Year II

14th Week in Ordinary Time, Saturday, Year II

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In today’s First Reading Isaiah experiences the Lord’s enormity and his own unworthiness to be his messenger. It is a recurring theme in the Old Testament that anyone who should look upon the Lord’s face would die. Isaiah thinks his moment of judgment is at hand. Imagine his surprise when the angel declares him cleansed from his sin and Isaiah eagerly offers himself to be the Lord’s prophet.

In today’s Gospel we see Our Lord encouraging his disciples to be his messengers and to not be afraid of the treatment they’ll receive when they share what they’ve heard and stand up for him. The Lord’s enormity does not mean only transcendence or distance from his creatures: he is close to us, by becoming man, but also because he cares for all of creation and especially us, his most beloved creations.

Through the Lord’s loving care, in his Providence and in Person through his Son, we have nothing to fear. Let’s be his disciples with the same enthusiasm we’ve seen today in Isaiah.

Readings: Isaiah 6:1–8; Psalm 93:1–2, 5; Matthew 10:24–33. See also 14th Week in Ordinary Time, Saturday.

14th Week in Ordinary Time, Friday, Year II

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There are still many places throughout the world where Christians must follow Our Lord’s admonition to flee persecution. Believers in some countries are ostracized by their family and friends for being Christians, and in others are subjected to violence, imprisonment, and death, even at the hands of their loved ones, for what they believe. Imagine a culture where the Good News is seen as bad. When there is no societal support, either in public or in private, we must be prudent, and also entrust ourselves to the Holy Spirit in order to persevere.

Shrewdness and simplicity don’t seem to go together, but Our Lord expects us to show both. Christians are accused at times of being mindless sheep, but if we consider the impressive cultural contributions made by Christians throughout history this caricature simply does not stand. It is our simplicity that ensures we don’t turn our shrewdness into a lack of charity and concern for others; it keeps us from becoming jaded in the face of persecution and ridicule, as well as helping us to maintain a healthy dose of common sense that is so necessary when facing outlooks on life today that are more and more sophistical.

The Holy Spirit helps us maintain a balance between shrewdness and simplicity, even when our convictions are on trial. Let’s ask the Spirit to give us the words that proclaim the Gospel in good times as well as bad, and to watch over Christian refugees suffering throughout the world due to their faith.

Readings: Hosea 14:2–10; Psalm 51:3–4, 8–9, 12–14, 17; Matthew 10:16–23. See also 28th Week in Ordinary Time, Saturday and 14th Week in Ordinary Time, Friday.

14th Week in Ordinary Time, Thursday, Year II

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In today’s First Reading the Lord describes his relationship with Israel like that of a father toward his son. In the imagery Hosea uses we can imagine the Lord holding the infant Israel in his arms, and then standing behind Israel as a toddler taking his first wobbly steps. Just as a toddler Israel, even in his father’s arms, seemed oblivious to his father as he explores the new world around him, or, once he could walk, goes running off without any thought for danger. Israel became oblivious to the Lord who loved him as a father and often ran into danger with no regard.

The First Reading’s prophecy was a foreshadowing of the real relationship the Lord wanted to have with us: a Father loving his children no matter how they loved him in return. He comes as the Son to enable us to become his brothers and sisters and to become adopted children of God. Unfortunately we sometimes act just like Israel in today’s First Reading: oblivious to all the love he has shown us and often fleeing him into the very danger of soul from which he wants to protect us.

Let’s ask Our Lord today for a renewed awareness of the love Our Heavenly Father shows us every day, so that we let him lead us.

Readings: Hosea 11:1–4, 8e–9; Psalm 80:2ac, 3b, 15–16; Matthew 10:7–15. See also 1st Week of Advent, Saturday, 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B, 25th Week in Ordinary Time, Wednesday, Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and 14th Week In Ordinary Time, Thursday.

 

14th Week in Ordinary Time, Wednesday, Year II

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In today’s First Reading Hosea describes the hardened soul as like a field that needs to be tilled and blessed with rain in order to produce fruit. Like ground that needs to be turned over and dug and broken up for cultivation, the hardened soul resists the rain of justice, understood in this context as grace, that enables it to achieve a virtuous life. If you seek justice the Lord will rain it down upon you. If you seek a life of grace the Lord will bless you with it in abundance, but you have to do your part.

Let’s ask Our Lord today for the humility to soften the soil of our souls in order to welcome his grace.

Readings: Hosea 10:1–3, 7–8, 12; Psalm 105:2–7; Matthew 10:1–7. See also Tuesday, Wednesday ,and Thursday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time; 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B; Thursday and Saturday of the 26th Week in Ordinary time, and 1st Week of Advent, Saturday.

14th Week in Ordinary Time, Tuesday, Year II

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In today’s Gospel Our Lord just cannot stop healing. He still cannot stop healing, and now he does it through the laborers that he asks to work in the harvest. A harvest is ripe as the result of previous effort: the Lord has been working in those hearts, sowing his grace, and offering healing and redemption to every soul through his sacrifice on the cross. He continues to lavish those spiritual gifts of healing through his sacraments, now that his earthly ministry has concluded.

His detractors see demonic power at work, but it is simply jealously and over-rationalizing what they don’t understand. The crowds see wonders and praise God for them. The people have heard of the power of God in the Scriptures since they were children. Now they see it present and active, conquering sickness, overcoming the power of evil. Today’s Responsorial Psalm reminds us, the new Israel, that “The house of Israel trusts in the Lord.”

With a simple faith and trust you too can see the hand of the Lord working in your life and in the lives of others. Trust in the Lord and he will act.

Readings: Hosea 8:4–7, 11–13; Psalm 115:3–10; Matthew 9:32–38. See also 26th Week in Ordinary Time, Thursday and 14th Week in Ordinary Time, Tuesday.