Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus - First Fridays

Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus 

There is a tradition in the Church to pray the litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on First Fridays.  Starting in the month of September, we at St Jude Catholic Church in Pearl are reviving this tradition in our parish community.  

Lord, have mercy -  Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy -  Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy -  Lord, have mercy.

God our Father in heaven - have mercy on us

God the Son, Redeemer of the world - have mercy on us

God the Holy Spirit -  have mercy on us

Holy Trinity, one God -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, Son of the eternal Father - have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mother - have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, one with the eternal Word -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, infinite in majesty -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, holy temple of God  -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of the Most High -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate of heaven -  have mercy on us 

Heart of Jesus, aflame with love for us - have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, source of justice and love -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, well-spring of all virtue -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, patient and full of mercy -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, generous to all who turn to you -  have mercy on  us

Heart of Jesus, fountain of life and holiness -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, source of healing -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, sharer in our sorrow -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, safe-guarder of the vulnerable -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, friend of the betrayed  -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, companion of the ignored  -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, face of the misjudged -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, memory of the disbelieved  -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, true voice in the silence -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, wounded by our failings -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, bearer of our sufferings - have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, acquainted with grief  -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, atonement for our sins -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, overwhelmed with insults -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, broken for our sins -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, obedient even to death   -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, pierced by a lance -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation  -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection  -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation  -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, victim for our sins  -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, salvation of all who trust in you  -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, hope of all who die in you  -  have mercy on us

Heart of Jesus, delight of all the saints  -  have mercy on us

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world -  have mercy on us

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world -   have mercy on us

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world  -   have mercy on us

Jesus, gentle and humble of heart.  -  Touch our hearts and make them like your own.

Let us pray:

Father, we honor the heart of your Son broken by man’s cruelty,

yet the symbol of love’s triumph, pledge of all that man is called to be.

Teach us to see Christ in the lives we touch,

to offer him living worship by love-filled service to our brothers and sisters.

We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

Amen.

9/8/2017 - The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Matthew 1:18-23

       Today is a special feast day in our Church, as we celebrate the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary.   Mary's birth to her parents, St. Anne and St. Joachim, is not recorded in the Bible, but we know about this event from Sacred Tradition, passed down us by the apostles and the early Church Fathers and Mothers.  As Catholics, we do not have to be reminded that the Virgin Mary is a very important part of our faith. Because Mary is the Mother of Jesus, the Mother of God, and the Mother of our Church, she has a very unique role in the history of salvation.  The importance of Mary's role in our faith shows up in many different ways.  In a few months, on December 12, we celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe, commemorating Our Lady apparition to an indigenous man named Juan Diego in Mexico in the year 1531. In my rectory, I have a drawing of Our Lady of Guadalupe was made by one of the men we visit in our prison ministry out at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility here in Pearl as part of our Catholic prison ministry.  He was a member of our RCIA program out at the prison and was confirmed into the Catholic Church on Easter Saturday back in 2011. 

      In the Gospel today, we hear about how the birth of Jesus was announced by an angel into the lives of Mary and Joseph.  The important thing we Catholics always need to remember is this: that we do not honor Mary for her own sake, even though there are many feasts and memorials dedicated to her throughout the liturgical year.  Mary never wants to bring attention to herself, but she always points us to Jesus and she always helps us grow in our faith.  By the love she shows to us and the example she gives us, Mary was truly the first disciple, the first one who believe in Jesus and his forthcoming ministry here on earth.  As we celebrate the nativity of the Virgin Mary today, may we recognize her not only as the mother of Jesus, but as the Mother of our Church as well, as a Mother to all of us. 

9/5/2017 - Tuesday of 22nd week of Ordinary Time - St Teresa of Calcutta - 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6, 9-11

      In our reading from Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, he writes an interesting passage about the light and the darkness.  Paul tells the Thessalonians that they are not in darkness, but instead, they are children of light. They are not to be of the night or of the darkness; thus, they are to stay alert or sober for the day of the Lord that will come.  I recently came across a poem by Emily Dickinson about light and darkness entitled: "We grow accustomed to the dark"

We grow accustomed to the Dark -

When Light is put away -

As when the Neighbor holds the Lamp

To witness her Good bye -

A Moment - We Uncertain step

For newness of the night -

Then - fit our Vision to the Dark -

And meet the Road - erect -

And so of larger - Darknesses -

Those Evenings of the Brain -

When not a Moon disclose a sign -

Or Star - come out - within -

The Bravest - grope a little -

And sometimes hit a Tree

Directly in the Forehead -

But as they learn to see -

Either the Darkness alters -

Or something in the sight

Adjusts itself to Midnight -

And Life steps almost straight.

