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.
Jesus said to his disciples: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father." (Mt 18:1-5, 10)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100225.cfm
The feast of the Holy Guardian Angels reminds us how important we are in God’s eyes. For God always watches over us and cares for us through the wonderful ministry of the Angels. We all remember the prayer to the Guardian Angel: “Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God's love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide.” Today's music video is of a very popular Latin American Catholic hymn, "Angels of God." The video shows a boy walking with his mother, and along the way, he notices angels (but not with wings) watching over him and everyone else. https://youtu.be/eqdr2DLE3lU?si=okgJyg7Hnx0NH80i
And to another he said, "Follow me." (Lk 9:57-62)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100125.cfm
The Lord calls each of us. The call is personal. The Lord tells us: Follow me. Some accept. Others make excuses. Still others say yes, but someimes we have doubts. The Lord is very patient and never stops calling us. Saint Thérèse (1873-1894) accepted the Lord’s invitation when she was very young. She was only 15 when she entered the Carmelite convent in Lisieux, France. She said she wanted to be a little flower in God’s garden. Through her “little way” Saint Thérèse has made it possible for many to reach holiness. As she said, “My way is all trust and love.” https://youtu.be/XEZZCdrLKBs?si=mzJ8W_W2GkvTO9Zv
When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?" Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village. (Lk 9:51-56)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/093025.cfm
Some folks confuse the Israel of the Bible with the modern state of Israel and simply accept the violence in Gaza without question. Jesus rejects violence of every kind. Saint Jerome (342-420) translated the Hebrew and Greek scriptures into Latin and taught that Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ. If we really want to know Christ and what Christ is asking of us today, perhaps we all need to start reading our Bibles again, but with understanding.
Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 138)
R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart, for you have heard the words of my mouth; in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise; I will worship at your holy temple and give thanks to your name.
R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092925.cfm
In the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom we learn that in the celebration of the Eucharist we are like the angels in that we represent the Cherubim and we sing the song of the Seraphim, who sing Holy, Holy, Holy. https://youtu.be/Zz4LBjysReA?si=Ka9Z9kJ6L-qK_qrE
There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores. (Lk 16:19-31)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092825.cfm
As someone once noted, the most important feature of the poor is that they are invisible. When Pope John Paul II preached on this parable in his first pastoral visit to the United States, the Catholic right wing were infuriated. The pope said that the sin of the rich man was not that he was rich, but that he failed to see the poor man lying at his door. https://youtu.be/_125Hgnf3uk?si=NsgypJ7twvmfmvh8
