Tag Archives: god

May 5-Monday of the Third Week of Easter

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And when they found him across the sea they said to him,
“Rabbi, when did you get here?”
Jesus answered them and said,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me
not because you saw signs
but because you ate the loaves and were filled.
Do not work for food that perishes
but for the food that endures for eternal life,
which the Son of Man will give you.
For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.”
So they said to him,
“What can we do to accomplish the works of God?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”

John 6: 25-29

Here are the complete readings for Monday, May 5, 2025.

(“Jesus Heals Peter” Icon of the Diocese of Cyprus, Maronite)

Jesus speaks to the crowd about what they cannot understand but what they are feeling. They are hungry, and they are seeking nourishment. The nourishment they seek is the connection of being loved that brings them out of their spiritual loneliness. When Jesus reminds the people to believe, he is exhorting them to believe that, on a fundamental level, they are beloved and capable of being loved. When one believes in their own dignity and worth, this is actually not a selfish decision. It is actually a courageous act of faith. To be loved in a very real way means accepting that the love one experiences cannot be contained, it must be shared. Just as Jesus shared his physical and spiritual self with humanity, so we are called to be present and connected to others, those with whom we feel genuine affection, our acquaintances, the passersby, and those we think we know and whose presence does not give us pleasure. We don’t always follow through on our calling, for we are all too human. Yet the hunger persists, to remind us to turn towards God, and to believe that a reunion is possible.

In this life of following Christ,
allow yourself, therefore, to be given away,
together with your sisters and brothers,
as nourishment for others,
as bread that is broken. – The Fundamental Principles of the Xaverian Brothers

God, thank you for the gift of this day. Whether we are awakened in calm by the birds at dawn, or in anxiety by the perils that await outside, you are here and by my side. Help me take your companionship and share it with those we encounter. May we be aware of our own vulnerability so we can be present and compassionate to people having their own moments of abandonment. You share yourself with us so completely so that we can be that gift to our neighbors.

Amen

April 19-Holy Saturday and Vigil Before Easter

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Then God said,
“Let there be light,” and there was light.
God saw how good the light was.
God then separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.”
Thus evening came, and morning followed—the first day.

Genesis 1: 3-5

I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you,
taking from your bodies your stony hearts
and giving you natural hearts.
I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes,
careful to observe my decrees.
You shall live in the land I gave your fathers;
you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

Ezekiel 36: 26-28

They found the stone rolled away from the tomb;
but when they entered,
they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
While they were puzzling over this, behold,
two men in dazzling garments appeared to them.
They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground.
They said to them,
“Why do you seek the living one among the dead?

Luke 24: 2-5

Here are the complete readings for Saturday, April 19, 2025.

(“Creation Story” mural-Nungalinya College https://www.nungalinya.edu.au/creation-story)

Can one describe the feeling when they have created a work of art? Art, even something that reflects something sad or painful, can radiate beauty, sometimes enough to stop a person in their tracks. Art is subjective, appealing to some tastes more than others. Art, even something that presents as self-evident, has an aura of mystery about it. That is because, be it music, dance, literature, theatre or painting, the art has its origins in a creator, who are themselves a mystery. A part of the artist exists in the art. How is this possible? We humans seem to have a natural inclination for self-transcendence, or to seek some kind of spiritual connection beyond our senses. In the Christian tradition, our rituals reflect God’s creative power present to us. We are God’s creation, God’s works of art. Like the artist and the art, we reflect God’s image and likeness by our very existence. These days of the Triduum reflect great sacrifice and pain, but point the way to the joy of resurrection and rebirth that surpasses description.

 
You were created by the God of love
in God’s image and according to God’s likeness,
to be a unique expression of that love.
It is through you
that God desires to manifest Love
to the peoples of the world in these times,
and to offer them the freedom
of the children of God. – The Fundamental Principles of the Xaverian Brothers

God, when we feel we are forsaken and in darkness, give us the hope in the dawn that lays ahead. Like the women at the tomb, may we believe in you even if we do not understand what we have witnessed. We trust that you point us towards the living, and welcome us as companions on this path to new and abundant life.

