Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest

Matthew 13:54-58

Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Are not his sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.” And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.

Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, grant me the grace to be your disciple, faithful to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit and sagacious in sharing the good news with those I love.

Encountering Christ:

1. Our Native Place: What brought Jesus to his native place? To see his mother? To preach to the people he knew from his childhood days? What was in his heart? Like ourselves, perhaps Jesus was most interested in those he cared for from childhood. He wanted them to discover the light and the truth. But those with whom we are closest are often the hardest ones to talk to about the faith. When our loved ones reject our faith, it can feel like a personal rejection, especially when the faith means so much to us. Let’s ask the Lord for strength and wisdom to share what is important to us with those we most love.

    

2. They Took Offense at Him: Imagine the suffering heart of Jesus as his teaching was rejected in his own native place. What is his outward reaction? He did what he could without forcing their hand. He knew that they were free to choose to believe or not to believe. His sadness was not directed at himself because he was personally rejected, but at their hard-heartedness. He was sad for them, for what they would miss out on—the gifts that the Father so longed to give them. He was sad that they did not recognize the call to live in the Kingdom of God for which they were created. When we find ourselves rejected, we can ask to have a heart like Christ’s and offer our sadness or hurt for the good of those who reject us.

    

3. Mighty Deeds and Faith: The Gospel says that Jesus did not work mighty deeds among them because of their lack of faith. This speaks of the power of faith. While faith is a gift, it is also a human act of opening the door. We welcome the Lord’s action and presence in our lives. With faith, we “give God permission” to do what he sees fit to do. Faith also implies trust that God seeks to give us good things. Faith permits God to perform salutary actions, which heal the deepest wounds and orient us toward the greatest freedom found in union with God through the grace of Jesus Christ.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of faith and for wanting to give me the gift of friendship with you. Help me to welcome this gift daily and share it with others. Give me courage and wisdom so I may also be a channel of your grace to others.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will be attentive to opportunities to share the good news with others through my words, deeds, and silent prayers.

Jennifer Ristine is a consecrated woman of Regnum Christi dedicated to spiritual and faith formation through teaching, conferences, writing, and spiritual direction. While serving in Ancient Magdala she wrote Mary Magdalene: Insights from Ancient Magdala and “Nine Days with Mary Magdalene.”

Thursday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

Matthew 13:47-53

Jesus said to the disciples: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away. Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Do you understand all these things?” They answered, “Yes.” And he replied, “Then every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.” When Jesus finished these parables, he went away from there.

Opening Prayer: Lord, you ask in the Gospel, “Do you understand these things?” Help me in these moments of intimacy with you to understand what your message means to me here and now, in this blessed day you have given me.

Encountering Christ:

1. Caught in a Net: When Jesus casts the net into the sea at the end of time, we will all be “caught”—those of us who lived to love, and those who loved to live for themselves. But we won’t necessarily be able to distinguish one from the other, nor should we try. Even now, it is Our Lord’s job to condemn the wicked, not ours. Instead, we are called to love and serve them. “Love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back… Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful” (Lk 6:35-36).

    

2. New and Old: Jesus called every scribe (that is, every Christian) the head of a household. We are to share with others our love of Christ, which is the fruit of our prayer and sacramental life, in an effort to expand the Kingdom of Christ. We rely on our Catholic formation (the old) and our ongoing experience of Christ (the new) to nurture and care for others as the head of a household tends to the needs of his family.

    

3. Do You Understand?: There can be no doubt as to the responsibility that comes with our “yes” to Jesus. To the disciples’ “yes,” Jesus gave them the responsibility to extend his Kingdom as heads of households. By our “yes,” we must acknowledge that Jesus likewise calls us to reach out to the souls he has entrusted to us. We pray for them, we serve them, and we evangelize them, according to the will of the Lord.

Conversing with Christs: Jesus, it’s obvious by your parable that the stakes are high for our souls and the souls of those we love. I have said “yes” to you over and over in my prayer and by my actions, but I have also failed you. Please give me the grace of final perseverance and the ability to be a loving influence on the souls entrusted to me.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will prayerfully call to mind the souls you have entrusted to me up to now, and offer a rosary (or another specific prayer) for them.

Maribeth Harper celebrated paying the last tuition bill for her kids’ college by writing a book for parents who have college-aged young adults: A Spiritual Toolbox: Tips for Parenting through the First Year of College. She is a wife of over thirty-five years, mother of four, and grandmother of twelve and counting.

Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus

John 11:19-27

Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother Lazarus, who had died. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” Martha said to him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”

Opening Prayer: Lord, strengthen my belief in your power and might as I reflect on your personal testimony. You are the resurrection and the life.

Encountering Christ:

1. Seeking Jesus: Mary and Martha had two very different reactions to their brother’s death—both legitimate responses to their overwhelming grief. Mary retreated, mourning at home while Martha went to meet Jesus. Martha, in this case, wasn’t merely seeking consolation from her friend, Jesus. Full of hope, she set out to ask Jesus for no less than a miracle. “Even now I know that whatever you ask God, God will give you,” she pleaded with Jesus. How moved Our Lord must have been by her trust! Martha’s brother had been dead for days, after all! When we go out to meet Jesus in the Eucharist, at our nearby Adoration chapel, or silently in the depths of our hearts, let’s not hesitate to ask him for our deepest desires. Saint Martha, pray for us.

    

2. We Will Rise: Martha’s plea prompted Jesus to speak some of the most beautifully consoling words in Scripture, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” For those who mourn the loss of a loved one, there is no greater gift than these few words of Jesus’. And we can be even more reassured than Martha was, knowing with hindsight that our Savior himself rose from the dead and prepares a place for each of us one day in heaven (cf. Jn 14:3).

    

3. Faith: Despite her grief, Martha professed unwavering faith when she boldly stated that Jesus is the “Son of God.” She had witnessed Jesus preaching, curing the sick, and expelling demons, but he hadn’t yet risen from the dead nor founded his Church. Still, she knew and publicly revealed Jesus’ divinity before everyone who had come to mourn Lazarus. Her proclamation of faith was about to be rewarded by the raising of Lazarus from the dead. That’s how faith works! “Faith is to believe what you do not see. The reward of faith is to see what you believe” (Homily by St. Augustine).

Conversing with Christ: Lord, how blessed we are to hear from the Scriptures that you are the resurrection and the life! Your power over life and death is the ultimate consolation for us, since we know we are mere creatures destined to return to dust one day. Death has no sting (cf. 1 Cor 15:55) when we rest in the promise you make, “Whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” You ask me, “Do you believe this?” I say, “Yes, Lord, help my unbelief!”

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will make a special sacrifice for those who mourn a loved one.

For Further Reflection: Here is a prayer from the Catholic Order of Funerals for those who mourn.

Lord, ______________ is gone now from this earthly dwelling,

and has left behind those who mourn his/her absence.

Grant that we may hold his/her memory dear,

never bitter for what we have lost

nor in regret for the past,

but always in hope of the eternal Kingdom

where you will bring us together again. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Maribeth Harper celebrated paying the last tuition bill for her kids’ college by writing a book for parents who have college-aged young adults: A Spiritual Toolbox: Tips for Parenting through the First Year of College. She is a wife of over thirty-five years, mother of four, and grandmother of twelve and counting.