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Solemnity of the Epiphany – Cycle C

5 January 2013

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Reflecting on Is. 60: 1-6

On this gorgeous Christmas-tide feast day that remembers the manifestation of Christ to all the nations, I wonder if we could take a minute to let our imaginations wander in a direction which we may not have allowed ourselves for many years. Let your heart indulge itself in this direction:

What would it be like if the United States of America were like the Star of Bethlehem? What if our country radiated so much light, so much warmth, so much justice, so much compassion, so much strength of character that the glory of the Lord shone upon us?

What if all the nations walked by our light? What if all the people of the world, who share the same sun and moon, (and I’m even imagining the wretched, starving masses in North Korea, who have no access to the outside world) observed such radiant wisdom in us that it literally lit up the sky and pointed all peoples in the direction of peace?

What if we, the city set on the hill, the world’s model of all possible ethnic groups living together, would be so changed by the horrors of violence against children in this country that we all put every other agenda aside until every child (and yes, the parents and siblings and cousins and aunts and uncles and friends of every child) was safe tonight?

The divine wisdom it would require is staggering, but we are the nation that mightily helped save the world just 70 years ago. We saved the world from the Nazis. Can we can save ourselves too?

Of course we can. Oh Star of Wonder, guide us to thy Perfect Light.

In what ways are you resolved to radiate only Light this year?

What would YOU like to say about this question, or today’s readings, or any of the columns from the past year? The sacred conversations are setting a Pentecost fire! Register here today and join the conversation.

I have come to light a fire on the earth; how I wish it were already burning (Lk.12:49).

One Comments to “Solemnity of the Epiphany – Cycle C”

bonniebchesterJanuary 8, 2013 at 6:08 pm

I wanted to comment on last week’s reflection and recommend a good book, TWO FROM GALILEE by Marjorie Holmes. It is a story about Joseph, and Mary and also Ann and Joachim. Being a gradmother, I related to Ann’s part. She struggled with believing Mary’s story of the God-child in her womb. As Mary and Joseph were leaving for Bethlehem, they were already at a distance, Ann remembered the words of the prophets and she then knew in her heart it was true. Mary was too far off for Ann to let her know, and I wonder if and when she saw the Holy Family again. It touched my heart

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The Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God – Cycle C

31 December 2012

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One Christmas Eve, while on pilgrimage to Israel, my husband and I took a memorable walk to Bethlehem from Shepherd’s Field. This is the field that remembers the sacred place where the shepherds—that group who were considered so unclean that their testimony was not honored in court—saw the angel, who entrusted to them the greatest news in the history of the world. Then the heavens opened and they saw “a multitude of the heavenly host” praising God.

Ben and I decided to follow their footsteps from Shepherd’s Field that Christmas Eve afternoon. We “went in haste” those three miles, which gradually got steeper as they led to the Church of the Nativity. Breathless and with hearts bursting, we entered the church which, at Midnight Mass in ten hours, would be packed with pilgrims from around the world. But at this moment we were alone. We climbed down the dark stairs that led to the ancient cave where the shepherds found “Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.” Then those shepherds, those “outlaws”, testified to them what they had been told about Jesus.

What peace we felt there in that cave on that Christmas Eve. As we walked out into the December chill we promised to increase our own testimony of Jesus, and to work harder for peace on earth, and goodwill towards all.

Are there places in your heart that can’t embrace a God who has love for all people?

I have come to light a fire on the earth; how I wish it were already burning (Lk.12:49).

