As Lazarus lay with outstretched arm, the rich man, held all within his grip; pursuing his designs, above All, making no matter of Lazarus.
Living well, thinking well of himself, dwelling in the lap of luxury, the rich man, held up by many things, could not see the Beat within his heart.
Rich man? We all do what we will do. Lazarus? Raised up, received his due, dignity and comfort came his way, Abraham by his side in Heaven.
And while things can still be bought and sold, the most important and precious ones, worth their weight in gold, are born of Grace, arriving on the wings of mercy.
Blessed is he who keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets captives free.
The Lord gives sight to the blind; the Lord raises up those who were bowed down. The Lord loves the just; the Lord protects strangers.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains, but the way of the wicked he thwarts. The Lord shall reign forever; your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia. – Psalm 146:7-10
September 21 is the feast day of St. Matthew, the tax collector turned disciple. It is Matthew’s home at which Jesus and his disciples are having dinner, among, “many tax collectors and sinners” (Mt 9:10), when the following exchange occurs:
The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” He heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” – Matthew 9:11-13
If you were Matthew or a dinner guest at his house and witnessed this exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees, how would you feel, and what would you make of Jesus’s words? How about if you were a Pharisee? A disciple? Envision yourself in the shoes of the different people present or groups represented.
While there can be a wide range of perspectives and experiences in earthly regards, looking beyond that, what do you see or sense as a common bond or thread between them all?
Next, take some time to remember and pray with some of your experiences of compassion, forgiveness, and kindness. What’s it like to reflect on instances in which you received mercy, as well as the ones where you exhibited mercy toward another, as originating from the heart of God, for whom nothing is impossible? Not only that, but also to consider that these instances involved your cooperation with God, through whom anything is possible?
Share with the Lord what’s on your mind and in your heart as you contemplate his words.
In the Gospel for the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, St. Luke writes:
Jesus said to his disciples: “The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours? No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon.” – Luke 16:10-13
Continuing to pray with your experiences of mercy, reflect on God’s grace and the extent to which honesty, trust, and trustworthiness, have helped or aided you toward receiving and extending compassion, kindness, and the benefit of the doubt to yourself and others. Ask the Lord to help you to see clearly your areas of growth, and to gently acknowledge, and commit to cooperation with Grace in, areas in need of conversion.
What wisdom is waiting on you today?
Closing prayer: Hallelujah! Praise, you servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord both now and forever. From the rising of the sun to its setting let the name of the Lord be praised. High above all nations is the Lord; above the heavens his glory. Who is like the Lord our God, enthroned on high, looking down on heaven and earth? He raises the needy from the dust, lifts the poor from the ash heap, Seats them with princes, the princes of the people, Gives the childless wife a home, the joyful mother of children. Hallelujah! – Psalm 113:1-9
“The Holy Scriptures were not given to us that we should enclose them in books, but that we should engrave them upon our hearts.” ― St. John Chrysostom
Praying with the scripture readings for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Numbers 21:4b-9; Psalm 78:1b-2, 34-38; Philippians 2:6-11; and John 3:3-17), contemplate what it means to engrave them upon your heart.
In the First Reading, we hear of the Israelites, at wit’s end, upset by their situation in the desert, and making it known to Moses. We also learn of the punishing arrival of saraph serpents, leading to the surmise of many, and the subsequent realization of sin and prayer for relief. Following this, Moses prays for the people to be spared from the serpents, and the Lord replies, “Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and if any who have been bitten look at it, they will live.” (Numbers 21:8).
What do you make of the notion that to be cured, or to overcome the serpent’s bite, requires looking at the bronze serpent mounted on the pole?
Take some time to consider a situation or area in which your patience is worn thin, or where you have been bitten. What has your reaction or response been? And how might you ask for, and receive, God’s grace to move toward peace and healing—a better way?
The response for the Psalm (Psalm 78:1b-2, 34-38) is, “Do not forget the works of the Lord!” (Ps 78:7b). Like it was in the desert for the Israelites and Moses, it can be tempting for anyone to react or respond out of feelings of discontent or anger, when it feels like needs are not being met or answers are nowhere to be found. This psalm invites us to recall what is true. None of us are without mistakes and missteps along the way. Still though, God is merciful and forgiving. This psalm encourages us to recall and remember the ways that God has been, and is, steadfast toward us.
Think about your experience of God turning something bad into something good?
Throughout the week, in moments with or without concern or upset, pause to acknowledge and give praise to God for God’s faithfulness to you. Allow yourself the space and invite God into it, to help you to see the entire picture, and to remember what is true.
In the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians (Philippians 2:6-11), it is written:
Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Continuing to pray with the thoughts, feelings, and situations that have come to mind and heart thus far, where might the words emptied, humbled, exalted, and bestowed—the past tense verbs used by St. Paul to describe actions of Jesus and God—be applicable or come into play? Ask the Lord to help you to identify ways that these words operate in your life, and what purpose they might be serving.
Turning to the Gospel passage (John 3:13-17), Jesus is mid-conversation with Nicodemus, a Pharisee who has come to see Jesus in the darkness of night. Nicodemus is trying to understand what Jesus means by, “no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” (Jn 3:3).
What does being born from above mean to you?
For the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, we are reminded of where, and who, we currently are—our place as well as our call—eternal life through Jesus.
In the Gospel passage, Jesus refers to Moses lifting up the bronze serpent in the desert and says, “so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” (Jn 3:14-15). He knows that Nicodemus will be familiar with and understand what has been written in Scripture. However, an earmark of Jesus is to elevate and help us along toward living Scripture. This is what he is trying to do, when he follows up with:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” (Jn 3:16-17).