Amen

(“Women at the Tomb” by He Qi)

April 13-Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

Posted on by Rob Peace
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My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
All who see me scoff at me;
they mock me with parted lips, they wag their heads:
“He relied on the LORD; let him deliver him,
let him rescue him, if he loves him.”
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Indeed, many dogs surround me,
a pack of evildoers closes in upon me;
They have pierced my hands and my feet;
I can count all my bones.
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
They divide my garments among them,
and for my vesture they cast lots.
But you, O LORD, be not far from me;
O my help, hasten to aid me.
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
I will proclaim your name to my brethren;
in the midst of the assembly I will praise you:
“You who fear the LORD, praise him;
all you descendants of Jacob, give glory to him;
 revere him, all you descendants of Israel!”
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

Psalm 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24.

Here are the complete readings for Sunday, April 13, 2025.

(“Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem” by Alexey Smirnov)

Contemplate the entire collection of readings for this Palm Sunday day as we enter into Holy Week. I chose to highlight Psalm 22 today because of the connection to Jesus’ last words prior to his death. Also, I have always appreciated the arc of this psalm. The narrator goes from despair to confidence over the course of each of the stanzas. Note that at the end, the person is not relieved of suffering and stress, but is emboldened by the presence of God they’d questioned at first. This psalm is about hope. That is the basis of all belief. It is not always rational, but life is not rational either. Hope can appear in the smallest and most barren of spaces, but hope has a special power. It grows, gradually but then exponentially, whatever the circumstances. Our life’s arc is limited to space and time, but hope is forever, like our God.

 Gradually,
you will realize
that the cost of your discipleship
is your very life,
freely consecrated to God
and offered to the world
as a sign of God’s love and care.
The gift you have received
give as a gift.
You have promised
to follow Christ, the poor man,
totally given in love to God
and for all people everywhere,
and whose loving obedience led Him
to death on the cross. – The Fundamental Principles of the Xaverian Brothers

God, we thank you for the people in our lives who have been Christ for us. They respond to our suffering with compassion and walk the journey with us. They give of themselves with humble joy. The simplest encounters with them are rich with meaning. Their passion exudes a zeal that can sustain us in the darkest of trials. We trust in you, O Lord, that your presence and love transcends even death.

Amen

(“The Isenheim Crucifixion” by Matthias Grunewald)

April 12-Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent

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Thus says the Lord GOD:
I will take the children of Israel from among the nations
to which they have come,
and gather them from all sides to bring them back to their land.
I will make them one nation upon the land,
in the mountains of Israel,
and there shall be one prince for them all.
Never again shall they be two nations,
and never again shall they be divided into two kingdoms. I will make with them a covenant of peace;
it shall be an everlasting covenant with them,
and I will multiply them, and put my sanctuary among them forever.
My dwelling shall be with them;
I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Ezekiel 37: 21-22, 26-27

Here are the complete readings for Saturday, April 12, 2025.

(“The Expectation of Lazarus” by Mamuka Georgadze)

“If you love somebody, set them free.” This is an incredibly difficult ask for a parent, or anyone who nurtures a protege who is ready to face life on their own. One of the lessons in today’s Gospel seems to be the need to recognize the need to say goodbye to those we love or that which we love in order to be able to experience joy. We cannot have one without first surrendering the other. Can this be sad? Of course! Hopefully we admit that letting go is hard and acknowledge when we feel grief. So much about being happy in the present involves the loss of something we clung to for comfort or support. Yet look at how optimistic the passage from Ezekiel presents the future. His words overflow with gratitude about the connections formed in the community, in all its diversity. This vision of the kingdom is possible only when the people are open to change and be transformed before they enter this new reality. This allows us to cherish and celebrate those we love and experience that love here and now.

 You are called
to be of one heart and one mind with them
so that you can participate
in the building up of the reign of God.
This was the vision
Theodore James Ryken had in view
when he founded the congregation:
A band of Brothers
who mutually help,
encourage,
and edify one another,
and who work together.
You are called then by your Founder
to enter into a true mutual sharing
with your brothers and sisters.
This sharing will demand of you
an opening and a giving of yourself to them
at many levels,
and a ready acceptance of each of them
in all their sinful and graced humanity. – The Fundamental Principles of the Xaverian Brothers

God, you offer us freedom each day we awake. Thank you for the chance to share this day with you and your creation. When we are lonely and sad, comfort us with the hope and trust that you are present and listening. You remain always at our side.

