Welcome
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.
Exaltation of the Holy Cross—September 14 (USA)
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. (Jn 3:13-17)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091423.cfm
If God has loved the world and everyone in it, then perhaps we should too. The Son came not to condemn but to save. In most of Latin America this feast is celebrated on May 3.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you
because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
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Saint John Chrysostom, September 13
Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours. (Lk 6:20-26)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091323.cfm
Saint John Chrysostom was archbishop of Constantinople. The emperor and his wife were in his parish. The empress and her friends wanted to gussy up the church with silk vestments and golden chalices to which John Chrysostom replied, “Give God the honor prescribed in God’s law by giving your riches to the poor. For God does not want golden vessels but golden hearts.” The empress got him exiled. Today’s picture is of Hagia Sophia, the cathedral of Saint John Chrysostom. Today’s hymn is from the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom.
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Most Holy Name of Mary, September 12
As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him, rooted in him and built upon him and established in the faith as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one captivate you with an empty, seductive philosophy according to the tradition of men, according to the elemental powers of the world and not according to Christ. (Col 2:6-15)
When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. (Lk 6:12-19)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091223.cfm
There have always been those who want to divide the church, which is why we get this warning from the Letter to the Colossians to stay rooted in Christ. In the gospel Jesus gives us a sure foundation as he names his Apostles, of whom Simon Peter is the first. The church would do well to stick with the successor of Saint Peter. The celebration of the Most Holy Name of Mary reminds us that the Lord calls each one of us by name.
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Monday, Week XXIII, Ordinary Time--September 11
Brothers and sisters: I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his Body, which is the Church. (Col 1:24-2:3)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091123.cfm
There is a mystery to human suffering which we may never fully understand. But when we are able to join our suffering to the Sufferings of Christ for the sake of our brothers and sisters, then our suffering takes on a divine dimension and offers us a unique communion with Christ. Some of us remember where we were when we heard of the attacks of September 11. I was on retreat at my seminary. While the events were still unfolding we gathered in the Seminary Chapel and celebrated Mass and prayed for peace.
Sunday, Week XXIII, Ordinary Time
Thus says the LORD: You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel. (Ez 33:7-9)
Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law. (Rom 13:8-10)
“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Mt 18:15-20)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091023.cfm
To be the watchman (perhaps a better translation is “sentinel”) has been turned by some into “judge, jury and executioner.” But Saint Paul says, since Love is the fulfillment of the law, then Love does no evil to the neighbor. The church is not its own boss, as Jesus gently reminds us: where two or three are gathered in my name, I am in their midst. It is the Lord, the Good Shepherd, who judges us and always treats us with mercy and compassion.
XIV Ordinary Sunday
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." (Mt 11:25-30)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/070923.cfm
This invitation from the Lord is real and very welcome. We find our rest in Him. The Daily Reflection will be on a working vacation from today until the middle of September. The Padre will be helping out in two parishes in Asheville, North Carolina, in the United States, and then visiting family and friends before returning to Colombia. Starting July 22nd you can follow the Padre on the YouTube channel of Saint Eugene Church, Asheville: @StEugeneChurch. See you real soon!
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Saturday of the Blessed Virgin Mary, July 8
People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved. (Mt 9:14-17)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/070823.cfm
New wine, fresh wineskins. Change is never easy. Change requires us to have faith that God has a bigger and better plan for us, the world, and especially the church. As the Lord reminds us, the Holy Spirit has been in the business of changing the church for a very long time. We just have to trust the Spirit. The Virgin Mary sings the praises of God who does surprisingly new things: scattering the proud in their conceit, casting down the mighty from their thrones, lifting up the lowly, filling the hungry with good things, and sending the rich away empty.