3 Comments to “The Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God – Cycle C”

caragarofaloJanuary 1, 2013 at 12:28 am

I just learned of this site from “Give Us This Day.” I look forward to joining in. I do believe that God has unconditional love for all people, but there are places in my heart (but not in my mind!) that find it difficult to accept that God loves me. I take comfort in knowing that God knows our hearts and pray that I may fully accept His love for me.
DurelleJanuary 1, 2013 at 12:46 am

I am newly converting to Catholicism and only last month discovered Give us this Day. I love the book and enjoyed the heart expressed in Kathy McGoverns “Waiting and Watching” story.
How would it be if Jesus was to come today to me?? My mind is afraid to imagine such a thing although I long for it. I long too for the Kingdom of God to come on earth to see and feel radical love outpoured every day, one to another. I hear God saying, “Begin my daughter, begin for I am with you already.” I dream the dream but find it hard to walk the walk.
Together we can. If you will love unconditionally I will too
bib24January 1, 2013 at 7:48 pm

I call those places my ‘darkness’ and I truly believe that in God’s infinite mercy and love, He does love me and others, despite our failings. And for me, there is peace in knowing that and I just continue to pray for His mercy.

On this wonderful feast of The Solemnity of Mary, what comfort there is in knowing and believing she is the Mother of us all; and what an example to follow and ask for her intercession when I fail to be the mother I should be to my children or grandchildren. Thank you, Lord, for sharing Her with us.

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Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph – Cycle C

29 December 2012

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Don’t you wish we knew more about the Holy Family? We’d love to know about Joseph, the silent protector of Mary and Jesus. He utters not a word in scripture, yet his docility in accepting God’s miraculous work, and his divine role in that unfolding, makes him the perfect model for all fathers. Imagine a world where children, especially sons, don’t have that “dad-sized hole” in their hearts where their fathers should have been.

The earliest artistic rendering of Mary is a fresco, c. 150 A.D., in the Catacomb of Priscilla in Rome. It’s so touching to see her, protectively cradling Jesus, on this ancient wall upon which the martyrs of Rome carved their faith. About this time a book appeared, The First Gospel of James, which was immediately beloved by the Christian communities in Rome. Though never accepted as part of the canon of the New Testament, it contrived to give background stories of Mary and Joseph that we crave to know even today.

When we see them in heaven we can ask them all our questions.

What would you most like to ask Joseph or Mary?

I have come to light a fire on the earth; how I wish it were already burning (Lk.12:49).

4 Comments to “Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph – Cycle C”

ReneeDecember 29, 2012 at 10:20 pm

I would love to ask Joseph and Mary many things. Given that the “Holy Family” is the focus of this feast, I would love to hear their parenting and marital advice(although by the time I get to Heaven, that advice would come too late). In scripture, we learn about the times that God spoke to Mary and Joseph before and shortly after Jesus’ birth. Did God speak as clearly to them throughout their lives? If so, what did God say to Mary and Joseph later and how did they respond? Would they have any advice on how we could best listen for God speaking to us?
By the way, I found out about this site through the “Give Us This Day” daily reading today. Nice work, Kathy!
Maureen45December 30, 2012 at 1:45 pm

I would like to ask Mary and Joseph to share what was special to each one of them in terms of the relationship that had with their son as he was growing up.
clm1127December 30, 2012 at 11:28 pm

Based on some reading I did this morning, I would like to know what Ann and Joachim said to Mary when she told them she was expecting. Certainly that must have been a shocking moment in that devout Jewish family! I would also like to know what they did for fun!
bib24December 31, 2012 at 5:54 am

I find Joseph most intriguing in that we really do not know that much about him but yet his role in the story that changed the world is awesome. In his apparent quiet solitude I look at his example (that I know of) as one of listening to God and following what he heard. Truly he kept Jesus at the center and perhaps that is why we don’t know much about Joseph.

I always think of the part of the story about Mary at the Wedding at Cana where she told the servants to “Listen to Him” when Jesus had the waiters/servants fill the jars with water, etc. That one remark “Listen to Him” is what we all should do anyway to live how we should.

Questions I would ask either of them?? Right now, I’m not sure where I would begin…

Thanks, Kathy, for this opportunity. Happy New Year.

P.S. – I also learned of this site from Give Us This Day.

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Christmas Day – Cycle C

26 December 2012

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Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas this year? Because I’m sure I saw more presents for you, hidden under the tree and tucked away in secret places where you can find them at just the perfect time.

