Friday

28th Week in Ordinary Time, Friday

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In yesterday‘s Gospel Our Lord condemned the Pharisees and scribes for not listening to the Word of God or sharing it with others, and, true to form, they then directed their hostility toward Jesus and sought to discredit him publicly and silence him. Huge crowds were coming to listen to him now, and in today’s Gospel he encourages his disciples to avoid another obstacle to sharing his Word with others: fear and persecution. The religious authorities in this moment are hostile to Our Lord, and, therefore, they’ll be hostile to his disciples. Our Lord is not only preparing them for the present moment, but for the moment when he is not with them, when, as recounted in the Acts of the Apostles, they are locked in a room for fear of the Jews.

Throughout the world today there are still Christians who must whisper his Word, and in many cultures the predominant attitude and mentality would like Christians to stay behind closed doors and not proclaim Our Lord from the rooftops or the public square. Jesus reminds us today that we shouldn’t fear physical or social death, but losing his Word in our hearts and, in so doing, losing our souls. He doesn’t leave us alone in this; he reminds us that Our Heavenly Father watches even the individual hairs on our head. Those disciples locked in that room for the fear of the Jewsr received an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost and went out a boldly proclaimed the Gospel at the risk of their lives. The Father sees our struggles and difficulties. If we remain faithful to the Word, we will receive the strength to proclaim it from the rooftops without fear, just as many Christians today suffering persecution and risking their lives are doing.

Let’s pray for persecuted Christians, and let’s pray that public opinion and scrutiny in so-called “civilized”countries do not make us keep our faith quiet and locked behind closed doors.

Readings: Romans 4:1–6; Psalm 32:1b–2, 5, 11; Luke 12:1–7.

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27th Week in Ordinary Time, Friday

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In today’s Gospel the crowds are starting to become suspicious about what really powers the miracles of Jesus. He’s just cast out a demon and the rumors spread that he himself is doing it because he’s in league with Beelzebub. He’s performed a sign, but they doubt whether it’s a sign from Heaven. Our Lord responds with common sense: why would Beelzebub help reduce the influence of his fellow demons by casting them out? That would be done from a position of weakness, not strength, because it would show a kingdom divided. He also questions why they are suspicious of his ability to drive out demons when they have others with this gift as well.

Defense of our souls, our “home” requires ongoing strength, not just a one-time assist from Our Lord. The enemy of our souls will always try to retake lost ground and make us worse than before. Any solider will tell you it’s not just a matter of taking the hill, but of holding onto it. Our Lord reminds us that he wants to help keep those enemies out of our soul, but it requires an ongoing “treaty” with him. On our own we’ll easily be overwhelmed and lose whatever he has helped us to gain.

Let’s ask Our Lord today not only to help us achieve the conquest of a holy life, but to hold onto the gains we’ve made and advance in holiness.

Readings: Joel 1:13–15, 2:1–2; Psalm 9:2–3, 6, 8–9, 16; Luke 11:15–26.

25th Week in Ordinary Time, Friday

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In today’s First Reading the Lord is encouraging the Israelites to not be discouraged because the Temple they are rebuilding will not have the same opulence or size as the first Temple that was destroyed when they were taken into exile. Through Haggai the Lord promises that blessings will fill it in a way that shakes up the world. The opulence of the Temple does not matter; the presence of the Lord and his Spirit is what matters, and he is with them.

When Our Lord today sounds out the disciples about the rumor mill surrounding him, and then what they think, they show an expectation of glory from whom they believe to be the “Christ of God”: the Messiah. Like the second Temple, they may experience discouragement when they realize how the Christ must accomplish his mission: it will shake them when the Messiah suffers and dies, but it will be a source of abundant fruits, just as the Lord promised through Haggai. The Lord himself will become that Temple from which the treasures of Baptism and the Eucharist flow, but only when the order of things is shaken up and in the eyes of the world a simple criminal is punished and executed.

We know in faith and hope that Our Lord will fulfill all our expectations, but also that sometimes it happens in a way we’d have never anticipated. Let’s renew our faith in the power of Our Savior today in order to weather whatever he needs to shake up in order to fill the world with his blessings. It may seem small, even insignificant in the eyes of the world, but it’ll be powerful.

Readings: Haggai 2:1–9; Psalm 43:1–4; Luke 9:18–22. See also 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B.

24th Week in Ordinary Time, Friday

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The mention of holy women in today’s Gospel underscores their importance not only to the first generations of believers, but to us as well. Some of these same women on the day of the Resurrection were the first witnesses of the Risen Lord, because as they followed him and served him today, so they sought to do him one last service when he was laid in the tomb, and ended up giving the news to the Apostles. Their example teaches us the good traits of every disciple: gratitude, generosity, and service.

They’ve been blessed by healing in their life, and they show their appreciation with gratitude. Maybe the blessings we’ve received haven’t been as dramatic as someone like Mary Magdalene, but they are a cause for gratitude. These blessings prompt them to respond with generosity: the holy women helped Jesus and the other disciples out of their own resources. It’s likely that their names are mentioned here alongside the Twelve not only to be remembered, but also for the first hearers of Luke’s Gospel to know how they came to know and follow Our Lord after meeting them or hearing about them. Lastly, this gratitude and generosity are translated into service: they don’t just stay home and send care packages. They follow Our Lord and serve him and the Twelve in their work of proclaiming the Gospel. Everyone has a role in the work of evangelization.

Let’s ask Our Lord to grow in gratitude, generosity, and service, inspired by the example of these holy women.

Readings: 1 Timothy 6:2c–12; Psalm 49:6–10, 17–20; Gospel Luke 8:1–3.

23rd Week in Ordinary Time, Friday

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If a blind man were to offer to help you cross the street you would either charitably decline, think he was crazy, or maybe convince yourself he had super powers. We live in a society where people seek the virtuous thing to do, the logical thing to do, or the craziest thing to do, and are willing to get advice from or give advice to anyone. People can supposedly all follow a truth that doesn’t need to agree with the truth of others, and, as a result, a lot of people with partial views stumble around in the dark when they should all be seeking profounder truths.

Our Lord in today’s Gospel reminds us that we must try to see and live clearly before helping others, or it will be a case of the blind leading the blind. We have to invest time, prayer, and reflection to determine the solid foundation on which to live and to be guided. We can’t just invent this on our own: we need help from Our Lord, and we need help from solid people and solid traditions. As St. Paul recalls in the First Reading, out of his ignorance and disbelief he became a persecutor and lead others to join him in his quest. Our Lord dramatically intervened in his case to help him see how blind he really was.

Let’s pray today for everyone to receive the grace to see clearly and live clearly in order to find the best role models and be the best role models for others.

Readings: 1 Timothy 1:1–2, 12–14; Psalm 16:1b–2a, 5, 7–8, 11; Luke 6:39–42.