Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Jeremiah 11:18-20
John 7:40-53

Ezekiel is a significant biblical figure whose life and prophetic ministry are documented in the Old Testament. As a member of a priestly lineage, he served as a prophet during the tumultuous period of the Babylonian exile, when the Israelites were taken captive to Babylon in 597 BCE. He warned of the impending destruction of Jerusalem and its temple, which indeed occurred some 10 years later.

His prophecies encompassed themes of judgment upon surrounding nations and the future restoration and blessing of the exiled Israelites, while also challenging them with stern warnings. Ezekiel’s final vision was of the coming Second Temple and its glory in the world to come.

Ezekiel’s Vision

Our first reading today is from Ezekiel 47. The prophet Ezekiel is shown a vision of water flowing from the temple, which represents God’s presence and blessing. The water begins as a trickle and deepens as it flows eastward, eventually becoming a mighty river. This imagery is rich with symbolism, reflecting themes of life, healing, and divine provision.

The reading starts with:

The angel brought me, Ezekiel, back to the entrance of the temple of the LORD, and I saw water flowing out from beneath the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the façade of the temple was toward the east; the water flowed down from the right side of the temple,south of the altar. [Ezekiel 47:1]

And concludes 11 verses later with:

Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow; their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail. Every month they shall bear fresh fruit, for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary. Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine. [47:12]

I found this to be remarkably similar to this vision in the final chapter of Revelation:

Then the angel showed me the river of life-giving water, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of its street. On either side of the river grew the tree of life that produces fruit twelve times a year, once each month; the leaves of the trees serve as medicine for the nations. [Revelation 22:1-2]

Both Old and New Testament verses refer to God’s gift of “living water” to provide a growing, life-giving, and spiritual sustenance to the people.

I really liked the visual imagery that Ezekiel used to portray the expanding depth and breadth of the source of water (or life) flowing from the temple. It started out as a trickle, and with no additional sources from springs or tributaries, it would grow.

The “angel,” described in Ezekiel 40 as a man whose appearance was like bronze and who held in his hand a linen cord and a measuring rod, provided detailed measurements as they went. Every thousand cubits (about a third of a mile), Ezekiel was told to wade into the water. First, it was ankle-deep. Then up to his knees. Then up to his waist. At the fourth stop, Ezekiel discovers that the trickle has become a river, too deep to wade across, impassable, he observes.

The angel in the vision has Ezekiel sit down on the tree-lined bank and goes on to explain:

Wherever it flows, the river teems with every kind of living creature; fish will abound. Where these waters flow they refresh; everything lives where the river goes. [Ezekiel 47:9]

This source of life is flowing from the temple, signifying that true life and sustenance come from God. This is a powerful reminder that the temple is not just a physical structure but a source of spiritual nourishment for the people of Israel.

The flowing river in Ezekiel 47 can be seen as foreshadowing the living water Jesus speaks of in the New Testament, connecting the themes of spiritual renewal across both Testaments. Consider how these might relate to last week’s reading about the Samaritan woman at the well, who asked Jesus how he could have the audacity to ask her for a drink.

Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” [John 4:10]

It’s a miracle!

Our Gospel reading for today comes from John chapter 5. It tells the story of the seven miracles or “signs” of Jesus according to John. Can you list those? Yeah, I couldn’t either. Here they are for our enlightenment:

The Seven Miracles

• Turning Water into Wine (John 2:1-11)

• Healing the Nobleman’s Son (John 4:46-54)

• Healing the Crippled Man (John 5:1-9)

• Feeding the 5,000 (John 6:1-14)

• Walking on Water (John 6:16-21)

• Healing the Blind Man (John 9:1-12

• Raising Lazarus from the Dead (John 11:1-44

These miracles are not just acts of power; they serve as signs that reveal Jesus’ identity as the Son of God and His mission to bring salvation. Each miracle illustrates a different aspect of His divine authority and compassion, inviting believers to trust in Him for eternal life. Today’s Gospel is Miracle Number 3.

John 5:1-16 recounts Jesus healing of a man who had been disabled for 38 years, demonstrating His authority, compassion, and the spiritual significance of faith and obedience. This event occurs in Jerusalem at a pool called Bethesda. The pool was believed to have healing properties, but that part of this Gospel reading is curiously blank.

Rabbit hole moment

If you go to the Books of the Bible section on the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) site for John 5 ( https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/5 ), you will find that verse 4 has an asterisk but is otherwise blank. OK, so go down to the smart notes and read the explanation for the “blank verse.”

Toward the end of the second century in the West and among the fourth-century Greek Fathers, an additional verse was known: “For [from time to time] an angel of the Lord used to come down into the pool; and the water was stirred up, so the first one to get in [after the stirring of the water] was healed of whatever disease afflicted him.” The angel was a popular explanation of the turbulence and the healing powers attributed to it. This verse is missing from all early Greek manuscripts and the earliest versions, including the original Vulgate. Its vocabulary is markedly non-Johannine.

We return to our Gospel, already in progress

A man who had been crippled for 38 years was present. Jesus saw him and asked, “Do you want to be healed?” The man explained his difficulty: whenever he tried to enter the pool, someone else would get there ahead of him. Jesus then commands him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” Immediately, the man was healed; he took up his mat and walked, astonishing those who witnessed it.

Here’s what happened:

• Jesus knew that the man had been ill for a long time. No one told him. He didn’t have to ask. We are not told that Jesus was “moved by compassion,” but he probably was.

• After 38 years of suffering (like Moses and company in the desert?), Jesus asks the man, “Do you want to be well?” It wasn’t a question of faith, but more of a test of desire and commitment, like asking if you want to be sober.

• Jesus did not have physical contact with the man. He simply tells him to “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.”

• That worked! The power of healing did not need the bubbling pool. Obedience to the words of Jesus received an immediate response.

• We are told that “Jesus had slipped away, because a crowd was there.”

But wait, there’s more!

This miracle occurred on a Sabbath, which led to controversy. Jewish leaders criticized the healed man for carrying his mat on the Sabbath, as work was prohibited by Jewish law. When confronted, the man explained that the man who made him well told him to carry the mat. When pressed for more details, the man was unable to identify the man who did the healing. Later, Jesus approaches the healed man in the temple area, remarks on how well he looks, and reminds him to sin no more. The passage ends with the man realizing that it was Jesus who had healed him and reporting this to the Jewish authorities, prompting further scrutiny of Jesus’ actions on the sabbath.

If we read beyond today’s Gospel, the next two verses in John 5, we get Jesus’ response when confronted:

But Jesus answered them, “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.” For this reason, the Jews tried all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God. [John 5:17-18]

And so it begins . . .

God’s influence starts as a trickle of water and, as we journey, it widens and deepens. There is so much to learn, and the living water Jesus is there to guide, heal, and support us. Are you ready to wade in?

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Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time
1 Samuel 16:1-13
Ephesians 1:17-18

Our first reading today is from 1 Samuel 16, and the players include Samuel (the book’s author), Saul, and David.

Samuel is remembered as a prophet, judge, and wise leader of Israel. You may recall that Samuel was called by the Lord at night three times as a young man, each time answering “Here I am, you called me” to Eli, the priest of Shiloh and one of the last Israelite Judges before the rule of kings in ancient Israel. The first two times, Eli sent Samuel back to bed. On the third time, Eli realized that the voice was the Lord’s, and advised Samuel to say “Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.” The next time he was awakened, he answered the voice as instructed, and the Lord revealed himself to Samuel, describing his displeasure with the direction Eli and his sons had been taking the Israelites and informing Samuel that the end of their rule was near. Samuel repeated this to Eli, who understood the consequences.

Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him, not permitting any word of his to go unfulfilled. Thus all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba came to know that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the LORD. The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, manifesting himself to Samuel at Shiloh through his word. Samuel’s word spread throughout Israel. [1 Samuel 3:19-21]

It was Samuel who under God’s direction later identified Saul as the first king of Israel. By the time we meet Samuel and Saul in today’s reading, the Lord has lost patience with Saul for his disobedience of God’s commandments to “utterly destroy” the Amalekites. Like Eli before him, there will be no dynasty. God had a different plan.

The LORD said to Samuel: How long will you grieve for Saul, whom I have rejected as king of Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for from among his sons I have decided on a king. [1 Samuel 16:1]

Jesse begins presenting his sons to Samuel. The first son looked like a good choice.

But the LORD said to Samuel: Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. God does not see as a mortal, who sees the appearance. The LORD looks into the heart. [1 Samuel 16:7]

Seven sons later, the LORD was not satisfied.

Then Samuel asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” Jesse replied, “There is still the youngest, but he is tending the sheep.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send for him; we will not sit down to eat until he arrives here.” Jesse had the young man brought to them. He was ruddy, a youth with beautiful eyes, and good-looking. The LORD said: There—anoint him, for this is the one! Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand, anointed him in the midst of his brothers, and from that day on, the spirit of the LORD rushed upon David. Then Samuel set out for Ramah. [1 Samuel 16:11-13]

But wait, there’s more!

When King Saul needs someone to soothe his tormented spirit, he begins looking for a harpist. One of the servants spoke up: “I have observed that a son of Jesse of Bethlehem is a skillful harpist. He is also a brave warrior, an able speaker, and a handsome young man. The LORD is certainly with him.” [1 Samuel 16:18]

David wins Saul’s approval and is made harpist and armor-bearer for Saul. Do you remember the story of David and Goliath? That happened next. David 1, Goliath 0. David is praised by the people as the ultimate warrior, which makes Saul insanely jealous.

In the next several chapters, there is ongoing strife between Saul and David, and David is forced to go into hiding for fear of his life. David and his friends are about to meet in secret, but have no food. David went to Ahimelech, the priest of Nob, who at first was unsure about helping, out of fear of possible retribution by Saul. David asks:

“Now what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves, or whatever you can find.” But the priest replied to David, “I have no ordinary bread on hand, only holy bread; if the men have abstained from women, you may eat some of that.”

David answered the priest: “We have indeed stayed away from women. In the past whenever I went out on a campaign, all the young men were consecrated—even for an ordinary campaign. All the more so are they consecrated with their weapons today!” So the priest gave him holy bread, for no other bread was on hand except the showbread which had been removed from before the LORD and replaced by fresh bread when it was taken away. [1 Samuel 21:4-7]

The recipe and handling of the showbread are described in Leviticus 24:5-9. The priest, who provided bread to David, favored by the Lord to become the King of Israel, was doing God’s will, not man’s will. Saul ordered the death of 86 priests in Nob when he found out what happened. Many wars, skirmishes, and Old Testament chapters later, Saul dies, and David is anointed the second (and arguably the greatest) King of Israel.

Today’s reading from the second chapter of the Gospel of Mark is from the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. The story is so significant that it is also recorded with remarkable similarity in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.

In Mark’s writing, we have:

As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain. At this the Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?” He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry? How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat, and shared it with his companions?”

Then he said to them,

“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.” [Mark 2:22-28]

The reference to David and the bread was covered previously and would have been known to the Pharisees. This may have invited them to compare Jesus to David. But before they can wrap their thoughts around that, Jesus speaks with authority. “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.”

In John 1:3, we find, “All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be.”

Therefore, the sabbath, the day of rest, was made for man, not the other way around. What might that mean? We should not be focusing on work, money, or other diversions, but on contemplation, rest, doing the Lord’s work, and allowing others to do the same.

Jesus finishes with “the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath,” asserting two things: HE is the Son of Man, and HE will help us use our sabbath day, the gift made for us, to do the things that are good in the sight of God the Father.

Have a blessed week!

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Tuesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Daniel 2:31-45
Luke 21:5-11

Time’s Up!

I could always tell how well I was prepared for a test in college when the professor would announce “Time’s up!,” a bit of verbal shorthand for “the time that you were allowed to show that you what you had learned in the past few weeks has run out . . . I hope you were ready!”

I felt good when I had time to go back over all my answers and maybe add some clarifying notes. Wherever possible, “show your work.” If, on the other hand, I ran out of time and left one or more questions unanswered, I knew that things were not going well, that the end was near.

We have an interesting set of readings for today. Perhaps these were scheduled to coincide with the end of the liturgical year. Advent starts this coming Sunday!

Our first reading comes from the 2nd chapter of Daniel, from the Old Testament. Daniel, a Hebrew man of great wisdom, successfully interprets King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. That in itself seems like a pretty remarkable task, but the story is WAY more interesting if you start at the beginning of the chapter.

In the second year of his reign, King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that left his spirit no rest and robbed him of his sleep. He summoned all the known wise men throughout Babylon and said to them, “I had a dream which will allow my spirit no rest until I know what it means. This is what I have decided: unless you tell me the dream and its meaning, you shall be cut to pieces and your houses made into a refuse heap.” There seems to be some trust issues here. Nebuchadnezzar won’t tell them the dream; they must be “wise” enough to divine the dream as well as what it means.

They answered that it is too difficult; no one can tell it to the king except the gods, who do not dwell among people of flesh. Wrong answer! The enraged king ordered all the wise men in Babylon to be put to death. Daniel and three other captured Israelites (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) were among the wise men. In Daniel 1:17, we are told God gave them knowledge and proficiency in all literature and wisdom, and to Daniel, the understanding of all visions and dreams.

Daniel went home and informed his companions that they might implore the mercy of the God of heaven regarding this mystery, so that the four of them might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. During the night, Daniel received a vision revealing the mystery.

We join Daniel in our first reading as he first describes the dream to Nebuchadnezzar, followed by its interpretation.

Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar:
“In your vision, O king, you saw a statue,
very large and exceedingly bright,
terrifying in appearance as it stood before you.

The head of the statue was pure gold,
its chest and arms were silver,
its belly and thighs bronze, the legs iron,
its feet partly iron and partly tile.

While you looked at the statue,
a stone which was hewn from a mountain
without a hand being put to it,
struck its iron and tile feet, breaking them in pieces.

The iron, tile, bronze, silver, and gold all crumbled at once,
fine as the chaff on the threshing floor in summer,
and the wind blew them away without leaving a trace.
But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain
and filled the whole earth. [Daniel 2:31-35]

Scholars tell us that the four metals used in the statue represent the four empires that will rule the biblical world, beginning with King Nebuchadnezzar's Neo-Babylonian Empire (612-539 BC). It is represented by the gold head on the statue in the dream. Very valuable, but not very strong.

The other empires to follow are represented by increasingly strong metals, but of lesser value. The silver chest and arms represent Medo-Persia, the bronze torso is Greece, and the iron legs are Rome.

The entire statue is supported by a mixture of feet that really weakens the structure. I’ll let Daniel do the ‘splaining:

The feet and toes you saw, partly of potter’s tile and partly of iron,
mean that it shall be a divided kingdom,
but yet have some of the hardness of iron.

As you saw the iron mixed with clay tile,
and the toes partly iron and partly tile,
the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.

The iron mixed with clay tile
means that they shall seal their alliances by intermarriage,
but they shall not stay united, any more than iron mixes with clay. [Daniel 2:41-43]

So, the future Roman Empire will have problems. He called that one right.