       Sometimes we can grow accustomed to the darkness we encounter on our journey through life.  Sometimes when there is no light in our lives, we grow so accustomed to the darkness, that we see better in the darkness than we can in the light.  Even though we are called to be children of the light as disciples of Christ, we might not think the light will ever come back again.  Maybe, if the light comes back, it blinds us so much that we cannot see again.  I know for me, there have been periods in my life that the darkness had so enveloped me that I once had to consciously and physically remove myself from those experiences of darkness to return to light. No matter what, we are called to cling to the hope of our faith in the midst of the darkness.  

        It is interesting that on a day when our reading address the darkness we may encounter on our journey, the saint of the day is Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who was just canonized last year.  I recently read an article that was entitled “Mother Teresa: A Saint who Conquered the Darkness.”  After her death, Mother Teresa’s letters and correspondence revealed that, except for one short period, she had been afflicted with a deep sense of God’s absence, a period that lasted almost 50 years. Those who admired Mother Teresa for her work for the poor and as a woman of great faith were confused at this description of her spiritual darkness.  What did Teresa’s long stay in the spiritual wilderness mean? Was she a victim of depression? Had she lost faith in God? What gave her the inner strength to carry on even when she anguished over feelings of God abandoning her?  But, in studying what happened to Mother Teresa, it appears not to be depression or a loss of faith, but a dark night that was also a period of great spiritual development for her.  Other saints such as St John of the Cross have recounted their own experiences of darkness in their relationships with God.  In her darkness, she shared in Christ’s passion and suffering.  May the prayers and intercessions of Mother Teresa help us to see the light in the midst of the darkness.  

9/6/2017 - Wednesday of the 22nd week of Ordinary Time - Colossians 1:1-8

     Today, we hear from the opening of Paul’s letter to the Colossians.  Perhaps this letter to the Colossians is not as familiar to us as some of Paul’s other letters, such as Romans, Corinthians, and Thessalonians.  However, we do hear six days of readings from the Letter to the Colossians in our readings at daily mass. 

       It is speculated that Paul wrote this letter to the faith community in Colossae in 60 or 61 AD during his time of imprisonment in Rome, even thought he had never visited that city.  It appears that one of Paul’s converts from Ephesus was in leader in that community of believers.  He was concerned that they were questioning Christ’s divinity and thus moving into the realm of heresy. Paul sought to develop a personal connection with them through this letter, with the desire to eventually teach and serve there, to lead them away from heresy and false teacher, back to the true faith. 

       But the overall tone in the Letter to the Colossians is not gloomy or pessimistic, but rather it is a message of hope.  It contains a message of hope that is rooted in the message of Christ’s Good News.  Even though Alexander Pope, an 18th century English poet, wrote that “hope springs eternal in the human heart”, in many ways, that is not the reality that exists in the world today. There is a lot of existential angst and a turn to materialism, alcohol and recreational drugs in order to numb the pain or to face life where we human beings do not feel a lot of hope. But Paul knew that even with affluence, riches, and power, there can be an emptiness and hollowness inside, a life without hope. Paul knew that the Colossians were once hopeless, but they found hope in their faith.  He wanted to remind them of that.  Just as Paul mentions faith, hope, and love very famously in the 13th chapter of the first letter to the Corinthians, he mentions those three attributes in the reading we hear today as well. In our struggles, challenges, and despair, we are called to cling to our hope to bring us back.  Just as in our Church’s plan of new evangelization, we have to be evangelized ourselves in order to evangelize others, we have to feel hope in our hearts and in our faith in order to be able to bring that hope to others.   Let us truly feel that hope. 

