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.
Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 69)
R. The Lord listens to the poor.
See, you lowly ones, and be glad; you who seek God, may your hearts revive! For the LORD hears the poor, and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.
R. The Lord listens to the poor.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100425.cfm
In the conclave when Cardinal Bergoglio was elected, his friend, the cardinal from Honduras who was sitting next to him said, “Don’t forget the poor!” As a consequence, when they asked him by what name he wanted to be called, he chose the name Francis. Later he shocked the cardinals by saying he wanted a church of the poor. Saint Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) reminds the church that Christ is always found in the face of the poor.
Justice is with the Lord, our God; and we today are flushed with shame, we men of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem, that we, with our kings and rulers and priests and prophets, and with our ancestors, have sinned in the Lord's sight and disobeyed him. We have neither heeded the voice of the Lord, our God, nor followed the precepts which the Lord set before us. (Bar 1:15-22)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100325.cfm
Being “flushed with shame” should provoke a time of repentance. But that rarely happens these days. Our treatment of immigrants and of the poor and marginalized is accepted as a necessary part of making us great again. The prophets have no problem calling us liars and murderers.
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.