The statue was then destroyed by “a stone which was hewn from a mountain without a hand being put to it,” turned to dust, and blown away. Who threw that? Daniel tells us:

“God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed or delivered up to another people; rather, it shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and put an end to them, and it shall stand forever."

That is the meaning of the stone you saw hewn from the mountain without a hand being put to it, which broke in pieces the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God has revealed to the king what shall be in the future; this is exactly what you dreamed, and its meaning is sure.” [Daniel 2:44-45]

Daniel and his three friends have earned a promotion! They become the new and improved wise men for Babylon.

But it doesn’t last long. The king has a gargantuan golden image created and then calls on everyone to worship it. Daniel’s three companions decline the offer, and the furious King Nebuchadnezzar has Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego thrown in the fiery furnace. God sends an angel down to protect them, and the three praised, glorified, and blessed God from inside the furnace with an extended song. We hear part of the song in today’s Responsorial Psalm, which I guess is really a Responsorial Daniel.

The three emerge from the fiery furnace unscathed, and “no smell of fire had come upon them.” The king decides their God is more powerful than any other god and grants them safety.

The Gospel reading is from Luke 21, where Jesus foretells the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Not the “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up” from John 2:19. This is the real destruction of the Temple, which will happen almost 40 years later. We get a brief look at the end-time signs and a warning not to be deceived by those who claim, ‘I am he’ and ‘The time has come.’ For more signs and precautions, you should read to the end of the chapter.

Time’s up!

As predicted, ‘the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.’ Isn’t that the same stone that we know from Psalm 118:22, which states, ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’?

Let’s get ready for a blessed Advent!

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Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo, Bishop
Romans 12:5-16ab
Luke 14:15-24

In our first reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans, Paul is addressing Christian believers in Rome, including both Jewish and Gentile individuals. He states, “We, though many, are one Body in Christ” and “we have gifts that differ according to the grace given us.”

Everyone has some gift that can be used for the benefit of the community. When the instruction on justification through faith is correctly grasped, the possessor of a gift will understand that it is not an instrument of self-aggrandizement. Possession of a gift is not an index to the quality of faith. Rather, the gift is a challenge to faithful use.

Paul’s list of gifts is not all-inclusive, but it gives a range of examples of how one’s “part” in the community complements the skills and gifts given to others. It is noted that we must “exercise” or use our gifts to the benefit of all. A gift that remains hidden, is unused, or underused, and serves no one. This might be considered a sin of omission.

A partial list of gifts and recommended actions in Romans includes:

• if ministry, in ministering;

• if one is a teacher, in teaching;

• if one contributes, in generosity;

• if one is over others, with diligence;

• if one does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

[Note from reflector – bullet points are a modern invention, Paul would have used them if they were available in the first century]

Paul goes on to remind his audience that we have been commanded to love one another. He provides us with another list, but without detailed elaboration. When I read through this list, it reminded me of the inspirational posters often found in religious bookstores. You know the ones — they have a biblical phrase or life lesson with an image that embodies the moment.

What images do you see with these verses from St. Paul in Romans? [Romans 12:9-16]

• Let love be sincere

• Hate what is evil, hold on to what is good

• Love one another with mutual affection

• Anticipate one another in showing honor

• Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord

• Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer

• Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality

• Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them

• Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep

• Have the same regard for one another

• Do not be haughty but associate with the lowly

Today’s Psalm 131 reading is, well, short. Not the shortest, that honor goes to Psalm 117, which is only two verses long. But at three verses, Psalm 131 ties with “also very short,” at the same length as Psalms 133 and 134. But I digress …

Psalm 131, attributed to David, is one of the 15 Psalms (120-134) grouped as “Songs of Ascents,” which many scholars believe were sung by worshippers as they ascended the road to Jerusalem to attend the three annually required pilgrimage festivals.

While brief, Psalm 131 conveys a great deal of implied information. The phrases in verse one can be paired with specific events in David’s life that he could undoubtedly have bragged about. Yet, he retained his humility. These events were:

“My heart was not haughty” – when Samuel anointed me king

“nor were my eyes lofty” – when I slew Goliath

“neither did I swagger about” – when I was restored to my kingship

“nor did I accept as my due things too high for me” – when I had the Ark of God brought up out of Philistine captivity

Instead, David expresses his confidence and his commitment to perform the will of God, like a satisfied child in his mother’s lap.

The reading from the Gospel of Luke is often referred to as the Parable of the Great Feast. Jesus presents this parable at a dinner at the home of one of the leading Pharisees. It is the Sabbath, and Jesus has already cured a man with dropsy. (Side note: dropsy is an abnormal swelling of the body because of the retention and accumulation of fluid; I had to look it up.) The scholars and Pharisees in attendance could not agree on whether it was permissible to heal on the Sabbath.

Jesus then commented on how guests chose where they sat and reminded them that “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Next, he tells the host who had invited him that he should have asked the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind instead of friends and wealthy neighbors.

The first verse in today’s reading is: One of those at table with Jesus said to him, “Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God.” [Luke 14:15]

Jesus, who happens to know a bit about “who will dine in the Kingdom of God,” responds with a parable. A man gave a great feast and had invited many. When the feast was ready, he sent his servant with the message, “Come, everything is now ready.” Unexpectedly, many of his first-tier guests had rather lame excuses for not attending.

• I have purchased a field and must go examine it.

• I have purchased 5 yoke of oxen and am on my way to evaluate them.

• I have just married a woman, and therefore I cannot come.

Each of these excuses came from an invited guest preoccupied with their own worldly concerns and showed a complete disregard for the importance of the banquet being offered. The master of the house, in a rage, commanded his servant, “Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.”

Hey, wait a minute! Isn’t that the same group of people that Jesus had suggested would be more appropriate for his host to invite to his dinner? These are the people who “will dine in the Kingdom of God”!

The servant delivers the message, and the guests of lesser social stature arrive.

The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out and still there is room.’ The master then ordered the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows and make people come in that my home may be filled. For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.’

There are several messages tucked into the last part of this parable:

• There is room for more to dine in the Kingdom of God

• Those in need get in by accepting the invitation

• Sometimes persuasion (evangelization and ministering) is needed to ‘make people come’ to the banquet

• Those who make excuses (the original guest list) will NOT be allowed to dine

I hope the rest of the meal at the Pharisees’ house went well.

Today (November 4) is the memorial feast for St. Charles Borromeo. My only prior knowledge of St. Charles Borromeo was the occasional attendance at a Catholic Church in Nigeria bearing his name. So, I dug a little deeper.

He is best known for his pivotal role in the Counter-Reformation and his deep commitment to church reform and pastoral care.

At the age of 12, the young Charles Borromeo dedicated himself to a life of service to the Church. At that time, he received the tonsure (the ‘Friar Tuck’ haircut). His uncle gave him the family income from the Benedictine abbey of Saints Gratinian and Felin. Even as a youth, his integrity was obvious. He was explicit in telling his father that he could only keep the money required for his education and to prepare him for service to the Church. All other funds belonged to the poor of the Church and were to be passed along to them.

In 1559, at the age of 21, Charles earned a doctorate in canon and civil law. Shortly afterward, Borromeo’s uncle, Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Medici, was elected as Pope Pius IV. In early 1560, Charles was “created” cardinal by the Uncle Pope. That turned out to be an excellent decision, because Pope Pius restarted the Council of Trent for the third time. The first two sessions of the Council were less than successful, but under the leadership of Cardinal Charles, the final session of the Council addressed corruption within the Catholic Church and provided direction to revitalize the Church in response to the Protestant Reformation.