Poem - We grow accustomed to the dark - Emily Dickinson

Poem by Emily Dickinson 

In researching some homilies this afternoon, I came across this poem by Emily Dickinson - We grow accustomed to the dark.  Sometimes when there is no light in our lives, we grow so accustomed to the darkness, that we see better in the darkness than we can in the light.  Maybe we don't think the light will ever come back again.  Maybe, if the light does come back, it blinds us so much that we cannot see again.  I know for me, there have been periods in my life that the darkness has so enveloped me, I had to consciously and physically remove myself from those experiences of darkness to return to light, and that was never easy.  

We grow accustomed to the Dark -

When Light is put away -

As when the Neighbor holds the Lamp

To witness her Good bye -

A Moment - We Uncertain step

For newness of the night -

Then - fit our Vision to the Dark -

And meet the Road - erect -

And so of larger - Darknesses -

Those Evenings of the Brain -

When not a Moon disclose a sign -

Or Star - come out - within -

The Bravest - grope a little -

And sometimes hit a Tree

Directly in the Forehead -

But as they learn to see -

Either the Darkness alters -

Or something in the sight

Adjusts itself to Midnight -
And Life steps almost straight.

9/3/2017 – 22nd Sunday of ordinary time – Psalm 63:2-9; Jeremiah 20:7-9

My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord.  You are whom I seek.  My soul clings to you, your right hand upholds me. These sentiments that the psalmist expresses today are probably what most of us want to proclaim in our lives as followers of Christ. We want to find joy in our relationship with the Lord. We want our faith to express a joy that surpasses all else in life.  We want to feel God’s love and mercy in our hearts. However, there are times in life when these sentiments feel distant, when we wonder where God is.  When we struggle, when we don’t know the questions to ask any more, when we are searching without any resolution, then we have to trust in our faith, to trust the call we’ve received from God.

      One of my favorite saints is Jean de Brebeuf, a Jesuit priest from France who was one of the first Catholic missionaries to the native people of Canada in the 17th century.  I don’t think we can fully understand the hardship and struggle that so many of the missionaries experienced on their journeys. Brebeuf accepted the hardships and sacrifices he encountered as a missionary; he was even grateful for them.  He wished only that God would allow him to bring the Gospel to others, to bring them the message of salvation that comes we have in Christ.  For 25 years, Brebeuf lived with the people of the Huron tribe in Canada, embracing their customs and learning their language, even writing a catechism for them.  But for most of his ministry, he met with very few results. In the midst of his struggles, Brebeuf persevered and even kept a sense of humor. He wrote this in a letter inviting other Jesuits to the missions in Canada: “When you reach the Hurons, you will find us with hearts full of love. We shall receive you in a hut, (a hut) so mean that I have scarcely found in France one wretched enough to compare it with. Fatigued as you will be, we shall be able to give you nothing but a poor mat for a bed. Besides, …the fleas will keep you awake most of the night.”   I don't know about you, but that description would entice me to want to come to Canada as a missionary.  Brebeuf found joy in his missionary calling, even in the midst of very difficult circumstances. He eventually found success in converting the Hurons to Christianity. However, his life ended when he was tortured to death by an enemy tribe of the Hurons. When I was a missionary, and now as a priest, Brebeuf’s faith and courage inspired me greatly.  He is one of my favorite saints.       God cried out to Jean de Brebeuf – just as he cried out to the prophet Jeremiah in our first reading today.  Jeremiah was called to be a prophet at a time when Israel was straying from its covenant with God and getting into troublesome alliances with other nations, leading to the destruction of Temple in Jerusalem and exile in Babylon. From the beginning of his call, Jeremiah did not want to be a prophet, but he agreed to go where God called him. Yet, in the blunt, honest prophecies Jeremiah delivered to the people, their opposition to him grew even stronger. The people did not want to hear the truth.  Jeremiah cried out to God in the midst of his pain and anger: You tricked me, Lord, you seduced me!  You lured me into a situation where I’m now despised by everyone, even my family and friends!  Jeremiah blamed God for his misery, even wishing  that he had not been born. No matter who we are, we’re going to have ups and downs, joys and struggles, on our journey.  Even though Jeremiah lashed out at God, later on, just a few verses after today’s reading ends, Jeremiah is able to say to God: "You know, God, you are at my side like a mighty hero. With you beside me, my opponents will stumble and be vanquished and be confounded with their failure."  Jeremiah is able to say: "Lord, I sing praises to you, for you have delivered the soul of one in need from the clutches of the evil doers." Our human spirit is resilient if we put our trust in the Lord, if we let the Lord lead us in our words and actions. 