Here’s one addressed to you from “Heartfelt Compassion”. This present will open itself for you. You’ll feel your heart break open as you feel “’with passion” the daily struggle of a relative whose addiction has already strained the bonds of love in your family. It’s okay. Feel that tenderness and love for your broken relative once again. It’s Christmas for them too, with all its promises of God with us.

This next gift goes with it, so open up “Kindness” too. This is SUCH a perfect gift for you because it will keep surprising you all year! Watch for that thoughtful stranger who says, “I can see that you’re in a hurry and just have a few things to buy. Jump ahead of me.” It will show up in the surprise letter of gratitude from an old friend, or the sweet gift of taking out the trash which your spouse does every single day without saying a word. Or maybe it will be your adult child, who calls and says, “Remember how hard I fought to get you to let me hang out with my friends when I was fourteen? I’ve never thanked you for holding your ground and keeping me safe.”

There are lots more presents, and they all have your name on them. They are from Emmanuel, who promises to be with you in every struggle and every joy of the coming year. Merry Christmas.

What is your favorite memory of God’s presence with you?

I have come to light a fire on the earth; how I wish it were already burning (Lk.12:49).

2 Comments to “Christmas Day – Cycle C”

Thomas2011December 29, 2012 at 3:22 pm

We lost a puppy to cancer this Advent season and laying him to rest and saying The Lord’s Prayer I felt the love of Christ suffusing all of us who were there. Saint Catherine of Siena’s beautiful words about Christ’s love for us never felt truer.
bib24December 29, 2012 at 4:14 pm

I have never doubted that God is with me ALL the time, no matter what. I thank Him many times during the day for the good things that come my way and for the things that initially, I don’t think are so good, but then I look for how that will change me into a person God wants me to be. I am a work in progress but through the grace of God.

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Fourth Sunday of Advent – Cycle C

26 December 2012

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Reflecting on Luke 1: 39-45

Last year at this time I told you of the beautiful song The Visit, which recounts Mary’s encounter with her cousin Elizabeth (and her pre-born child John the Baptist). I received more comments on the website which accompanies this column about that song than any column in three years. I gratefully offer it again, reprinted with permission from Sr. Miriam Therese Winter of the Medical Missionary Sisters. And may you each, like Elizabeth, experience the joy of the presence of Christ, this Christmas and always.

THE VISIT

She walked in the summer, through the heat on the hill. She hurried as one who went with a will.

She danced in the sunlight when the day was done. Her heart knew no evening. She carried the Sun.

Fresh as a flower at the first ray of dawn, she came to her cousin, whose morning had gone.

There leaped a little child in the ancient womb, and there leaped a little hope in every ancient tomb.

Hail, little sister you herald the spring. Hail, brave mother, you carried our King.

Hail to the Moment beneath your breast. May all generations call you blessed.

When you walk in the summer through the heat on the hill, when you’re one with the wind, and one with God’s will,

Be glad with the burden you are blessed to bear. For it’s Christ who you carry everywhere, everywhere… everywhere.

I have come to light a fire on the earth; how I wish it were already burning (Lk.12:49).

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Third Sunday of Advent – Cycle C

17 December 2012

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Reflecting on Luke 3: 10-18

I like to imagine what John the Baptist would say to us if he saw us standing in line at the Jordan. “What should we do?” asked the crowd that had followed him into the wilderness.

He looked at each one and told them what particular thing was keeping them from the fulfilling the Law in their own lives. “Stop cheating.” “Stop extorting.” “Stop hoarding what you’ve got.”

Hmm. So what would he say to us? Imagine the Baptizer encountering us, leveling his refiner’s fire at us. I suspect we would hear things like, “Stop being anxious. Your heavenly Father knows what you need.”

Or, “Stop working so hard to provide things. Your family needs YOU more than things.” Or maybe, “Stop secretly harboring grudges. Accept the grace to be healed of ancient wounds.”

