him. In our sacramental lives, our baptism brought us into the family; our confirmation marked us with the seal of God in the Holy Spirit.

Our first reading, from Revelations tells us that John “saw another angel come up from the East, holding the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who were given power to damage the land and the sea, “Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal, one hundred and forty-four thousand marked from every tribe of the children of Israel." In our confirmation, we have been sealed. We have been set aside for God's protection.

Our sacramental participation is further noted in the reading when it says, “Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me, “Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?” I said to him, “My lord, you are the one who knows.” He said to me, “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.” In our baptism, we receive a white garment. In our reception of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist, we allow ourselves to be renewed by the Blood of the Lamb.

The attitude that Jesus asks us to have isn't easy, but the sacraments will give us the strength we need to live this way. The Eucharist and Reconciliation are sacraments designed to renew us throughout our lives. We can receive them every day if we desire. This may look crazy to the world, but the world does not know and does not understand God's goodness in giving us these sacraments. Our second reading tells us, “Beloved, we are God’s children now.” God isn't waiting for us to “get perfect” before we become His children. We are His children NOW, as we are NOW. We have been given the sacraments as a way to meet God where we are, and allow Him to lead us where he wants us to go. We do not know the end of this life, but we do know what lays beyond. I pray, for all of us, that we may live in the way of the Beatitudes, strengthened by the sacraments, and that we may celebrate with the Saints when we meet our reward in Heaven.

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

This Sunday's readings can be found here.

The crowd gathered around the foot of the cross shouted, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” “He saved others but cannot save himself.” “He trusts in God, let God rescue him now” (Mat 27:38-44) Those who mocked him were the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders, but also the criminals who were crucified with Him. The leaders who mocked Christ should have seen the company that was with them. They were behaving like criminals who had been sent to their deaths.

Sinners are often offended by those who stand up for what is right in God's eyes. People who have prayed in front of abortion clinics, porn shops, and on Bourbon Street in New Orleans can tell you this is true. They have received taunts and insults from passersby and honks from cars with people shouting out of the windows as they drive by. At times it can be disheartening to experience this, but it can also be a boost to the just who pray harder for God's work to be done. Jesus teaches us that the Kingdom of Heaven is worth suffering the taunts of the sinful. He did it, and we should do it too.

The prayer of the psalmist is “O God, by your name save me, and by your might defend my cause.” It is a wonderful prayer to those who are being persecuted. The second reading gives a warning though, to those who would not follow God's plan. When we pray and do not receive it is because we have prayed to satisfy a passion that is not God's passion. We are praying for something that is selfish, conflict-driven, covetous, envious and of a human passion. If what we pray for is just, then the result should be peaceful, gentile, merciful and fruitful, without inconsistency and insincerity. God is passionate about justice. God is consistent and sincere about justice. We must pray to have this same passion and to know our part is in God's plan for justice.


Jesus tells us “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.” To receive God we must receive the child, the lowly, the cast aside in our society. Our actions in this world should be for the lowly: the children, the poor, the cast aside. Mother Teresa once said, “each of them is Jesus in disguise.”

Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

Click here for today's readings.

Today is the feast day of the Most Holy Trinity. We are so fortunate to have a triuune God. God the Father has great things planed. He planed and created the world we live in, each one of us and the life that we are leading. God the Son showed us how to live with his body. Jesus worked with his hands to heal, to bring peace, to forgive, and to comfort. God the Spirit encourages us, excites us to action, makes us listen, and brings us joy, comfort and hope. The three make up the complete God which we love so dear.

Today's readings are so incredible and uplifting. The first reading tells us that we are God's own people, a holy nation, set apart and that we should follow the commandments of God. The psalm proclaims God's goodness exclaiming that the earth is full of his unfailing love. He created the heavens and the earth. He watches over us, keeps us from death and and keeps us alive during hard times. The Psalm proclaims the need for the Lord's saving power. He is our help and our hope is in the Lord. The second reading reminds us that we are God's children. We are beloved by God. His guidance in the form of the greatest commandment, love God and neighbor, was written on our hearts. Therefore we are entrusted to love.

The gospel is so beautiful, it exclaims the beauty of our commission. Even though the apostles doubted, and even though we doubt God, God still trusts in us. He has given us a great commission. He will not leave us. Even though we may leave him, ignore him, turn away from him. He always walks before us, leading us to His will. His will is that we would share the love given to us with all of the earth.

We should not be afraid, our God is our dear father. God has prepared a place for us, a special place in heaven, but also a special work on earth. His spirit gives us protection, love, and encouragement for the journey. In the end we inherit the kingdom, but in the now, we are led by the Spirit as Christ was led. Jesus was not alone in his time on earth, and we are not alone. Just as the Father led his son to show his love for us by suffering on the cross, God leads us to our own expression and love and subsequent suffering. The love and suffering leads to sanctification, and to the glory of God.

As God's children, I encourage you to not doubt what God has done. Keep his commandments and trust him. He is taking care of you. He asks you to love Him and love others. He is your father. The first reading asks, “Did anything so great ever happen before?” No, it never has, and we are truly blessed.