      Recently, I saw on the internet a photo that was taken by a Sister of St Joseph when she was visiting South Africa in 1987. It was in the middle of the Apartheid era; Nelson Mandela was still in prison; the South African government had declared a state of emergency and military troops patrolled the street. The photo showed large black printing scrawled on a cement wall. It said: HANG MANDELA.  But in different handwriting, you could see another word, a smaller word, inserted between the other two words.  It now read – HANG ON, MANDELA.  The original message of hatred and intolerance was turned into a message of love and courage – the original message was completely subverted. In the context of our faith, we can turn a curse into a blessing, we can turn an insult into an act of encouragement. Like Jeremiah, let us hear God calling out to us: Encouraging us, comforting us, calling us to be his servant. 

9/1/2017 – Friday of 21st week of ordinary time - 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

     In today’s reading, we continue to hear excerpts from Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians.  Today’s message from Paul is a call to holiness, asking us to remain true to our Christian values, asking us to live out the values of our faith in the reality of our lives.  I remember Brother Francisco from when I served at the mission site in the jungles of Ecuador as a missionary with the Comboni Missionaries.  I remember him telling the youth group there in our mission site that their lives at that present moment were the fruit of how they lived in the past, and how they needed to make decisions that would bring forth the fruits of their faith in the future.  In our modern world, so many people do what feels good and make choices based upon short-term pleasures.  Yet, today, Paul is calling us to a life of holiness.  We are not called to make decisions because they are the politically correct thing to do, or because we just go with the flow with what everyone else is doing in our society.  The Thessalonians that Paul addressed in today’s reading were not coming out of a strong Jewish background; rather, they had been idol worshippers who had previously followed other practices that were contrary to the values that Jesus taught.  The Thessalonians fought against so much of what was going on in the secular world around them just as we also do today.  Let us remember that holiness rests in those little everyday ordinary moments that make up our day on our journey.  In our everyday words and action - that is how we primarily live out a life of holiness.  

8/30/2017 - Wednesday of the 21st week in Ordinary Time - Matthew 23:27-32

     Anyone who knows me at all as priest knows that I have a great love for the saints.  I love learning about the saints.  I love reading books about them.  I love preaching about them in my homilies.  This week we have some very interesting saints that we are celebrating.  Yesterday, we commemorated the Passion of John the Baptist, his martyrdom for the faith.  This week we also celebrate the separate feast days of the mother and son St Monica and St Augustine.  It is well-known that Augustine resisted entering the faith, but it was the prayers of his mother, St Monica, that always persisted in praying for his soul.  Augustine, we know, eventually became a very influential scholar and Bishop in his day, a theologian whose works are incredibly influential to this day. This week, we commemorate the day in which a very important Archbishop from Brazil departed this world: Dom Helder Camara, who passed away on August 27, 1999.  His work as a young priest in the poor neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro impressed on him the intrinsic connection between love and justice in the Gospel of our Lord.  He stated that charity was not enough; instead, as disciples of Christ, we need to work toward justice and toward changing our society.  As a military dictatorship came into power in Brazil just as he was named Archbishop of Recife in northern Brazil, he became a brave spokesperson for human rights and democracy.  The Brazilian government forbade his name to be mentioned in the newspapers for years.   Years after his death, he is still an inspiration to many.  In one quote of his, he said:  “When we are dreaming alone it is only a dream. When we are dreaming with others, it is the beginning of reality.”  Yes, we all have to work together as disciples of Christ.  He also said: “Watch how you live.  Your lives may be the only Gospel your brothers and sisters will read.”  Just as Jesus proclaims in the Gospel today that the Pharisees and scribes have white washed tombs on the outside, putting on a good appearance, but old dead bones on the inside, we are called to radical action and away from hypocrisy in the way we live out our faith as disciples of Christ.  Yes, that is what the Gospel message is about.  