Here’s an Advent assignment: imagine being face to face with the Baptist. What would he require of you before plunging you in the water?

I have come to light a fire on the earth; how I wish it were already burning (Lk.12:49).

One Comments to “Third Sunday of Advent – Cycle C”

MichaelCarlosDecember 26, 2012 at 3:40 am

One of the most sacred memories of my childhood is sitting in the hushed and darkened church waiting for midnight Mass to begin, sleepy and still wrapped in the warmth of the Christmas Eve family celebration we had just left. The words of the opening prayer spoke so deeply to the moment, and have stayed with me through all the years: “Lord our God, with the birth of your Son, your glory breaks on the world. Through the night hours of the darkened earth, we your people watch for the coming of your promised Son.”
I hold that memory and that invocation close to my heart on this Christmas Day. The sense of waiting in the “night hours of the darkened earth” seems so terribly real and close in light of all the tragic news of the past few weeks and days. There is an aching certainty that we are still waiting for the promised joy, a feeling that something vital and necessary is missing in our culture, in our hearts.
The power of the Christmas liturgy for me has always centered not on a picturesque and anodyne account of the baby Jesus, but in the proclamation that the Incarnation marks the beginning of the work of our redemption. That it was only by accepting and embracing our humanness that our God could save us through his death and resurrection. It is terrifying and exalting to think about this in personal terms, to believe that every human life has been redeemed by his sacrifice. That I myself am known and precious to the Savior.
And tonight my thoughts turn to the volunteer firemen killed yesterday in New York, the innocents in Connecticut earlier this month, the moviegoers in Aurora this summer, and the countless others who were lost to violence. To know that each of them was precious to his or her loved ones and to God is more than the heart can bear. It is incomprehensible how those lives could mean so little to the ones who took them with such violence.
But this points to the very thing that seems to be missing today: the fundamental recognition of the value and sanctity of every human person. We diminish it in ways small and large, sometimes without notice. It begins with negative self-talk and with accepting unexamined prejudices about others. It lies at the root of bullying and tormenting of the weak, the different, the lost. It appears in the public discourse in the grotesque parodies constructed on both sides of the increasingly polarized partisan divide until we become implacably set against our depersonalized and demonized “opponents.” And its reality is all too apparent and literal in the actual taking of lives, from domestic violence to acts of sexual predation, from crime- and drug-related killings to the rampages of deranged and evil mass murderers.
Whether the glorification of violence and the commodification of sexuality in media and popular culture are contributing causes of this abasement of human dignity or are just its inevitable manifestations, it amounts to the same. Its prevalence is undeniable and it leads to the unbearable tragedies for the families, friends, and communities of those we have lost.
What meaning, then, can the Christmas proclamation have in the face of this reality?
Maybe Christmas reminds us once again that every life is sacred. That God came to live as one of us BECAUSE we are uniquely valuable and precious. That we are called to cherish and respect every person we encounter: the broken and the whole, the friend and the stranger.
And so we wait still in the night hours of the darkened earth. We wait until every tear is wiped away. We wait together in hope. Waiting, still waiting.
Come, Lord Jesus, come!

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Second Sunday of Advent – Cycle C

11 December 2012

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Reflecting on Luke 3: 1-6

The Preaching of St. John the Baptist by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Recently, a friend gave me a birthday card that told some of the significant events that were occurring around the time of my birth. I now know the President of the U.S.A., most popular song, and Best Movie the year I was born. I am a product of the times in which I have lived. I like looking at my life from the lens of history.

St. Luke likes this too, and we begin our year-long reading of his gospel by being placed right into the historical setting of Israel, circa 27A.D. We now know, thanks to him, that at the time of John’s ministry in the wilderness (which for Luke closes the time of waiting which the Old Testament prophets endured) there were some very dark, malevolent people on thrones in Judea and Galilee. Not only are the Roman emperor, and Judean governor, and tetrarchs of the Galilee and Judea named, but the high priests in Jerusalem are also noted. Each of these officials will play a much larger part in the history of the world than even Caesar imagined, for they participated in the unfolding of salvation history, which is eternal.