In 1564, Charles was appointed Archbishop of Milan. As archbishop, he reformed the clergy, enforced discipline, and improved religious education. He founded seminaries and colleges to train priests and laypeople.

During the plague of 1576–78 in Milan, he remained in the city, organizing relief efforts and distributing a significant portion of his wealth to aid the sick and impoverished.

His feast day is celebrated on November 4, and he was canonized in 1610 by Pope Paul V.

St. Charles Borromeo is the patron saint of bishops, cardinals, seminarians, and spiritual leaders.

Is there a connection between the Saint of the Day and our readings? I believe there is. St. Charles Borromeo used his gifts of organization, persuasion, education, and righteousness to correct flaws in the Catholic Church during his leadership of the third and final session of the Council of Trent. Through education and training opportunities, he made the lives of the religious more effective for the church and less stressful for the clergy. His love for humanity guided his service for those in need. I expect to see him at the banquet in the Kingdom of God.

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Tuesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Numbers 12:1-13
Matthew 14:22-36

“I’M in charge here!” the voice bellowed in the hallway. “No, I’M in charge here!” blasted back a different voice, apparently quite a distance away from where my brother was sitting. I wonder what’s going on, he thought to himself.

Dave had a consulting job with the Indiana Department of Motor Vehicles. His job was to design the architecture for the electronic check processing system to be used by the DMV offices around the state to facilitate payment processing for vehicle registration, license plates, and driver’s licenses, among other things.

It is common for legislatively appropriated funds to arrive at unpredictable times. Once funds reach the department account, notifications are automatically sent to key personnel. It was one of those email blasts that had triggered the shouting match in the hallway; several managers were posturing for their share (or more than their share) of the new pile of cash in their DMV bank account to assure that their individual projects got the funding that they wanted.

A more clearly defined process for the internal distribution of received funds would have reduced the need for the ranting and raving, because the REAL person in charge would have already put guidelines in place for actions to be taken upon receiving payments from the state.

What does this have to do with a reflection on today’s readings?

Let me share some background details that provide context for that reading from Chapter 12 of the Book of Numbers. In addition to the Lord God himself, this Old Testament reading includes Moses, his older sister Miriam, and his older brother Aaron.

Moses has distinguished himself as the leader of the Israelites, delivering them from Egypt at God’s command. At the start of this task, Moses told God that he did not have the gift of speech that would be needed to deliver God’s message to Pharaoh. God directed Moses to use his older brother Aaron as the messenger. This worked out well, with God giving detailed instructions to Moses on what to tell Aaron to do and speak. Aaron would continue in this service through the first three of the ten plagues that God inflicted on Egypt. At that point, Moses had gained the confidence to deliver messages to Pharaoh himself.

Moses continued to talk to God directly, most notably receiving the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. Aaron is appointed as the first High Priest of the Israelites, and subsequent High Priests had to be direct descendants of Aaron. The High Priest played a unique role in the worship conducted in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple in Jerusalem and was recognized as the head of the Israelite priesthood. That didn’t keep Aaron from doing wrong. You may remember it was Aaron who led the efforts to create the “Golden Calf” at the request of the Israelites. This enraged Moses, and God was plenty upset, too. Moses convinces the Lord not to lay waste to the Israelites and start over with a new set of chosen ones. Aaron continues as the High Priest and a leader of those making the Exodus from Egypt.

Miriam was the older sister of both Moses and Aaron. She became known as “the Prophet Miriam” when she led the Israelite women in song following the successful crossing of the parted Red Sea and its subsequent entrapment of the Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and horsemen in Exodus 15.

Today’s first reading from Numbers 12 made me think of the DMV project managers asserting their importance to get preferential treatment. We have Miriam and Aaron speaking against Moses. It initially appears that they are complaining about his marriage to a Cushite woman. Is it because she is a black woman and not “like them”? They don’t dwell on the details because this was, as noted, a pretext, or something to call attention to Miriam and Aaron’s real problem.

They complained, “Is it through Moses alone that the LORD speaks? Does he not speak through us also?” And the LORD heard this. [Numbers 12:2]

Not unlike trying to claim, “WE’RE in charge here!” or at least we are on equal footing with Moses. But that does not seem to be the case.

So at once the LORD said to Moses and Aaron and Miriam: “Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.” And the three of them went. Then the LORD came down in a column of cloud, and standing at the entrance of the tent, called, “Aaron and Miriam.” When both came forward, the LORD said: “Now listen to my words: If there are prophets among you, in visions I reveal myself to them, in dreams I speak to them; Not so with my servant Moses! Throughout my house he is worthy of trust: face to face I speak to him, plainly and not in riddles. The likeness of the LORD he beholds. Why, then, do you not fear to speak against my servant Moses?” [Numbers 12:4-8]

God has delivered a stark answer to how the LORD speaks to Miriam and Aaron and how he speaks to Moses:

• Miriam and Aaron, in their role as prophets to the Israelites, get their messages from God in visions and dreams.

• Moses speaks face to face with the LORD, plainly and not in riddles, and is trusted in all matters.

I guess that means Moses is in charge here!

Should you fear speaking against the LORD’s servant, Moses? Yes, that seems to be the case:

So angry was the LORD against them that when he departed, and the cloud withdrew from the tent, there was Miriam, a snow-white leper! When Aaron turned and saw her a leper, he said to Moses, “Ah, my lord! Please do not charge us with the sin that we have foolishly committed! Let her not thus be like the stillborn babe that comes forth from its mother’s womb with its flesh half consumed.” Then Moses cried to the LORD, “Please, not this! Pray, heal her!” [Numbers 12:10-13]

It probably wasn’t leprosy, but had the unnaturally pale white colored skin of a leper or stillborn baby. It may have been a “think about this” moment from God regarding the initial complaint about Moses and his black-skinned wife. You have to read the last three verses of this chapter to find out that the LORD made the condition last for 7 days, during which Miriam was isolated from the community. After she was taken back, the Israelites continued on their journey.

The Gospel reading today is from Matthew's version of Jesus walking on water. It starts with Jesus staying behind to pray after sending his disciples out in a boat into what becomes a rough, windblown night. Somewhere after 3 am, Jesus is seen walking towards the boat.

When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear. At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.” [Matthew 14:26-33]

“It’s a ghost!” might be roughly synonymous with “I’m NOT in charge here!”

“Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” This sounds like something someone in control of the situation would say. THIS is the “I AM in charge here!” moment.

Reflect on Exodus 3:14: God replied to Moses: I am who I am. Then he added: This is what you will tell the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.

Recall that Peter replied to Jesus, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” There is a problem here from the beginning: the “if” word. A qualifier that suggests at least a degree of doubt. When Jesus replies “Come,” Peter does remarkably well until he becomes distracted by the wind and waves. He loses focus. Peter starts to sink. He cries out, “Lord, save me!”

Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” [Matthew 14:31]

That’s almost like saying, “Peter, you were SO close!”

The Gospel continues: After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.” [Matthew 14:32-33]

They recognized “who’s in charge here”.

Our takeaway message for today is a bit of a two-fer:

• Understand that you don’t need to “be in charge here” to be part of the solution.

• In all things, put your faith in the Lord. He IS in charge here.

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What would perfection look like to God? In the strictest sense, one would have to be able to reply, “I am” to the question, “Are you the Christ?” This suggests that we will never attain perfection.

So, what can we do?

Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
2 Corinthians 8:1-9
Matthew 5:43-48

Today’s gospel is one of 25 distinct teachings from Jesus during the Sermon on the Mount at the beginning of the second year of his public ministry. These teachings include the Beatitudes and the Lord’s Prayer, so there was a lot of information to wrap one’s thoughts around.