Amen

April 6-Sunday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Posted on by Rob Peace
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Thus says the LORD,
            who opens a way in the sea
            and a path in the mighty waters,
who leads out chariots and horsemen,
            a powerful army,
till they lie prostrate together, never to rise,
            snuffed out and quenched like a wick.
Remember not the events of the past,
            the things of long ago consider not;
see, I am doing something new!
            Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
In the desert I make a way,
            in the wasteland, rivers.
Wild beasts honor me,
            jackals and ostriches,
for I put water in the desert
            and rivers in the wasteland
            for my chosen people to drink,
the people whom I formed for myself,
            that they might announce my praise.

Isaiah 43: 16-21

Here are the complete readings for Sunday, April 6, 2025.

(“The Stoning” by Jack Baumgartner)

Open the door, and something new may appear. New paths to freedom appear that were obscured before. A person has an invitation to do something in the present moment which is different from previous times. This sounds inviting, but also scary, as is anything new or unknown. These themes appear in both the Hebrew Scriptures and in today’s Gospel. Do we have the awareness to see the door itself, and then do we have enough curiosity to walk through the door into an experience that might make us uncomfortable but ultimately happy? Consider the Gospel story of the woman caught in adultery. This tale is wonderful example of God’s unconditional love and mercy, and that humans have dignity regardless of their actions from the past. As we read the narrative multiple times, does our mind ever shift from the woman to those who accused her and would have put her to death? Note what happens when Jesus draws in the dirt, and asks the question to the men about their own sinfulness. One by one, they turn and walk away. Were they ashamed? Probably. Yet in his own way, Jesus was inviting them to forgiveness, too. How can we be forgiven? We need to first own our weakness and poverty before we can be open to transformation. Did these men change when they went home? We don’t know, but for a moment, at least, they realized that they had not just the obligation, but the chance to change. Who knows what might have happened when they walked through the open door as they arrived home?

You were created by the God of love
in God’s image and according to God’s likeness,
to be a unique expression of that love.
It is through you
that God desires to manifest Love
to the peoples of the world in these times,
and to offer them the freedom
of the children of God.

– The Fundamental Principles of the Xaverian Brothers

God, thank you for the confrontations that have forced us to see how others see us, and for the chances to see ourselves as how you see us. Help us to trust that this is the true version of ourselves that you created and continue to bless. May we embrace what is ordinary, or real, in the unspectacular moments each day. Help u not take these times for granted. Thank you for your invitation to turn towards you. You have already opened the door for us, give us the fortitude to walk through it and embrace you.

Amen

March 30-Sunday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Posted on by Rob Peace
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But the LORD said to Samuel: 
“Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, 
because I have rejected him.
Not as man sees does God see, 
because man sees the appearance 
but the LORD looks into the heart.

I Samuel 16: 7

Here are the complete readings for Sunday, March 30, 2025.

(“Jesus gives sight to a blind man by birth” Miniature by Cristoforo De Predis)

What are the emotional walls we use to protect ourselves from pain that we need to tear down so that we can see and hear properly? Repentance can be a daily activity, not only to confess sins but to reflect on who we are and have been over the course of the day. Besides thinking about what we’ve done wrong, can we think about the moments when we have shown gratitude and when have we given other people our full attention? Sometimes this process of contemplation can take time and the immediate results unclear. Consider the transformation of the man born blind. While he received his physical sight immediately from Jesus, the man’s understanding of who he was and who Jesus was took time. Gradually, he became more and more aware of who he was to be, and faced the adversity that came with this decision with increasing courage and confidence. As people who practice faith through both action and contemplation, let us remember that conversions can and do happen in their own time. At its core, conversion is the joyful realization that we are loved and are capable of loving in communion and service with God.

At times you will discover
that God’s ways are not your ways,
and God’s thoughts are not your thoughts.
When this happens,
try to surrender yourself trustingly
into the arms of your Parent God,
who knows you,
understands you,
and loves you.

