Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 30, 2013:



1 Kings 19: 16b, 19-21
Psalm 16: 1-2, 5, 7-11
Galatians 5: 1, 13-18
Luke 9:51-62

Jesus' back and forth in this Gospel with would-be disciples seems fairly harsh - their requests seem reasonable enough, don't they? It helps to remember that at this point in Luke, Jesus is journeying to Jerusalem, where he will ultimately be arrested and put to death. Earlier in the chapter (9), we find Jesus miraculously feeding a crowd, Peter naming Jesus as "the Christ", Jesus warning them about the burdens of discipleship, a mysterious transfiguration, healing a boy of demonic possession AND the disciples arguing about who is the greatest! I'm tired just thinking about all this action!

While Jesus is repeatedly trying to prepare his followers for his suffering- and theirs- many are simply getting caught up in the wonder of all these amazing things. So when one eager disciple comes up and says he'll follow Jesus 'wherever', Jesus wants to be sure he understands the depth of the required commitment! And as for telling the bereaved son to 'let the dead bury the dead', Jesus was speaking in hyperbole to a person he recognized as spiritually alive, not dead. And to the third person he advised the need to eliminate distractions and prioritize obligations if he would be successful. (Looking back while plowing ensures a crooked row!)
Just after this Gospel passage, Jesus sends out the 72 disciples on a mission - so he really was making sure that would-be disciples were up for the task! (It would have been a disaster for his mission if the disciples went out and whined about the food and accommodations rather than preaching the Gospel message! Have you ever followed a car that has the fish emblem on it, and witnessed the driver behaving in a most un-Christian manner? Kind of like that.)

There's a freedom that Jesus offers to those who choose to follow him. The freedom of the promise of the Gospel. But he's no huckster- he's not trying to trick any of us into the life of discipleship-- we all know that some choices are inconvenient, painful even. But we have it luckier than Jesus' original disciples- we know the truth of the resurrection! And we are gifted with God's Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us through it all.

• What are some of the distractions that keep you from fully following Jesus?
• How might you attend to them?

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 23, 2013:

Zechariah 12:10-11, 13:1
Psalm 63: 2-6, 8-9
Galatians 3: 26-29
Luke 9: 18-24

• As a disciple of Christ, in what ways do you feel you must deny yourself certain things? 
• What are the crosses in your life? 
• In what way can bearing those crosses be redemptive?

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 16, 2013:

2 Samuel 12: 7-10, 13
Psalm 32: 1-2, 5, 7, 11
Galatians 2: 16, 19-21
Luke 7: 36- 8:3


How do you show God your gratitude?

Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 9, 2013:

1 Kings 17: 17-24
Psalm 30: 2, 4-6, 11-13
Galatians 1: 11-19
Luke 7: 11-17


 In both the first reading and the Gospel, a woman who has already lost her husband, is now faced with the reality of the loss of her only son, too. Beyond the compounded grief of the death of a love one, a woman in that society depended upon a male relative (husband or son) as the breadwinner, for her basic survival. Are you able, then, to imagine the feelings engulfing these widows?

We are confronted with the questions of 'why' in times like these. We struggle with the reality of death, wrenching loss, of dreams destroyed and a fearsome future.

Into this abyss steps the power of God's grace, the love which overcomes sin and death. The assurance that- in time, our mourning will be turned into dancing, and we will indeed find rescue in the One who walks with us even when we are unaware of God's presence.  God's compassion was conveyed in the past through prophets like Elijah and through Jesus Christ. Today, by the presence of the Holy Spirit among us as the Body of Christ, the Church, we are the vessels through which God's boundless compassion might heal a hurting world.

• What might a greater sense of compassion allow you to do for someone this week? 

Mystagogia meets this Sunday at 10:45am.
Inquiry meets on Tuesday June 11 at 7pm.

Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Here are the readings for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, June 2, 2013:

Genesis 14: 18-20
Psalm 110: 1-4
1 Corinthians 11: 23-26
Luke 9: 11b-17

Too often, we turn the action of the Eucharist into an object.
Not sure what I mean by that?

Please consider this recent post,
as you reflect on the mysteries of this feast.