This section is often titled “Love of Enemies” and immediately follows the “Teaching About Retaliation” . . . you know, the one about “turn the other cheek.” So, a LOT of guidance is being presented, and hopefully, you are picking up the most important points.

Jesus starts this section by saying: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’” [Matthew 5:43]

That seems right to me. Pretty much baked into the definition of enemy. Early Jewish teaching from Leviticus puts it this way: Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your own people. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. [Leviticus 19:18]

The unsaid and possibly implied corollary is that if your problem is not with your “own people” and not “your neighbor,” you are free to take revenge, cherish a grudge, and hate (not love) those who are not your neighbor.

Jesus has us considering a course correction in his next statement: “But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.” [Matthew 5:44-45]

He gives two examples of how light weight loving your own kind is: “For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same?” [Matthew 5:46-47]

Jews pretty much hated tax collectors and pagans, but tax collectors loved those who loved them, and pagans would greet their own kind. The point Jesus makes is that one is not really going very far to show love only to those who love them or who are their brothers.

The final directive in the gospel reading is: “So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” [Matthew 5:48]

How is this possible?

Perfection conjures up images of a perfect diamond, a perfect gymnastic performance score, the perfect dinner, or the perfectly written reflection. Most of the time, perfection is beyond our reach due to limitations in our skills, training, opportunities, or determination.

What would perfection look like to God? In the strictest sense, one would have to be able to reply, “I am” to the question, “Are you the Christ?” This suggests that we will never attain perfection.

I believe Jesus gave us a hint earlier in the reading. First, he offers himself up as the authority for what follows by asserting, “But I say to you...” Not, “it has been written” or “you have been told,” but this is my message to you.

Then he gives the new and improved commandment to “love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.” Before he gives some examples of God’s universal nature of sunrise and rain for all, Jesus finishes his sentence with the why part of the command, saying “that you may be children of your heavenly Father.”

This is the road to perfection. Be open to the will of God and accept his grace . . . be like children, innocent and trusting.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux, known in English as the Little Flower of Jesus, or simply the Little Flower, was a French Carmelite who has been widely venerated in modern times. In her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, she wrote:

I will seek out a means of getting to Heaven by a little way – very short and very straight little way that is wholly new. We live in an age of inventions; nowadays the rich need not trouble to climb the stairs, they have lifts [elevators] instead. Well, I mean to try and find a lift by which I may be raised unto God, for I am too tiny to climb the steep stairway of perfection ... Thine Arms, then, O Jesus, are the lift which must raise me up even unto Heaven. To get there I need not grow. On the contrary, I must remain little, I must become still less.

In her quest for perfection, she became more childlike, completely surrendering herself to Jesus. How do we do this today?

I found a more perfect reflection than my own, written by Fr. Peter John Cameron, OP, which can be found on the Aleteia website here:

The main trouble is that in trying to obey the Lord’s call to be perfect, we often go about it the wrong way. We buy into the lie that we become perfect by bringing our virtues to God, so that He can validate them. However, our attachment to our virtues prevents us from relying on God, the only one who can fulfill our capacity for perfection. That is the opposite of being perfect. When preoccupied with our goodness — “perfectionism” — we neutralize and nullify God’s goodness. We make mercy moot.

Then what should we do to become perfect? This: Bring God our weakness … our inability … our knowledge of our lack of goodness … our misery. Bring God the hopelessness we face apart from him. When we dare to stop trying to prove how good we are in ourselves … when we dare to rejoice in our very weakness, we are made perfect by God in the same knowledge of our imperfection. It is that humble acknowledgement of our real weakness which moves the Father to share his perfection with us.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s wisdom as a Doctor of the Church radiates in a poignant remark: Perfection seems simple to me: Perfection consists in doing God’s will, in being what he wills us to be. I see it is sufficient to recognize one’s nothingness and to abandon oneself as a child into God’s arms.

Just how is the heavenly Father perfect? St. Thomas Aquinas replies: The perfection of God consists in the most ample love of all people, both good and bad. It consists in gentleness, patience, moderation, and temperance of the appetites: the highest peace and tranquility of soul, so that no injury, wrath, or revenge can affect it; so that one is imperturbable and without passions.

We begin to be perfect when we believe that the Father loves us that way.

We are provided the perfect way to prepare for Holy Communion when at Mass we pray: Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed. And be made perfect.

By Steve Leininger

Our reflections have been tied to the Mass readings for the Saturday following our Wednesday reflection day. This coming Saturday is Holy Saturday, which falls between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. It is a time of reflection and anticipation for Christians. The Easter Vigil Mass, which takes place after sundown on Holy Saturday, properly belongs to Easter Sunday. There is no Saturday mass this week in the Catholic Church. Therefore, we have no readings for today to reflect on!

For my reflection this week, I am taking the "nothing to reflect on" situation as a "choose your own reflection" opportunity.

Specifically, my reflection will be on my All-time Favorite Quotes from the New Testament. I started by making a list of quotes, phrases, and the like that are meaningful to me. Then I rearranged my list into approximately chronological order. Your list most likely would not look the same. There’s a lot that got skipped over. We’ll cover those events, miracles, personalities, inspirations, and lessons weekly as we return to our “regular” reflections next week.

Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy

The birth of Jesus – Christmas! The speaker is an angel, the audience included the shepherds tending their sheep.

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” [Luke 2:10-12]

A longer version of this reading was the basis of Linus’s Christmas Speech from “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” See

This scene was added to the animated special over the objections of the producer and the animator, who believed that Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz had crossed a line in wanting Linus to recite the Bible.

Producer Lee Mendelson recalled, “When [Schulz] said, ‘You know, we’re going to have Linus read from the Bible,’ animator Bill Melendez and I looked at each other and said, ‘Uh oh, that doesn’t sound very good,’ But then Schulz said, ‘Look, if we’re going to do this, we should talk about what Christmas is all about, not just do a cartoon with no particular point of view.’”

Linus takes center stage at a play practice and recites Luke 2:8-14. “And that’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown,” Linus proclaims.

Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?

Mary and Joseph have “lost” Jesus while returning from Jerusalem. They retrace their footsteps back to Jerusalem, finding Jesus in the temple:

Each year his parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.

After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”

And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus advanced [in] wisdom and age and favor before God and man. [Luke 2:41-52]

We know what radio commentator Paul Harvey would have referred to as “the rest of the story.” Jesus was in “his Father’s house”, the temple of the Jewish God in Jerusalem. This episode is our only glimpse of the life of Jesus between his birth in Bethlehem and when he meets up with his cousin John the Baptist when they are both adults in their early 30s. And we DO get what Jesus said in his reply. The other detail in the surrounding verses is that “all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers.”

This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased

God is speaking this time. We are at the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. This follows an introduction to the methods and work of John the Baptist.

It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: “A voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.’” [Matthew 3:3] Yeah, that was a possible candidate for great quotes, but it all gets bested a few verses later with the actual baptism of Jesus: After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened [for him], and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove [and] coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” [Matthew 3:16-17]

I don’t know about you, but I would find the “voice from the heavens” to be authoritative and convincing.

We hear a very similar proclamation from God almost three years later, during the Transfiguration.

You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test

The phrase "you shall not put the Lord your God to the test" originates from Deuteronomy 6:16, where Moses warns the Israelites against testing God as they did at Massah, a place where they doubted God's provision and demanded water. This admonition emphasizes the importance of faith and trust in God's care and provision, rather than challenging His authority or presence.