In the midst of all this pomp and treachery we hear a voice from far in the desert, crying out, “Prepare a way for the Lord!” He is a ragged man, this John. He knows something; he senses that the One is drawing near. As the rest of the Roman Empire busily raises up valleys and clears roadways for the coming of some officious bureaucrat, John demands that we raise the valleys of our lost hopes, and chisel down the mountains of our hardened hearts. The King is coming.

I have come to light a fire on the earth; how I wish it were already burning (Lk.12:49).

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First Sunday of Advent – Cycle C

1 December 2012

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Presenting Megan and Micah Brewster

We had a family wedding last week, and I’m still dancing. The beautiful, love-drunk bride and groom were so aglow with joy that the candle-lit church was no match for the light that radiated from them. They pronounced their vows to each other so graciously. They were thrilled to bind themselves to each other, believing that those bonds will free them to love others even more perfectly.

Afterwards, at the reception, there was dancing. Ecstatic, fun, hilarious dancing. A sweet, eighteen-year-old cousin took turns twirling all his little cousins around and around, and as soon as they were spun out they ran right back to get in line to be twirled all over again.

Can you recall this delicious thrill of childhood, of being on a ride at a carnival and being utterly delighted, yet filled with dread of the moment the ride came to an end? As the great John Kavanaugh (he of blessed memory) wrote, the childhood we never leave is suspended between devastation and delight.

Advent is like that. In the ever-quickening darkness we light the first candle. We re-member (make happen again) the exhilaration of being weightless on a planet pulled by gravity. We have already been the child whose ride finally ended. We are not yet the child whose ride will never end.

Come, oh Child of wonder. Come.

And congratulations, Megan and Micah. Dance.

I have come to light a fire on the earth; how I wish it were already burning (Lk.12:49).

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Solemnity of Christ the King – Cycle B

24 November 2012

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Reflecting on John 18: 33b-37

Lucas Cranash the Elder, 1510 “Christ Crowned with Thorns”

When Jesus tells Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world” I always squirm a little. Why isn’t it? Why isn’t the incarnation—God made flesh and dwelling among us—the kingdom of God? I squirm because I really, really like this world, and there are many moments every day where I think, “Yes, this is the kingdom, right here.”

Now that we have come to the end of the Year of Mark we can look back and find all kinds of ways in which Jesus created the kingdom while he lived. Remember those four friends who carried their paralyzed friend across town, then took the roof off and lowered him down so that Jesus could heal him? That’s the kingdom, right there.

Or remember when Jairus compelled Jesus to go off in a new direction in order to heal his daughter, and in so doing Jesus walked right into the path of the hemorrhaging woman, who reached out and grabbed the hem of the Kingdom as he passed? A young girl and an aging woman, both brought back to health because they met the Kingdom of God.

There was Peter’s wife’s mother who, overjoyed at being made well, immediately resumed her life of service to the Kingdom. These are just a few of the stories Mark told us this year, but they all end the same: the encounter with Jesus is the encounter with the Kingdom, and yet the fullness of that kingdom is still to come. Let’s let Handel, and Revelation 11:15, end the year for us:

The Kingdom of this world is become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ, and of his Christ!

What glimpses of the Kingdom do you have in your life?

I have come to light a fire on the earth; how I wish it were already burning (Lk.12:49).

