These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
“Who among you would say to your servant
who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field,
‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’?
Would he not rather say to him,
‘Prepare something for me to eat.
Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.
You may eat and drink when I am finished’?
Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?
So should it be with you.
When you have done all you have been commanded, say,
‘We are unprofitable servants;
we have done what we were obliged to do.’”
(Luke 17:7-10)
“Unprofitable servants” sounds a bit harsh . . . but Jesus is in our midst as “the one who serves” (Lk 22:27) and shows us all how to serve others. Today is the feast of Saint Leo the Great . . . the church is always very reserved about putting “the Great” on any saint. But Saint Leo qualifies as a “servant of the servants of God.” I was grateful to be ordained a priest in the parish of Saint Leo the Great in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Do you not know that you are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
(1 Cor 3:16)
The liturgy invites us to celebrate the birthday of churches. Today is the anniversary of the dedication of the Lateran Basilica which is the cathedral church of the city of Rome. In the entrance to the basilica is carved: “Omnium Urbis et Orbis Ecclesiarum Mater et Caput” (Mother and Head of all the churches in the City and the World). But as Saint Paul gently reminds us, God does not dwell in a temple made by human hands, God dwells in us.
We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,
about those who have fallen asleep,
so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose,
so too will God, through Jesus,
bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
(1 Thes 4:13-14)
We are still within the Octave of the Faithful Departed (November 2-9), and we will continue to remember them throughout the month of November. This Sunday we have this wonderful reminder from Saint Paul about those who have fallen asleep in the Lord. As Christians we have called the places where we bury our dead, “cemeteries” literally “sleeping places,” where their bodies sleep until the Resurrection. Today's photo is of Magnolia Cemetery in Mobile, Alabama.
Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.
(Eph 5:14)
Johann Sebastian Bach used the Parable of the Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) as the basis for his cantata, Wachet Auf (Sleepers Awake!), ca. 1731.
You Philippians indeed know that at the beginning of the Gospel,
when I left Macedonia,
not a single church shared with me
in an account of giving and receiving, except you alone.
I am very well supplied because of what I received from you
through Epaphroditus,
“a fragrant aroma,” an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.
My God will fully supply whatever you need,
in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
(Phil 4:15,18-19)
How important this tiny community of Philippi is to Saint Paul’s ministry. And he is grateful. And we’re grateful that Saint Paul’s mother taught her son manners—because we now have this ancient “thank-you” letter in our Bible today! Today's photo is of a papyrus of Philippians 3-4.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,
in this way stand firm in the Lord, beloved.
(Phil 4:1)
Paul really gets effusive in this letter to the Philippian community. But “my joy and crown” and “beloved” say it all. For all of us, to “stand firm in the Lord” is our challenge and our hope. Today’s photo is of the Baptistery of the Octagonal Basilica at Philippi.