Reflection for 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle A - Matthew 16:13-20

This weekend, our deacon at St Jude, Deacon John McGregor, will be giving the homily at the weekend masses.  This is a reflection that I wrote about the Gospel message this weekend for our bulletin: 

   Who am I?  Who do YOU say that I am?  Jesus asks his followers this question in our Gospel today. Every Christian must answer this question in the reality of his life.  We answer this question in both our words and our actions.  Every mass we celebrate together on Sunday, we profess the Nicene creed.  The Early Church started writing this creed at the Council of Nicea, convened by the Roman Emperor Constantine in the year 325.  We start our profession of the Creed with the words “I believe.”  We profess the faith of the entire Catholic Church, a faith we share in unity and solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Christ.  In starting the creed “I believe,” each believer asserts and professes his own personal faith with other believers.  But it goes beyond that.  Way beyond that.  I remember a couple of years ago being at a meeting in Tupelo of pastors and church leaders from many different Christian leaders.  The Presbyterian lady leading the meeting was asking about a quote about preaching the Gospel in our actions, not just words.  As the lone Catholic in the group, I knew that she was trying to quote St Francis of Assisi, when he said: “Preach the Gospel always, and when necessary, use words.”  This also reminded me of a quote from Archbishop Dom Helder Camara of Recife, Brazil, who passed away on August 27, 1999:  “Watch how you live.  Your lives may be the only Gospel your brothers and sisters will read.”  By not only our words, but our actions, we say who Jesus is.”  

Prayer to the Holy Spirit by St Augustine - Feast day on August 28

We celebrate the feast day of St Augustine (354 - 430) on Monday, August 28.  He wrote this beautiful prayer to the Holy Spirit: 

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit,

That my thoughts may all be holy.

Act in me, O Holy Spirit,

That my work, too, may be holy.

Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit,

That I love but what is holy.

Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit,

To defend all that is holy.

Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit,

That I always may be holy.  AMEN.  

8/29/2017 – The Passion of John the Baptist – Tuesday of 21st week in Ordinary Time – Mark 6:17-29

      Today’s memorial mass used to be referred to as the Martyrdom of John the Baptist, but the name has been officially changed in our liturgical calendar to t”he Passion of John the Baptist”, which is similar to the way we refer to the Passion Of Jesus.  We think about how passionate John the Baptist was in proclaiming the Kingdom of God and in paving the way for Jesus. We think of the sufferings and trials John went through for the kingdom.   One of my professors in seminary, Dr Richard Lux, and many other Old Testament Scripture scholars, both Protestant and Catholic, believe that John the Baptist was raised in the community of the Essenes, that mystical Jewish community that lived near the Dead Sea and that produced the Dead Sea Scrolls. John’s message and lifestyle seem very similar to what was going on in that community.  John was the last in the line of the prophets who brought God’s message to the people of Israel and who were precursors for Jesus’ life and ministry.

         Herod had a lot of respect for John the Baptist, for he knew him to be a righteous man.  Yet, Herod feared John the Baptist because Herod knew that he preached the truth.  Speaking the truth cost John the Baptist his life, but he had the courage to not back down from the mission that was his calling in life.  The prophets of our Christian faith today have the same courage and tenacity.  We hear Pope Francis and many of our bishops being very bold and courageous in the way he is challenging the secular world today.

         May each one of us see in John the Baptist a great example of faith.  May we boldly proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives through our words and our actions, in truth and in love, just like John the Baptist did.  At some point, all of us will have to pay a cost for our faith.  May we be not afraid to do so, no matter what that cost may be.    

Quote - the universe is made out of stories

I have seen this quote written in different forms and attributed to different individuals.  I have often seen it attributed to poet Muriel Rukeyser (1913 - 1980)  - 

The universe is not made out of atoms  -  it is made out of stories.  

Thought from the day from Danish existentialist philosopher Soren Kierkegaard

Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced. 

Soren Kierkegaard 

Inspiring quote

A parishioner of mine at my former parish at St James in Tupelo, Mississippi gave me the quote when I was going through a particularly challenging time in the parish.  It has provided me a great a deal of inspiration.  

