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.
Saint Louis of France, August 25
Paul, called to be an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, to the Church of God that is in Corinth, to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 1:1-9)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/082522.cfm
Today we begin Saint Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. It is interesting to note that Sosthenes is also wishing the Corinthians “grace and peace.” Today’s picture is of the Basilica of Saint Louis in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Saint Bartholomew, apostle, August 24
The angel spoke to me, saying, “Come here. I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” He took me in spirit to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation, on which were inscribed the twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. (Rev 21:9b-14)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/082422.cfm
As the old Spiritual says: “Oh, what a beautiful city!” And we are that city--the dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Saint Bartholomew is famously depicted holding his own skin (he was flayed alive) in Michaelangelo’s Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel.
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Saint Rose of Lima, virgin, August 23
We ask you, brothers and sisters, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling with him, not to be shaken out of your minds suddenly, or to be alarmed either by a “spirit,” or by an oral statement, or by a letter allegedly from us to the effect that the day of the Lord is at hand. Let no one deceive you in any way. (2 Thes 2:1-3a, 14-17)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/082322.cfm
People have been screaming about the “end of the world” for 2,000 years . . . even stooping to forging a letter from Saint Paul to that effect. Yet, the Church is still here, standing firm in the faith and holding fast to the teaching of the apostles. Saint Rose of Lima is the first person born in the Americas to be canonized a saint.
The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, August 22
We always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith, that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, in accord with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thes 1:1-5, 11-12)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/082222.cfm
Today (the Octave Day of the Assumption) we celebrate the mother of the King and remember how God’s calling in Mary has been brought to fulfillment. God has been glorified in her, and she in God.
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XXI Sunday, Ordinary Time
And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God. (Lk 13:22-30)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/082122.cfm
The universality of God’s salvation that the Prophet Isaiah proclaimed, “I come to gather nations of every language; they shall come and see my glory” reflects the vision of the Kingdom that Jesus also proclaims, that people will come from east and west, from north and south “and will recline at table in the Kingdom of God.” We have yet to fully understand that at God’s table there is a place for everyone—all are invited!
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Saint Bernard, abbot & doctor, Aug 20
I saw that the temple was filled with the glory of the LORD. Then I heard someone speaking to me from the temple, while the man stood beside me. The voice said to me: Son of man, this is where my throne shall be, this is where I will set the soles of my feet; here I will dwell among the children of Israel forever. (Ez 43:1-7ab)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/082022.cfm
The summer of the prophets comes to a close today with Ezekiel’s magnificent vision of the glory of the Lord filling a restored temple. Saint Bernard is the patron saint of Saint Bernard Abbey in Cullman, Alabama, where I pursued my religious calling. Saint Bernard said: “Love seeks no cause beyond itself and no fruit; it is its own fruit, its own enjoyment. I love because I love; I love in order that I may love.” Today's picture is of Saint Bernard Abbey Church. Today's hymn is Jesu, Dulcis Memoria (Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee) written by Saint Bernard.
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Friday, Week XX, Ordinary Time
Then the LORD said to me: Prophesy over these bones, and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD: O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, O my people! I will put my spirit in you that you may live, and I will settle you upon your land; thus you shall know that I am the LORD. I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD. (Ez 37:1-14)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/081922.cfm
The human project can sometimes feel like a massive failure, but God can raise up even our dead, dry bones and give us new life, new hope, new vision.