9 Comments to “Solemnity of Christ the King – Cycle B”

MichaelCarlosNovember 26, 2012 at 1:51 pm

What glimpses of the Kingdom do I have in my life? Where do I begin? Last week I sat down to Thanksgiving dinner and looked around in amazement and gratitude at the family I never dreamed I could have. That is the Kingdom present in my life. Two weekends ago, one of my sisters came for her annual visit to celebrate our birthdays, and we sat in the Bob Carr Center for the Arts to hear Bronfman perform Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto. It’s impossible to hear that yearning and triumphant music without feeling grace, and to experience it together was no less than a glimpse of the Kingdom. Hearing stories of my niece and nephew in Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood working so hard to volunteer and gather supplies for those who were devastated by Hurricane Sandy, knowing that their values and worldview come from the lessons taught by my younger sister and her husband: that is a glimpse of the Kingdom. I could go on and on, but I do want to make one special mention of this little corner of the internet: I’ve not faithfully followed the beautiful reflections posted here by Kathy and the many people who have shared their thoughts, but every visit lifts my spirit and reawakens my love of the Word and the community that is created by the Word alive and active in our world. And if the holy conversations that happen here are not a glimpse of the Kingdom, I don’t know what is.
JemaNovember 27, 2012 at 3:33 pm

Oh, well said, Michael…well said!!!
BeckyNovember 27, 2012 at 5:26 pm

Yes Michael you have a way of reflecting love and exceptance that reminds us why we come here to Kathy’s site and comment on her beautiful insight on The Word of God. I also haven’t been the most faithful member of this Holy and soul searching site which reminds me why I feel empty, I neglect to reflect on the readings the word of God Himself, Now Kathy my dear this is a dear Blessing for we Christians who sometime find ourselves wondering “what on earth is the Lord trying to tell me in this or that reading?” My Kingdom is under constant reconstruction. And that may be the way it is for everyone, I don’t know, I know for so reason May be jealousy, People who seem too good and perfect bother me. My Kingdom oddly is when I step into confesion with all my sins and naughtiness and lay it all out before the Lord, and then I am told He still loves me. I use to want to change some of the traditions that the Catholic Church holds on to sooo faithfully and of course thise changes were to accomondate myself not the spiritual life of God’s children. My true Kingdom came when I realized that the Catholic Church is a real living breathing part of Christ Himself and since He is indeed perfect and needs no change So to It is with our Church. Jesus is the perfect God living mid sinners and This Catholic Faith that He keeps calling me back to, is the perfect word holding tight in these troubled times and sinful people with firm and unshakable traditions and truthful wisedom. Truth in this world of chaos is like a beacon, guiding us across the foggy sea until we are guided back to our Father’s Kingdom.
CrisNovember 27, 2012 at 6:28 pm

I, too, have not been faithful to this cyber site but life happens and when life happens I hope we respond to that call of grace. What is so liberating about this cyber community is that we are not under pressure and do not always have to “contribute” a thought. Another liberating thing is that we do not have to be as eloquent as the other postings. And it’s a joy to be drinking from this fountain that Kathy has created.
BeckyNovember 28, 2012 at 2:10 am

Cris, Thank You for understanding and saying that, I have a fear of writing my thoughts down and sharing them.
BetsyNovember 28, 2012 at 5:42 pm

The Kingdom seems to be everywhere on this earth.
I don’t want to sound trite; everybody seems to love babies, and most of us like kids. But the delight that I feel in seeing the faces and movements and hearing the language of babies transcends my responses to almost anything else. The Kingdom has got to be present there.
Then as kids start to talk, most of us have heard comments from at least one child that is so on target that they set US straight without even knowing it. Something else has to be going on there.
God has gifted us in the past few years with having our 10 year old grandson live with us. At times he really tries my patience, and I talk to God in prayer about it. At one point in prayer I felt that God was asking me to try and look at my grandson when I start getting irritated, to keep an eye on him as subtly as I can, because my love for him is so strong that maybe if I look at him it would soften my tendency to get angry and I could remain as calm as possible. And it is true, it is harder to be angry at him when I see his face. Maybe the Kingdom just lives on the faces of children. It does sound trite but it must be worth saying again if it helps to soften a heart in times of stress.
MichaelCarlosDecember 2, 2012 at 12:47 am