For my list of greatest quotes, however, I’m thinking of the temptation of Jesus, after his 40 days in the desert. We join the gospel as Satan begins the second of three temptations:

Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you’ and ‘with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.’” [Matthew 4:5-7]

I chose this quote because it seems like REALLY good advice when contemplating bending the rules to your advantage.

Behold, the Lamb of God

John the Baptist was still baptizing with water in the Jordan. Following the baptism of Jesus, John was now testifying that Jesus was “the son of God.” John had many followers, and it would have been normal for them to continue following the Baptist. At the same time, his followers (disciples) had developed a sense of trust and belief in what John preached.

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. [John 1:35-37]

I like this quote because what looks like a simple observation becomes permission for John’s followers to turn to the one who is greater than John the Baptist. Truly the way of the Lord.

Do whatever he tells you

The first miracle of Jesus is known as the Wedding at Cana, where he turned water into wine. This event marked the beginning of his public ministry and demonstrated his supernatural control over physical elements. During the wedding feast, Jesus was present with his mother, Mary, and his disciples, and when the wine ran out, he instructed the servants to fill jars with water, which he then transformed into wine.

The short discourse between Jesus and his mother has Mary’s last words in the Bible and what I feel is THE instructions for all of us:

When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” [And] Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” [John 2:3-5]

“Do whatever he tells you” – that’s pretty much like saying “before starting, read all of the instructions (the gospel of Jesus) and follow them exactly.” To me, the message is more fundamentally important the physical water into wine transformation.

Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men

This is a favorite of mine because of my early memories of the story and song “I Will Make You Fishers of Men (If You Follow Me)” that I learned in Protestant Sunday School. Matthew’s Gospel has these verses:

As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. [Matthew 4:18-20]

I was young and a bit of a “from the pier with a bamboo pole fisherman”, but the readings did not conjure up images of catching men-fish with a pole. I think it was the “follow me” part of the song and verses which was somehow comforting in its guiding leadership and inclusivity. There was also a feeling of being needed to invite more to join in.

You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind

The greatest commandment! When Jesus was tested by the Pharisees, his answer, which originates in the book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament, is somehow simpler to understand and underpins the whole gospel, or Good News, message we receive from Christ.

“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” [Matthew 22:36-40]

This is not new information, but shows a clarity and simplicity that underlie “the whole law.” I like it because it is more poetic and easier to recall than as presented earlier.

Do what you came to do

Judas the betrayer is often thought of as the villain in the death of Jesus. I see it differently. Without the crucifixion, there would have been no resurrection, and the prophecies would have been unfulfilled. Judas had an important part to play in the final hours of Jesus’ life on earth. Jesus knew this, so he did not run away to safety. Jesus and his disciples were in the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus had been praying to the Father, “My Father, if it is not possible that this cup pass without my drinking it, your will be done!” Jesus knew what was going to happen next:

While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived, accompanied by a large crowd, with swords and clubs, who had come from the chief priests and the elders of the people. His betrayer had arranged a sign with them, saying, “The man I shall kiss is the one; arrest him.” Immediately he went over to Jesus and said, “Hail, Rabbi!” and he kissed him. Jesus answered him, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Then stepping forward they laid hands on Jesus and arrested him. [Matthew 26:47-50]

There was no turning back. This was all part of God’s plan. Do what you came to do.

Into your hands I commend my spirit

Perhaps the most solemn and terrifying moment in the New Testament.

Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit,” and when he had said this, he breathed his last. [Luke 23:46]

Oh my! The last words of Jesus in his human incarnation. The words are originally from Psalm 31, where David continues a lamentation that starts with “In you, LORD, I take refuge.” Jesus has finished his purpose on earth and is coming home.

He is not here

Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome were headed to the tomb where Jesus had been laid. Like everyone else, there would have been a sad numbness about what they had witnessed on Friday, two days ago. No one yet understood what was about to be revealed:

On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were utterly amazed. He said to them, “Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold, the place where they laid him. But go and tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.’” Then they went out and fled from the tomb, seized with trembling and bewilderment. They said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. [Mark 16:5-8]

Where does your mind go next? Would you be replaying in you mind any suggestions of what was going to happen on the third day? How many other possibilities would you be entertaining? The only thing you know for sure is that, as the angel said, “he is not here.”

Feed my sheep

Jesus had visited Peter and the others in the upper room on at least two occasions, received the holy spirit, but without their leader, the apostles seemed to lack direction. Peter had returned to fishing. Jesus was standing on the shore, unrecognized by his disciples. No fish had been caught. Jesus instructed them to cast the net again, which was beyond successful. At that moment, the apostle John realized it was Jesus. They all joined the Lord on shore for a meal of fish and bread.

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He then said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” [Jesus] said to him, “Feed my sheep.” [John 21:15-17]

What was going on here? This was Jesus telling Peter to “feed my sheep, " which meant “lead the church.” Time to quit fishing and accept your destiny, leadership of the church. Note that Jesus doesn’t say “help feed my sheep”, or “get someone to tend my sheep”, he says “feed my sheep.” YOU (Peter) are in charge, and I expect you to carry it out as you love me.

Why are you persecuting me?

After the Ascension, Jesus doesn’t make many appearances. The one exception that comes to mind was during the conversion of Saul to the eventual St. Paul, the evangelist and writer that was instrumental to the growth of the church, especially among the gentiles. Jesus’ words to Saul changed his heart, understanding, and direction for Saul and the whole church. Saul was on his way to Damascus to bring early Christians back to Jerusalem in chains:

On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” He said, “Who are you, sir?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, for they heard the voice but could see no one. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus. [Acts 9:3-8]

No one trusts or likes Saul, but in a vision, Jesus tells a disciple in Damascus named Ananias “this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and Israelites and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name.” St. Paul’s prolific results show his complete conversion, which all started with Jesus asking “Why are you persecuting me?”

There are not enough books

OK, I’ll admit there is a LOT of great lessons, verses, gospel readings, miracles, and events that I have not included in my list of favorite or greatest quotes of the New Testament. If I were to do this again, I might have a remarkably different list. So I’ll add one more item to my current list. It’s not a quote, but something John closed his book with:

There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written. [John 21:25]

I’d love to hear your list.

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Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle
1 Peter 5:1-4
Matthew 16:13-19

The Psalm and Gospel readings for today are VERY familiar to most churchgoers. The 23rd Psalm starts with “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want . . .” and the Gospel from Matthew 16 recounts Peter’s answer when Jesus asks, “But who do you say I am?”

Add to that the first reading from 1 Peter “exhorting” his “fellow presbyters” to tend their flocks and lead by example.

It might be easy to drift off into a pastoral scene of sheep and lambs grazing in “verdant pastures”. Maybe we could even sit down, for today is the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, Apostle.

OK, that’s not ordinary – it’s a Feast. We know a lot about Peter, a staple in the New Testament. But what is the “Chair of St. Peter”? It turns out there are THREE chairs in this story.

Let’s dive a little deeper into today’s readings.

The first reading is from the First Epistle of Peter. The letter was generally addressed to gentile Christians in Asia Minor, now the western half of Turkey. The reading for February 22 is at the beginning of the last chapter and was explicitly addressed to the local “presbyters,” the officially appointed leaders and teachers of the Christian community. We might consider them to be early parish priests.

Beloved:

I exhort the presbyters among you,
as a fellow presbyter and witness to the sufferings of Christ
and one who has a share in the glory to be revealed.
Tend the flock of God in your midst,
overseeing not by constraint but willingly,
as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly.
Do not lord it over those assigned to you,
but be examples to the flock.
And when the chief Shepherd is revealed,
you will receive the unfading crown of glory. [1 Peter 5:1-4]

The main point Peter makes is to “tend the flock of God in your midst” and “be (a good) example to the flock” so that each early leader will “receive the crown of glory when the chief Shepherd is revealed”.

