Be satisfied

Gospel: Mt 15:29-37
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120623.cfm

Today’s gospel highlights miracles that Jesus performed. He healed the lame, the blind, the deformed, and the mute. All those who followed Jesus were in awe of what he was doing. So much so that they lost sight of taking care of their basic needs. Jesus, in the end, took care of those basic needs considering what his followers would need for their journeys back to their regular day-to-day.

Sometimes we can get lost in chasing the miracle or wondering if we will get our miracle in our time of need. We can lose ourselves in asking God for signs or direction that we miss what is happening to us right now in this moment. As a young adult, I spent a lot of time pondering what I was going to do with my life. I lived with a lot of uncertainty and searched for answers. I sometimes wonder what more I could have done during that period of my life if I had taken advantage of that time instead of obsessing over what was next.

What uncertainties do you have right now? While you’re searching for answers, what is it that you are currently overlooking? We can lose ourselves in hypotheticals that impede us from being present in this moment. God may be preparing us for what we don’t yet see or be using us to help others prepare for something in their journey. Try spending some time today to observe your life free from your expectations and aspirations. What is God trying to show you in this present moment?

Our place in history

Gospel: Lk 10:21-24
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120523.cfm

Today, we are in a period of exponential innovation. Things are changing so fast. We also have access to more information than humans have had at any point in history; so much information that it is hard to discern what is true and what is false. It doesn’t take much effort for us to get lost in a doom spiral or to get polarized against others who think differently than us.

During Jesus’s time, there was a wide array of opinions. A lot of those living around Jesus were in captivity and were hoping for a leader to free them from their anguish. In today’s gospel, Jesus tells them why they are blessed to live in their present time.

When looking at the world today, we can easily forget that we are living in a year of our Lord. Jesus already walked the earth. The revelation has already occurred. Our understanding of this revelation, though, grows as we move through history. We gain further insights about God as human knowledge increases. Those who lived generations before us had no idea what would come after them. We have the potential to know things at a deeper level than all preceding generations. Think about how any relationship has grown with time. This is the same for mankind’s relationship with God. It is such a great gift to have the advances of history supporting us today.

When I think about the Kingdom of God, I see it as a process. It is one of constant striving. We can take steps back and steps forward, We are called to help drive human history to attain the kingdom. I am grateful for those who have helped get us this far; it is now our time to help further make the kingdom a reality.

How blessed are we to live now! The generations before us had no idea how God’s revelation would be further understood throughout history, as we do not know what will come after us. We are blessed to be chosen to live right now.

Subject to another

Gospel: Mt 8:5-11
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120423.cfm

Jesus praises a centurion for his faith. Centurions were military leaders during Jesus’s time and were seen as enemies of the Jewish people. Centurions led a century of soldiers. A century of soldiers could be one hundred to hundreds of soldiers. Centurions maintained order in occupied Roman territories, which included policing, managing customs, and facilitating capital punishment. They were not Jewish; they were Roman. They were in a position of power for the Roman Empire. They were the “worthy” of Roman society.

When speaking to Jesus, the centurion goes beyond merely saying he is not worthy of Jesus’s company but defines his lack of worthiness. He explains his position of power and how he is subservient to the Roman power structure. He sees Jesus as also subject to authority but to a different authority than his. This difference in authority is what makes the centurion unworthy. In other words, the centurion says, “I am subservient to numerous earthly authorities and have a lot of people subservient to my authority. You do not participate in these power struggles but are fully committed to divine authority. For these reasons, I am not worthy for you to enter my house.” The centurion doesn’t ask for this to change or even show that he wants it to change; he only recognizes the difference.

Jesus’s response to this is not to condemn or correct the centurion. Jesus could have said, “If you repent for these sins, I will heal your servant.” Jesus instead praised the man for his faith and healed his servant. God’s grace is freely given, not earned.

The power struggles have social antecedents and implications beyond the centurion. This gospel challenges us to see our world's power dynamics today and strive to live beyond them. It may seem impossible to transcend these dynamics, but Jesus shows us it is possible. What power dynamics exist in our world today? How do these dynamics impact you and others? How does Jesus transcend these dynamics? How can we accept others as Jesus did with the centurion?

Be watchful and alert

Gospel: Mk 13:33-37
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120323.cfm

When I was a child, there were times when my parents left me and my siblings home alone. We would have a great time with games that would mess up the house. If anything broke, we had enough time to fix it or time to prepare and rehearse our explanation for optimal effect. We always expected that they’d be home at a specific time, or we at least knew the earliest time they could get home. We sensed that we could get the house back in order within thirty minutes of their return if we all pitched in. We’d devise a plan for doing it and only commit to activities we could adequately clean up. Often, we’d hang out together, waiting for the sound of the garage opening to let us know it was time to get to our beds and act asleep.

I could only imagine my parents’ reaction if they got home when the house was messy. Hearing this gospel as a child, I thought we only had two options: 1. Not to trash the house; 2. Always have an explanation ready for whatever state the house was in. Those options might work for my parents, but since God was all-knowing, there was only an option 1.

As I’ve gotten older, this gospel has become less and less about the return of an authority figure and more about living each day and each moment with the end in mind. We don’t know when the Lord will return or when we will return to the Lord. Jesus is calling us to live every day like it could be today. We should not be worried or afraid of punishment for wrong actions but challenge ourselves to live more fully. The time is now. There is no need to prepare for or worry about tomorrow if we care for what’s needed today.

Advent preparation

I am creating this blog to help me prepare for Advent this year. It is a way to hold myself accountable for reading scripture, pondering it, and finding a concise way to share my thoughts in a public forum. I have been open to sharing these thoughts in one-on-one conversations and while teaching, but never on the internet.

The reflections will start on Sunday, 3 December 2023, the first Sunday of Advent. They will conclude on Christmas Day, 25 December 2023. Each day will include the Catholic Church’s daily gospel and a link to the readings on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website. While I am a practicing Catholic, I do not see these reflections as limited to this tradition, but open to all.

I hope you enjoy these readings and that they help you grow. Blessing to you during this season.