Lost

First Reading: Gn 32:23-33
Psalm: Ps 17:1b-3, 6-7ab, 8b, 15 -- In justice, I shall behold your face, O Lord
Gospel: Mt 9:32-38

May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all mankind, set over the community a man
who shall act as their leader in all things, to guide them in all their actions; that the LORD'S community may not be like sheep without a shepherd. - Numbers 27:16-17

At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. - Matthew 9:36

Friends,

Have you ever met someone that seemed lost? Not in the ordinary sense of not knowing where they are going, but lost in the spirit. Someone who does not know where they are or where to go in life. Such people are truly among the most pitiable, wandering but not knowing when they have arrived, seeking but never knowing if they have found.

In today's gospel, Jesus sees the crowd in such a state. They are a people feeling lost and abandoned. God has been silent for many generations until John the Baptist began his ministry. There were at least four competing sects of Judaism, each with a different understanding and each vying for the support of the crowds. Suddenly, a great preacher appears, who speaks with authority (Luke 4:32) and does great signs. Here, finally, is someone who knows the way. Not only that, but he teaches that they can learn the way too.

In our own day, we meet people who are lost in a similar way. They find that material wealth, popularity and promiscuity have not led them to the happiness that they so greatly desire. As Christians, we know that there is only one leader who can show us the way to our true destiny, Jesus Christ. The next time any of us should meet a lost soul, pause a moment to share with them the way to find what they are looking for.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of this day. We are very grateful that you have given us the Good Shepherd to guide our way. Lord, help us, as we continue in our walk, to share with others the way, the truth and the life that can be found only in you. Thank you for the great spiritual leaders you have given us in our day and may your blessings be upon them always. We ask all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Promises

First Reading: Gn 28:10-22a
Psalm: Ps 91:1-4, 14-15ab -- In you, my God, I place my trust
Gospel: Mt 9:18-26

In you and your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing.
Know that I am with you; I will protect you wherever you go, and bring you back to this land. I will never leave you until I have done what I promised you. - Genesis 28:14b-15

Friends,

It never ceases to amaze me how the promises of God work throughout time. In today's first reading, we hear God's promises for Jacob, son of Issac, grandson of Abraham. These are some pretty spectacular promises: countless descendants, possession of a rich homeland, protection in your travels and the nations of the world finding blessing in your family.

Two things jump out when reading through this passage, and the promises made to Abraham and Issac. First, it is not that different from the promises that are seen from mythology. There are countless stories where the "gods" promise protection, many kids, lots of riches, to those that will do what they say. However, there are few, if any, others that say that all others will count them as a blessing. Most often, they are concerned with conquering other nations. Yet, we know that

Second, we must keep in mind that Jacob, Issac and Abraham did not see these promises fulfilled in their lifetimes. Abraham and Issac each had two sons, hardly the start of a great nation. Jacob died in Egypt, far from the lands God had promised to him and his fathers. It seemed impossible that Still, they trusted that the Lord would keep His promise to them. History tells us that God did just that.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of this day. Thank you for your Son, a blessing to all nations. We stand in awe when we contemplate the wonders you have done for us. Lord, grant that we might learn to trust you. Remind us when we are despairing that you have never failed to keep your promises. Let our faith in your word glorify your name. We ask all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Deliverance

First Reading: Acts 12:1-11
Psalm: Ps 34:2-9 -- The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him
Second Reading: 2 Tm 4:6-8, 17-18
Gospel: Mt 16:13-19
Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles

The Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was rescued from the lion's mouth.
The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly Kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen. - 2 Timothy 4:17-18

Friends,

In the readings today, we hear of two great leaders in the early church. First, St. Peter is in prison on the eve of his execution. Next, St. Paul, writing from his prison in Rome, near his execution under the emperor Nero. One is delivered, one is not.

We might ask what is going on here. After all, hadn't Paul done everything he could to live as a Christian and spread the gospel? Why didn't God free him from prison like He had done before (see Acts 16), or like he does for Peter in the first reading? Was his faith not strong enough? Had he done something to upset the Lord? Not at all. In fact, Paul does not expect to be freed from his imprisonment (on my reading, neither does Peter). He is content with his trust that the Lord would "bring me safe to his heavenly Kingdom."

Our own prayers are often for a deliverance from some harm, either for ourselves or for our loved ones. We ask to be freed from poverty, or for a relative to be cured from a horrible illness, or any of a thousand other requests. Christians find out very early that not all of these requests are granted. Sometimes, this drives people away from the faith. 'How could God refuse me this? I've done all He's asked, and He still wouldn't cure my mother/brother/son/niece/grandfather/friend.' Others try to use it to prove that prayer is useless, or that Christianity is a sham. 'After all, didn't Jesus promise that he would do whatever you asked?'

There are several things that we must recognize when praying for a deliverance. First, we are not in a position to bargain with, or threaten, God. We have nothing to use as a bargaining chip that does not already rightly belong to him. Second, we must remember that God has not promised us an easy ride, only that, in the long run, we will be okay if we put our trust in Him. Even Jesus asked to be delivered from the suffering he would endure, and that request was not granted. If the one who is most holy was not delivered from his deep suffering, we must not expect an automatic rescue from our own. Instead, we should learn to pray as Jesus did, "not as I will, but as you will," (Mt 26:39).