Enter into conversation with Jesus about these two verses, inviting him to elevate and help you along in your journey toward living Scripture, or living it more fully. When your prayer time comes to a close, add the following:
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your Cross you have redeemed the world. – St. Francis of Assisi
In the Gospel passage for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jesus says to his disciples,
“Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” – Luke 12:51
It’s not that Jesus wants there to be division, but rather that he knows reality.
One cannot get to peace by holding fast to anything or anyone other than God. And peace, like love, when honest and true, flows through to us by the grace of God, continues with our cooperation, and connects one and all. There’s always an extension onto others.
However, when one looks to differentiate, judge, or draw hard lines, venturing or being led away from grace, the extension gets cut off. For the peace and love of God does not occur in strict isolation, or in a single caste. Similarly, it cannot be had where there is holding back, or where humility lacks.
Take some time to pray with and consider how you experience peace and love. Express to the Lord your thoughts and feelings about the experiences that come to mind.
Next, ask the Lord for guidance and insight as to the ways that what you say and do, and what you don’t say and don’t do, are or can be an extension of the peace and love that has been bestowed to you. Allow yourself time to reflect on this and to hold a conversation with Jesus.
Envision sitting together in a place of quiet solitude. Share with Jesus whatever it is that you need at this moment. Ask Jesus to reveal any blind spots that may be interfering or leading you away from cooperating with God’s grace. What holds you back?
When the conversation reaches its end, picture yourself looking into Jesus’s eyes and feeling his peace radiating throughout you. Your heart is on fire. Jesus smiles gently at you—living faith.
We are living faith, through the choices that we make.
Like the lily In that One pond, Live in service, Remain faithful To creation.
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. – Colossians 3:12-14
Victory, that is, true happiness—joy—can never be had in isolation, or at the expense of another’s wellbeing.
The readings for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time call attention not only to the degree of God’s mercy and compassion, but also to the Lord’s openness to dialogue and mutual respect, as well as calling attention to the degree that living through and embracing the way of love, mercy, and compassion on behalf of others makes all the difference, playing part in salvation—individual and collective.
In the first reading (Genesis 18:20-32), there is discussion between the Lord and Abraham about Sodom and Gomorrah, the twin sin cities. The Lord can surely do whatever, whenever. However, that is not God’s way. In this passage, we see another example of God engaging with humanity, in response to seeing what’s going on in the two cities.
What do you make of the Lord desiring to bring Abraham along as he looks more closely?
The Lord not only listens to what Abraham has to say, but also receives it without offense, and honestly considers it with great openness and humility.
What’s it like to put yourself in Abraham’s shoes? Envision yourself in the setting and saying to the Lord:
“Will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous people in the city; would you really sweep away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people within it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike! Far be it from you! Should not the judge of all the world do what is just?” (v. 23-25).
In the verses that follow, Abraham continues to question the Lord. He asks 5 more times, referring to equally less quantities of righteous among the unrighteous. This back and forth ends with the following:
“But he persisted: ‘Please, do not let my Lord be angry if I speak up this last time. What if ten are found there?’ For the sake of the ten, he replied, I will not destroy it.” (v. 32).
Throughout this passage, one can see that the Lord does not grow impatient with Abraham, nor does he shut down the conversation, berate or demean him.
What strikes you most about the exchange between the Lord and Abraham?
The passage in the first reading can be referred to as “Abraham intercedes for Sodom.”
Think of a situation that you’re aware of and that is of concern to you. Pray for grace to receive the Lord’s view with openness and humility, without taking offense or turning away from questions and challenges but instead facing them with patience and a focus on what is truly right and just.
In the Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 138:1-3,6-8), the response is, “Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.” (v. 3a). The entirety of verse 3 is,
“On the day I cried out, you answered; you strengthened my spirit.”
Reflecting on what you intercede for, spend some time crying out to the Lord, and expressing a desire for your spirit to be strengthened in the Lord. Invite the Lord to help you to see the places where you and He are on the same page, and the places where you may vary.
In verses 12-14 of chapter 2 of the Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians, the second reading, we are reminded of the life-giving power of being baptized in the Lord. Nothing is insurmountable to spiritual wellbeing in and through the Lord. St. Paul writes in part,
“And even when you were dead in transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he brought you to life along with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions;” (v. 13).
Notice which phrase in the verse above grabs your attention. Considering this phrase amid earthly cares, how might the Lord be inviting you to greater peace and harmony? And how might you extend greater peace and harmony to others?
In the Gospel (Luke 11:1-13), Jesus’s response to a disciple’s request of, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” (v. 1) is:
“When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.” (v. 2-4)
It’s important to remember that to live authentically and to truly overcome obstacles, one must consider who is being lifted up from words/actions. How is something giving glory to God? Who is benefiting and to what extent? And, in what ways does it fit in with the Lord’s example of love, mercy, and compassion to oneself and others?
Going back to the concern you were praying about, ask the Lord to help you to see (or to reaffirm for you) what’s most important, or what the final test is, in the situation. Take time to share and rest in the Lord with your thoughts and feelings on this, and to receive and desire to carry forward His.
The Gospel passage continues with Jesus giving an example of two friends, one asking the other for loaves of bread in the middle of the night. Jesus says,
“I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.” (v. 8)
Returning to your prayer, where, or with whom, does the bulk of your concern lie? Is it with yourself, others, a mix, or something else? Ask the Lord to reveal to you, from moment to moment throughout each day, the spot(s) to invest your time and energy. Where is greater persistence needed? How might you need the Lord’s help in this area?
“And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” – Luke 11:9-13
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