When we walk to the edge of all the light we have, and take a step into the darkness of the unknown, we must believe that one of two things will happen.  Either there will be something solid for us to stand on, or God will teach us to fly.  
(Author unknown)

Lincoln A Dall (1866 - 1890)

Growing up, I was teased a lot because my name "Lincoln" was not very common.  As an adult, I appreciate my name very much and its history in my family.  My Great Great Grandfather David Dall immigrated to the United States from Scotland.  He was from a small town named Newburgh on the coast of Fife in Scotland.  He and his family were sea people, captains and sailors on ships.  He immigrated to Chicago where they remained in the same profession on the Great Lakes.  One of his sons was my Great Grandfather, John Dall.  David Dall's youngest son was named Lincoln, named after President Abraham Lincoln.  There are many other members of my ancestral tree with the first or middle name of Lincoln.  My dad insisted that his first born son have that name.  The first Lincoln Dall was born in 1866 and died at the age of 24.  I don't know a lot of details about him and don't know how he died.  This is a photo of him that I have in the living room of my rectory.  One day, I hope to be buried next to him at my family's cemetery plot in Rose Hill Cemetery in Chicago.  

St Jude Catholic Church - Pearl, Mississippi

I am getting adjusted in my new "home" - St Jude Catholic Church in Pearl, just outside of Jackson. It is a wonderful, vibrant parish and an easy place to adjust to.  I have had a very warm welcome - could not ask for more.  Looking forward to many years of ministry here.  

August 24 2017 - Thursday of 20th week in Ordinary Time - St Bartholomew - John 1:45-51, Psalm 145

     “Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.”  What a wonderful message we hear today in our psalm response as we celebrate St Bartholomew today, one of the members of Christ group of apostles. All of us as Christ’s disciples in the modern world are to make the glory of his message known in our words and our actions. 

       The Gospel today refers to Bartholomew as Nathaniel.  It recounts the beginning of Jesus’ friendship with Nathaniel. Upon seeing Bartholomew from a distance, Jesus states that there is no duplicity in him, meaning the he is not two-faced, not deceitful, not dishonest, not divided in his loyalty.  We can intuit from the description that Bartholomew is a good, honest man of Israel, a man of prayer and devotion who was called to be a follower of Jesus.  And Bartholomew responds to this invitation by professing what he sees in Jesus: you are the Son of God - you are the King of Israel.  In the Beatitudes, Jesus stated: “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”  That definitely describes Bartholomew and his recognition of Jesus as the Son of God in today’s Gospel. 

      The Bible does not say what happened to Bartholomew in the establishment of the Early Church after Christ’s death and resurrection.  Tradition has passed down that he went to the East on his missionary travels and died a martyr’s death in Armenia, which is in West Asia near the countries of Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan and Georgia.  

      As you are still at the beginning of a new school year, continuing on your journey of faith and journey through life, we might ask ourselves: If Jesus saw us today, just like he saw Bartholomew that day, how would Jesus see us according to our words and actions?  Would we be seen as a young man or young woman of prayer, as a disciple of Christ who is commitment to a life of faith, who lives the true value of the Gospel in his or her life.  Let us ask to the Lord to bless us on our journeys this school, through the joys and the challenges, through the ups and downs we will have on our journey of faith. 

August 23 2017 – Wednesday of 20th week in Ordinary Time – Judges 9:6-15

     Our first reading is from the book of Judges, a book from the Hebrew Scriptures that perhaps is not very familiar to us.  The Book of Judges tells the story of the different Judges and Prophets who call Israel back to its covenant with the Lord.   In today’s reading, Abimelech, the son of the great judge Gideon, is made the ruler to succeed his father.  However, he does so treacherously, having killed his 69 half-brothers to eliminate all of his rivals, with his youngest half brother Jotham the only one surviving.  His reign is recorded as being unprincipled and ambitious, with him often battling his own subjects for power and control.

     When Jotham is told about his brother Abimelech being made ruler of Israel, he recounts a parable about some trees.  All of the trees who bear great fruit and who produce much for society do not want to be made king, because that would compromise their productivity and their gifts.  However, the briar, which produces no fruit and has the leisure to accept this position, is the one who consents to being king, even though it cannot even provide shade or anything of worth for the other trees. 

     Israel wanted a king because their other neighbors had one.  They were not content with God alone.  We all have heroes and people we admire in life, and hopefully we all have heroes and people we admire for their faith.  Do we admire them for the right reasons, or is this just folly?  May we choose our leaders and our heroes wisely, guided by the truth and the values of our faith.