Heavenly Father, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. Thank you for the many blessings you have bestowed on us, and the many prayers you answer for us. Lord, give us the faith to put our trust in you. Grant that, even in our darkest hour, we might still have the strength to declare 'Thy will be done.' We ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

The Lord's Prayer

First Reading: 2 Cor 11:1-11
Psalm: Ps 111:1b-4, 7-8 -- Your works, O Lord, are justice and truth
Gospel: Mt 6:7-15

Friends,

I'm going to try something a little different today, as our reading is the best-known prayer in all of Christendom.

Our Father
- But go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' - John 20:17b

who art in Heaven,
- But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God's throne - Matthew 5:34

hallowed be thy name,
- The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. - Luke 1:49

thy Kingdom come,
- From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." - Matthew 4:17

thy will be done,
- The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD! - Job 1:21b

on earth as it is in heaven.
- Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, everything in the universe, cry out: "To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor, glory and might, forever and ever." - Revelation 5:13

Give us this day our daily bread,
- He said in reply, "It is written: 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.'" - Matthew 4:4

and forgive us our trespasses,
- He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." - Luke 7:48

as we forgive those who trespass against us;
- When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions. - Mark 11:25

and lead us not into temptation,
- No one experiencing temptation should say, "I am being tempted by God"; for God is not subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one. - James 1:7

but deliver us from evil.
- They will fight against you, but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD. - Jeremiah 1:19

Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of this day. We thank you for teaching us how we are to pray. May our lives be a prayer to you and give glory to your holy name. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Theatrics

First Reading: 2 Cor 9:6-11
Psalm: Ps 112:1bc-4, 9 -- Blessed the man who fears the Lord
Gospel: Mt 6:1-6, 16-18

Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. - Matthew 6:1

Friends,

When you were young, did you ever wait until your parents were around before cleaning your room, or hint to them that they should notice you did the dishes? I can recall a good many instances when I would drop not-so-subtle hints to my parents that I had done my chores without even being asked. I might have done it a few weeks ago when installing a few things around the house.

In today's gospel, Jesus gives us three examples of the "hypocrites", doing works in order to be seen. He is not criticizing them for doing the works, but that they waited to do them until someone was watching. In fact, in each of the cases, the hypocrites are drawing attention to themselves. They want to be congratulated, to be seen as people who give large sums, or are very pious. The important thing to them is to get the attention and approval of those around them, not the care of the poor or the state of their relationship with God.

It is not wrong to want recognition for our hard work. On the contrary, Jesus tells us that the Father sees all that we do, and will reward us accordingly. However, when we are seeking the recognition of our neighbors when we do our work, we lose sight of the reason the work is good. In other words, we need to do our work for the work's sake, because it needs to be done, and not because we seek to gain from it. When we volunteer for the soup kitchen, do we do it so that we may boast of our generosity, or so that the poor might be fed? When we do a small task for a family member, are we doing it out of our love for them, or for a mere material reward? If we do not get the reward we want, are we likely to help out again?

It is only when we humbly put away our theatrics designed to garner us praises that we can truly focus on what we are doing and why we are doing it. If we are always busy acting out a part, it will be very difficult to give our attention to the task at hand. Then, in one of the great ironies of the world, we will receive recognition for our work from our fellows. History shows us that our saints and great leaders are men and women who put all of their efforts into devotion or good works, but cared very little about the recognition of their peers. Do not seek recognition for your work; be content with doing work that is worthy of being recognized.

Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. - 2 Corinthians 9:7

Heavenly Father, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. Thank you for the teachings that you have given us. Help us to more frequently understand the wisdom of it. Lord, grant that we might be freed from our pride; that we let go of our selfish desire for the admiration of our neighbor and give us a heart that longs only for you. We ask all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Generosity

First Reading: 2 Cor 8:1-9
Psalm: Ps 146:2, 5-9a -- Praise the Lord, my soul!
Gospel: Mt 5:43-48

I say this not by way of command, but to test the genuineness of your love by your concern for others. - 2 Corinthians 8:8

Friends,

In today's reading, we hear Paul sharing the deeds of those in Macedonia (modern-day Greece). Specifically, he is telling the Corinthians of the donations made to the community in the holy lands. He speaks of how they, even though ill-equipped to give at the time, insisted on sharing what they had with those in Jerusalem.

We are often tempted to push donations onto others, especially when finances seem difficult. Recently, we've seen a great upheaval in the economic world and, unfortunately, the first thing to go is usually charitable donations. We feel that we don't need to give, or give as much, because we are now in hard times. This causes a one-two punch on the charities themselves, as more people request help, but fewer offer help to keep the charities going.

We must learn a lesson from the Macedonians in this instance, and not only from them, but from Paul's use of their example. C. S. Lewis put the crux of the issue nicely, (read the whole section here):

I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

When Paul is recalling this event to the Corinthians, he is using it as an encouragement, almost daring them to do better. "Now as you excel in every respect, ... may you excel in this gracious act also," (2 Cor 8:7). He also stresses that this is not an order, but a test of their own generosity. In our communities today, we should also be encouraging other in our giving. It is a form of competition where there are far more winners than losers. This can be a tall order for us, as some want to receive awards for their donations, while others want to keep it a secret. Granted, it is a difficult balance between humility and encouragement, but one that we must become more comfortable with. We must cease to see ourselves as the afflicted and instead see ourselves as the greatly blessed.

For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood. - Matthew 12:44

And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.' - Matthew 25:40

Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of this day. We thank you for all of the great gifts that you have showered down upon us. Help us to share these gifts with others; gifts of time, talent and treasure. Lead us in a spirit of generosity, that we might spread the greatness of your bounty to all of our brothers and sisters. Give us the spirit of wisdom to balance generosity and humility to recognize that all blessings flow from you and not from ourselves. We ask all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.