11/15/2013 – Friday of 32nd week in Ordinary time – Wisdom 13:1-9

     "Glance at the sun.  See the moon and the stars.  Gaze at the beauty of earth’s greenings.  Now think.  What delight God gives to humanity with all these things.  All nature is at the disposal of humankind.  We are to work with it.  For without, we cannot survive.”  These words were written by Hildegarde of Bingen, a German Benedictine nun who was named as a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XVI.  Like Hildegarde, the author of the book of Wisdom saw God in creation.  He did not make the marvels he saw in creation an idol, for doing so would be foolish and ignorant according to him.  So many of the faithful see God in the beauty and wonder of nature, and this serves to strengthen and confirm our faith in God.

     Christians are called to serve the Lord in different ways, to see him in the different facets of the world.   One of the saints we celebrate this week is St Hugh of Lincoln.  Hugh was a monk in a Carthusian monastery in France in the 12^th century.  The Carthusians are one of the monastic orders that observe a strict vow of silence.  At the age of 40, he was asked to open a Carthusian monastery in England.  He earned a great deal of respect from the people when he made sure that the poor that were displaced by the building of the monastery were justly compensated for their land. He later was appointed Bishop of Lincoln in England, where he showed a special love for the sick, the poor, and the lepers of his diocese.  He also personally shielded a group of Jews from an angry mob.  We see God in creation, and we reflect God’s love and mercy in how we treat God’s creation and our brothers and sisters in the reality that is present in our lives.  Thank you Lord for the greatness and beauty of your creation, for the way we see your majesty in your creation in the world. 

11/16/2012 – Luke 17:26-37 – Friday of 32nd week in ordinary time –

       In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus recounts the disobedience that has a part of the history of the people of Israel.  He recalls not only the story of Noah and the ark, but also the dramatic story from Genesis about the Lord’s destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which took place because the people willfully sinned against God and his law, as they were unwilling to repent and to change their hearts. Lot and his family were spared destruction.  Yet, in all of the chaos of fleeing to the safety that God promised to them, Lot’s wife still disobeys the Lord and his laws, suffering the consequences by being turned into a pillar of salt.  Jesus reminds us of these story to illustrate the importance of being obedient to God, of following his will in our lives, of the consequences we will endure for our sinful actions.  So often we want to follow our own will or the ways of the world that call out to us so strongly.  However, Jesus tells us that those who are disobedient will pay the price.  May we heed this warning.