Betsy, thank you for the beautiful and profound idea. Don’t think for a moment it is trite. I am going to do my best to remember this next time I need the grace of patience and forbearance.
mamalainDecember 5, 2012 at 2:16 am

Glimpses of the Kingdom of God hear on earth.
Ever since I have been attending adoration on a weekly basis for the past 3 years, my life has been changed in only a way that is so profound. As my heart very rarely aches, I have found a calm peace in my body. Although, there are times when my body physically aches, my inner being is at peace most of the time. As long as I let the spirit work in me, I am at peace. I have witness to the Kingdom almost daily. Today as I realized that I had promised to drive my son downtown to his classes at MSU (all the way from Thornton), I didn’t think I was going to make the turnaround time to get home and get myself ready for work and be on time at 10 a.m.; especially since we left the house at 7:55. There was no way I was going to make it. But after I dropped my son off and headed back north on I25, it was if time stood still for a few minutes allowing me to arrive back home with plenty of time to shower, pack my lunch and drive to Arvada. I was amazed, but not surprised that the intervention of the Holy Spirit allowed me to accomplish my morning task. Other times I find the intervention of the Holy Spirit in my life at work, keeping me out of harm’s way when the big busy calls come into the dispatch center. Just as I leave for my break the calls explode and all is quiet upon my return after my break. I truly believe that I am blessed by the Holy Spirit as He gives me what I can handle and helps me in my daily life. I am so awaiting the eternal Kingdom, and I know that if the Holy Spirit is here on earth, He is surely in Heaven.
josiejDecember 29, 2012 at 1:53 pm

Betsy,
I too have found that I cannot be angry when I look at their face. Is this what they mean when they tell us to see the face of Christ in everyone we meet? Oh, that I would pause long enough to see ever time. Thank you for your insight.

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Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B

17 November 2012

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Reflecting on Mark 13: 24-32

I have an image in my mind, a kind of “save page” in my soul, that holds who I am and how I will always see the world. It’s an actual picture of our backyard, circa 1958. My sister and I are swinging on the swing-set, and my baby brother is playing in his crib on the porch. My dad and two older brothers are playing basketball on our driveway basketball court, just outside our yard and just inside the picture. My mother’s fire-red roses climb up the fence and spill out in bushes that encircle the green, green grass.

It rains most afternoons, sending heavenly moisture into the ground and giving the grass that deep green, and the roses that deep red, that explodes in my memory even after all these years.

It seems sometimes that the world is ending. Winters are too mild. Summers are too hot. In the new normal of drought and fires, roses and lawns are replaced with xeriscapes.

Do kids still swing on swing-sets in fragrant backyards, and does that even matter? I guess not. It looks like the world will keep spinning. Children will delight their parents, and will grow to be parents themselves. Generations will pass away, and the moon will still give light, and the stars will stay in the sky. The heavens will not be shaken.

Yet, the world is ending, and someday we will see the Creator of all this beauty. Blessed are those who have radiated so much light in their lives that the shock of all that Light won’t slow them down from receiving the joyous welcomes of all who have gone before them, marked with sign of faith.

We are put on earth a little space,
That we may learn to bear the beams of love (William Blake).

In what ways are you “beaming love”?

I have come to light a fire on the earth; how I wish it were already burning (Lk.12:49).

One Comments to “Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B”

CrisNovember 19, 2012 at 3:30 pm

I just want to say Happy Thanksgiving to you, Kathy and all those who have enriched my life through this cyber-community, individuals whom I have never met but have nonetheless exerted an impact on my mind and heart. Thank you, everyone! – – Cris

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Solemnity of the Epiphany – Cycle C

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The Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God – Cycle C

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Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph – Cycle C

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Christmas Day – Cycle C

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Fourth Sunday of Advent – Cycle C

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Third Sunday of Advent – Cycle C

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Second Sunday of Advent – Cycle C

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First Sunday of Advent – Cycle C

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Solemnity of Christ the King – Cycle B

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Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B

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SUNDAY REFLECTIONS

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July 2026
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