23 August 2019 – Friday of 20th week in Ordinary Time – Ruth 1:1, 3-6, 14B-16, 22

     We hear from the beginning of the book of Ruth today, the only reading we are going to hear from Ruth in our daily mass readings this week. We are read today’s passage for Ruth, it is her faith that is most evident.  We know that It is not easy taking a leap of faith, especially when the circumstances of our lives seem so difficult and insurmountable.   Ruth is a stranger in a strange land. And it is not like the land is overflowing with wealth and prosperity.  Quite the opposite - the land is struggling with a devastating feminine.  Ruth’s father-in-law dies, then her husband and her brother-in-law die, leaving their wives all alone under great stress and strain.  Yet, Ruth decides to stay with her mother-in-law.  She decides to trust and to remain faithful.  The people of this strange land will be her people, and their God will be her God. It is not easy taking this leap of faith, but that is what Ruth does.  Sometimes our own circumstances may seem overwhelmingly difficult, can’t they?  Sometimes we seem to be out of step with what is popular in society.  Yet, we are called to take a leap of faith just like Ruth did.  We are called to trust in God.  We are called to take risks for our faith.  May we have the courage to do so.

13 June 2019 - Thursday of the 10th week in Ordinary Time - 2 Corinthians 3:15—4:1, 3-6

      I have had a problem with wax in my ears since my days as a missionary in Ecuador.  I remember when the doctor in the military hospital in Quito removed all the wax and other junk that had clogged up my ear, when she opened the door, the sound was like a crash of thunder.  I had not realized how impaired my hearing had gotten when the wax had built up so much. The method of using water to flush the wax out of my ears does not usually work for me.  I usually use a baked onion or a hot water bottle to melt the wax away.  I remember that the first summer I was in Tupelo, the wax got so bad, that all the ladies in the office were yelling at me just so I could hear what they were saying. I went to an ear, nose and throat clinic in Tupelo; it took the doctor many tries to get the wax out, but once the wax did come out, I was amazed at what I was able to hear. 

         Paul tells us today, that whenever a person turns to the Lord, it is like a veil is removed.  Just like me hearing so much better once I got the wax out of my ears, once we turn to God, the way we see the world is so different as well. We are called to do much more than going through the motions of our faith, to do more than taking the easy road and accepting the status quo.  We are called to truly turn to the Lord with our hearts, to feel the Lord at the bottom of our souls. May we remove the veil that is impeding us from moving ahead on our journey of faith.  May we remove the wax that is clogging up our ears, that is impeding us from hearing the word of God in our lives. 

August 25, 2017 - Friday of the 20th week in Ordinary time – Ruth 1: 1, 3-6, 14B-16, 22

      This week, our first readings during daily mass have been coming from the Book of Judges, telling the story of the different prophets and judges who were called by God to try to bring his people back to the faith after they had strayed and had worshipped other foreign gods.  Today’s reading comes from the book that comes directly after the Book of Judges in the Old Testament – the book of Ruth.  What a different tone we find in this book compared to Judges and the Pentateuch.  Ruth was not an Israelite herself – she was a Gentile, a Moabite, but she married an Israelite man.  Rather than go back to her people after her husband dies, she stays with her mother-in-law Naomi.  The book of Ruth tells the story of this selfless, courageous woman of faith, a woman devoted to her family.  I was just remarking to someone the other day how we live in a throw-away society.  How we get rid of a cell phone that is only a year or two old because we think it is ancient and of no use anymore.  We sometimes don’t have the loyalty and commitment we should have for our family, community and parish.  In a world where we see things as ephemeral and impermanent, what commitment are we willing to make to God?  We commitment are we willing to make for our faith.  Are we willing to be as tenacious and forthright as Ruth?  Or are we willing to just walk away?