This is an excellent example of Peter being an example.

NOT today’s gospel

In the last chapter of the Gospel of John, we hear the story of the disciples not being very successful, having returned from being fishers of men to their previous occupation of fishers of fish (fishermen, as we would call them). The unrecognized Jesus suggests that they cast their nets one more time. You know the story: LOTS of fish! The disciples recognize that Jesus is on the shore. This is the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead.

As you will recall, Peter had denied Jesus 3 times before the crucifixion, and it wasn’t clear that he was back in “good graces” with the Risen Lord. The Gospel continues:

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”

He then said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”

He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” [Jesus] said to him, “Feed my sheep.” [John 21:15-17]

Do parts of this sound like the reading from 1st Peter? Just as Jesus directed Peter to feed his lambs, tend his sheep, and feed his sheep, Peter also charged his fellow presbyters to “tend the flock of God in your midst.”

Peter has been redeemed and can now reclaim the keys to the kingdom. What??

Back to today’s readings

Let us continue today’s readings with Psalm 23. The Davidic Psalm starts with “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want… ” The “I shall not want” means “there is nothing I lack”; God is caring for or shepherding me. The whole psalm expresses the loving care we witness as sheep being led, fed, and cared for by a loving God. Just like everything Jesus instructed Peter to do.

Today’s gospel reading happens shortly after feeding the 4000 and some less-than-productive dialog with the Pharisees and Sadducees.

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi
he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter said in reply,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” [Matthew 16:13-19]

This was a test of sorts. “But who do you say that I am?”

Peter did not wait in awkward silence but instead replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This was not a talking point in any of Jesus’ sermons. No one other than John the Baptist and Mary, the mother of the Lord, knew this. It must have been revealed to Peter by God, the heavenly Father. Jesus at that moment puts Peter in charge.

“You are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Jesus will give Peter “the keys to the Kingdom of heaven” and the power to make binding decisions regarding the use of said keys. This might be the shortest job description ever. It is, in essence, the role of the Pope as we know it today. The Chairman, or Chair, of the church. The leader, example, and shepherd.

Do you remember how we started down this rabbit hole? Today’s readings are for the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, Apostle. So here we are. During this feast, we are celebrating the office of the Pope and the lineage of all popes from when Peter was the bishop of Rome.

But I started with a teaser that this feast actually has three chairs. The following two chairs in this feast are in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City.

If you were to look beyond the second altar to the back of the Basilica, you would see a sculpted gilt bronze oversized chair or throne designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and constructed between 1647 and 1653. In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI described the chair as "a symbol of the special mission of Peter and his Successors to tend Christ's flock, keeping it united in faith and in charity." The back of the chair has a relief depicting Jesus instructing Peter to feed and tend his sheep.

Words don’t do it justice. It’s about 7 meters (23 feet or so) tall. Too tall to actually sit in. Its primary purpose was to honor and protect the item inside

.

This way-oversized throne is a reliquary or a container for a relic. So, what’s inside? The Chair of St. Peter is the “third chair” in today’s celebration

The relic is described as an oaken chair damaged by cuts and worms. Missing pieces are thought to have been removed as relics. The chair has metal rings attached to each side, allowing poles to be inserted to carry the chair and its occupant on the shoulders.

The wooden throne was a gift from Emperor of the Romans, Charles the Bald, to Pope John VIII in 875. It has been studied many times over the years, most recently between 1968 and 1974. The study concluded that it was not a double but a single chair with a covering and that the oldest parts are from the 6th century.

There you have it. We have two physical reminders, both chairs, of St. Peter and his founding service to the church, and we celebrate him as the first pope and the continuing office of the papacy. Three chairs for today’s feast. The popes have been the shepherd for God’s flock for almost 2000 years.

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Memorial of Saint John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11
Matthew 17:9-13

“Are you Elijah?”

That was the question posed to John the Baptist by priests and Levites sent by the Jews in Jerusalem in the first chapter of the Gospel of John. Why in the world would they ask something like that?

Image by Thomas

John the Baptist was drawing great crowds into the wilderness to be baptized in water. If John was not the Messiah (which he had denied just before this) perhaps he was the messenger of their Old Testament readings from the works of Malachi.

Malichi in chapter 3 gave, among other things, these messages to the people of Israel:

Now I am sending my messenger—
he will prepare the way before me; [Malachi 3:1]

Remember the law of Moses my servant,
whom I charged at Horeb
With statutes and ordinances
for all Israel. [Malachi 3:22]

Now I am sending to you
Elijah the prophet,
Before the day of the LORD comes,
the great and terrible day;
He will turn the heart of fathers to their sons,
and the heart of sons to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike
the land with utter destruction. [Malachi 3:23-24]

The priests expected that the Lord would send a messenger, identified as the prophet Elijah, before “the day of the Lord”. There was possibly an air of cautious optimism that this was indeed happening.

But in the book of John, John the Baptist says he is not Elijah.

The priests need to have some kind of answer to take back to Jerusalem. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

John the Baptist replies:

“I am ‘the voice of one crying out in the desert,
“Make straight the way of the Lord,”’
as Isaiah the prophet said.” [John 1:23]

Today’s first reading was an interesting choice to support the Gospel reading.

It is from the book of Sirach, one of the books found in Catholic versions of the Bible, but not in most protestant versions. Written in Hebrew in the early years of the second century B.C., the book was finished by about 175 B.C., well after the last book in the Old Testament, Malachi. Chapters 1–43 deal largely with moral instruction; Chapters 44-50 contain a eulogy of the heroes of Israel.

It seems that the reading from Sirach is used to present the highlights of Elijah’s accomplishments that can be studied in detail in the in 1 Kings 17-19 and 2 Kings 1-2. It’s a bit like a Cliff’s Notes of who was who in the Old Testament.

Unlike the verses in the two books of Kings, Sirach includes this in its summary of Elijah:

You are destined, it is written, in time to come
to put an end to wrath before the day of the LORD,
To turn back the hearts of parents toward their children,
and to re-establish the tribes of Israel. [Sirach 48:10]

Now that we have gotten some grounding in the Gospel of John, the Old Testament books of Malachi, Sirach, and a touch of Isaiah, let’s catch up with today’s gospel reading from Matthew 17:9, which starts out:

As they were coming down from the mountain,
the disciples asked Jesus,
"Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"

I feel like I’ve joined this event already in progress, like when you get are returned to “normal TV programming” after a football game that went into overtime. Who is the “they” coming down from the mountain? Did something notable just happen? Inquiring minds want to know. Backing up to the beginning of Matthew chapter 17 we have:

After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid.

But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone. [Matthew 17:1-8]

Yes, this was the Transfiguration of Jesus. OK, that’s some bit of context to work with. Peter, James, and yet another John have now come to understand that Jesus is really truly the Messiah. Now they have questions, because, as they understood it, the prophet Elijah was to come as a messenger first. What gives? Let’s read today’s gospel one more time:

As they were coming down from the mountain,
the disciples asked Jesus,
"Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"
He said in reply, "Elijah will indeed come and restore all things;
but I tell you that Elijah has already come,
and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased.
So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands."
Then the disciples understood
that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. [Matthew 9a, 10-13]

First, Jesus agrees that to fulfill the prophecy to the coming of the Lord that the Elijah must come first as a messenger. But then he says that already happened, and that the messenger was not recognized, so they “did to him whatever they pleased” – in this case, Harrod had John the Baptist beheaded. The Son of Man, Jesus, will also suffer at their hands.

So the priests and Levites may have been correct in their thoughts that John the Baptist might be Elijah. But don’t just take that as idle speculation. There was a reveal earlier in Matthew. While the disciples off on a mission (Matthew 10) and John the Baptist was still alive in prison, we have this:

Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing? Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces. Then why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written:

‘Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you.’ Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force.

All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come. Whoever has ears ought to hear. [Matthew 11:7-15]

The disciples were NOT there. Jesus was laying out the details to “whoever has ears”, that is, those who had the faith and perception necessary to “hear” the message. Apparently, his words fell on deaf ears.

Today’s readings are a bit of a history lesson and chance to share in the “aha moment” with the disciples as they connect the dots on their realization that they are seeing the prophesies playing out in real time. In response to the disciples’ question about the expected return of Elijah, Jesus interprets the mission of the Baptist as the fulfillment of that expectation.

They have heard the voice calling out in the wilderness. It was Elijah!

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The message is one of fearlessness in the face of persecution, even that leading to death. Luke will continue to promote the holy Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles, as the power responsible for the guidance of the Christian mission and the source of courage in the face of persecution.

Memorial of Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs
Ephesians 1:15-23
Luke 12:8-12

In the Catholic Church, October 19 is designated the Memorial of Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs.

That’s quite a mouthful. I will admit to being somewhat uninformed about who is being memorialized and why they might be important. One name on the list seemed familiar. Brebeuf High School was a Catholic high school in northern Indianapolis, Indiana when I was growing up there. Founded in 1962, they were notable for being: 1) Catholic; 2) boys only (as a Jesuit prep school); and 3) a sometimes spoiler for other high school’s football or basketball seasons.

Image by Foundry Co

I looked them up. They still refer to themselves as Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, admit a wide range of religions (now about 50% non-Catholic), young men and women, and according to their athletics page, are quite competitive in many sports at the state level. To travel further down this rabbit hole, go to https://www.brebeuf.org/

Yes, the school was named after Saint John de Brébeuf. Sounds French to me. Let’s find out what the readings didn’t tell us today.

Nearly 400 years ago

The French Jesuits Fathers Jérôme Lalemant and Jean de Brébeuf established the settlement Sainte-Marie among the Hurons in the land of the Wendat, near modern Midland, Ontario, in 1639. It was the first European settlement in what is now the province of Ontario. The fortified missionary settlement acted as a center and base of operations for Jesuit as they worked amongst the Huron. It also provided an example of a functioning European community to the Huron.

The Jesuits preached the Christian Gospel to the Huron, often adapting the story to local customs and symbols. One of the most famous examples of this was the "Huron Carol", a Christmas hymn written by Jean de Brébeuf. A translated version of this song remains popular in Canadian churches to this day.

The founding of the mission led to division amongst the Huron, with conflict between those who converted to Christianity and those who maintained traditional beliefs. Infectious disease, an unintended result of first contact between the Jesuits, their farm animals and the tribe, served to further the gap between the traditional Huron and the missionaries.

2 Indian tribes

While the Huron tribe spoke Iroquioan, they were not part of the Iroquioan League of 5 Nations. One of the member tribes, the Mohawks, particularly hated the Huron tribe and the French. The nations of the Iroquois Confederacy considered the Jesuits legitimate targets of their raids and warfare, as the missionaries were nominally allies of the Huron and French fur traders. Retaliating for French colonial attacks against the Iroquois was also a reason for their raids against the Huron and Jesuits. By 1649 the weakened Huron nation was little match for the strengthened Iroquois, who had used their trading alliances with the Dutch to gain firearms.

8 Jesuits

The North American Martyrs, also known as the Canadian Martyrs, were eight Jesuit missionaries from Sainte-Marie among the Hurons. They were ritually tortured and killed on various dates between 1642 and 1649. The first three were killed in what is now upstate New York, with the remaining 5 killed in what is now southern Ontario. They have subsequently been canonized and venerated as martyrs by the Catholic Church in 1930.

The eight missionaries were St. René Goupil (1642), St. Isaac Jogues (1646), St. Jean de Lalande (1646), St. Antoine Daniel (1648), St. Jean de Brébeuf (1649), St. Gabriel Lalemant, . St. Charles Garnier (1649), and (1649). St. Noël Chabanel (1649).

Perseverance and Martyrdom

Fr. Isaac Jogues was notable in his martyrdom, because it was a 4-year journey of torture, travel, and faith. Jogues was originally captured by the Mohawks in 1642 along with René Goupil and several Christian Hurons. In retaliation for comforting a tortured travelling companion, the Mohawk beat Jogues with sticks, tore out his fingernails, then gnawed the ends of his fingers until finger bones were visible. The war party then took their captives on a journey to a Mohawk village where they were marched through a gauntlet, consisting of rows of Iroquois beat the prisoners with rods and sticks. Afterward, the Iroquois forced Jogues and the prisoners onto an elevated platform where they were mocked. A captive Algonquin woman was forced to cut off Jogues' thumb. The torture continued as they were moved from one village to another. Throughout his captivity, Jogues comforted, baptized, heard confession from, and absolved the other prisoners. René Goupil died of injuries after almost 2 months of captivity and torture.

Isaac Jogues was held in captivity for almost a year until a Dutch businessman secured his release in the autumn of 1943. Jogues returned to France. Pope Urban VIII considered Jogues a "living martyr" and gave him dispensation to say Mass with his mutilated hand. Under Catholic Church law of the time, the Blessed Sacrament could not be touched with any fingers but the thumb and forefinger. Jogues was unable to follow this law after losing two fingers while in Iroquois captivity, resulting in the requirement for dispensation by the pope. After a year and a half in France, Jogues returned to the Quebec, then back to the land of the Huron.

He took on the role of French ambassador to the Mohawk, who held him in great suspicion. On 18 October 1646, the Mohawk killed Jogues with a tomahawk; they killed Jean de Lalande the next day and dumped both bodies in the Mohawk River.

Relations between the Mohawk and the French missionaries never improved.

Burning of Sainte-Marie

On June 16, 1649, the missionaries chose to burn the mission rather than risk it being desecrated or permanently overrun by Iroquois in further attacks. Father Paul Ragueneau wrote, “We ourselves set fire to it, and beheld burn before our eyes and in less than one hour, our work of nine or ten years.”

Today’s readings

In today’s first reading from the first chapter of Ephesians, St. Paul is giving a message of prayer and thanksgiving. He is clearly pleased to hear of the faith in Jesus and the love for all the holy ones the Ephesians were experiencing. Paul prays for wisdom and revelation about God and His purpose, emphasizing the hope we have in Him, the richness of His inheritance for believers, the immeasurable greatness of His power towards us, and the absolute supremacy of Christ over all things, including the church.

During the ministry of the French Jesuits to the Hurons, this kind of recognition of growing faith in the Indians would have contributed to the tenacity that the Jesuits displayed in continuing their mission in the face of possible death at the hands of the Iroquois.

The gospel reading for today is directly preceded with Jesus telling his disciples,

“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops. I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more.” [Luke 12:2-4]

The message is one of fearlessness in the face of persecution, even that leading to death. Part of our second reading gives assurances that the holy Spirit with be there when the going gets tough. Jesus continues:

“Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For the holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.” [Luke 12:10-12]

When the Jesuits are forced to defend their actions, their task to spread the good news, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the holy Spirit will keep them safe.

Luke will continue to promote the holy Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles, as the power responsible for the guidance of the Christian mission and the source of courage in the face of persecution.

But John 15:13 probably said it best: No one can have greater love than to lay down his life for his friends.

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