Perhaps you can repeat
with your Founder
this simple prayer
which he cherished:
O Lord, I cannot understand your ways,
but I must adore them.– The Fundamental Principles of the Xaverian Brothers

God, the path forward is so clearly lit by you. When I go off course, help me to be honest and not blame my failings on someone else without first looking deep in my own heart to find the source of my troubles. You give us the gift of your presence, which is what we need. Inspired by this confidence, may I step forward to be present to others who find themselves lost or alone.

Amen

March 23-Sunday of the Third Week of Lent

Posted on by Rob Peace
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In those days, in their thirst for water,
the people grumbled against Moses,
saying, “Why did you ever make us leave Egypt?
Was it just to have us die here of thirst 
with our children and our livestock?”
So Moses cried out to the LORD, 
“What shall I do with this people?
a little more and they will stone me!”
The LORD answered Moses,
“Go over there in front of the people, 
along with some of the elders of Israel, 
holding in your hand, as you go, 
the staff with which you struck the river.
I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb.
Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it 
for the people to drink.”
This Moses did, in the presence of the elders of Israel.
The place was called Massah and Meribah, 
because the Israelites quarreled there
and tested the LORD, saying,
“Is the LORD in our midst or not?”

Exodus 17: 3-7

Here are the complete readings for Sunday, March 23, 2025

(“Christ and the Samaritan Woman” by Ivan Mestrovic)

In the narratives in Exodus and in the Gospel of John, people struggle with their preconceptions of what they need and how they will find it. Both stories focus the need for water, an essential human need. How does the water symbolize the need for loving connection between human beings and God, without which we become thirsty, then parched, then desperate? In both stories, the people receive a revelation about the source of their suffering, and the simple but difficult decisions they need to make in order to repair their fractured relationships. Most importantly, they are guided by God through patience and compassion, both of which we are called to be to our neighbors who hunger and thirst.

As you prayerfully reflect on the past,
assess the present,
and ponder the future with one another,
be considerate of this history
and of this ministry.
Yet, like Ryken,
foster an attitude of openness
to the needs of the Church and your world,
and a willingness to follow Christ
wherever He leads. – The Fundamental Principles of the Xaverian Brothers

God, you know our hearts and souls, and give us everything we need. Help us to reflect on how the ordinary needs of our neighbors affect us and our journey of life. May we be open to who you call us to be today and beyond. Give us the courage to be open to the challenges and opportunities of your discipleship.

Amen

March 16-Sunday of the Second Week of Lent

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As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus,
“Master, it is good that we are here;
let us make three tents,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
But he did not know what he was saying.
While he was still speaking,
a cloud came and cast a shadow over them,
and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”

Luke 9: 33-35

Here are the complete readings for Sunday, March 16, 2025

(“The Transfiguration” by Polly Castor)

My relationship with mystery in the modern world is fickle. Like anyone, I appreciate spontaneity and unexpected positive turns of fate. I want to believe that there is a cosmic order in the universe. But therein lies the problem. I am open to mystery but only on my terms, which means I am not open to mystery at all. As usual, fear is the culprit. Like anyone who gets cold feet about falling deeply in love with another person, I find that opening myself up to the great cloud of unknowing and what lies behind it is often too frightening to pursue. So like many people, I close myself off from the difficult questions about what makes us happy, the necessary relationship between joy and suffering, and the belief that I am good enough just as I am and as I was the day I was born. Today’s Gospel is a powerful witness to embracing the mystery of the transcendent, even if we don’t fully understand it. If we can be at peace knowing that we will never fully comprehend the Mystery of God but are welcome to communion with God in the ordinary moments of the day, then like Peter, we can express how good it is to be here.

It is this communion with the living God
which is at the heart of your life
as a child of God,
disciple of Jesus,
witness of God’s spirit,
quickened member of God’s Body,
and brother or sister to the world. – The Fundamental Principles of the Xaverian Brothers

Dear God, it is good that you are with us, right here and now. May we strive to bring joy to those in despair, shelter our brothers and sisters from the daily storms brought by the world, and be light to our neighbors who stumble in darkness, just as we hope that they will pick us up when we find ourselves lost and alone.

Amen

March 15-The First Saturday of Lent

Posted on by Rob Peace
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But I say to you, love your enemies,
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers and sisters only,
what is unusual about that?
Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Matthew 5: 44-48

Here are the complete readings for Saturday, March 15, 2025

(“Moses and the Fire of Sinai” by Darius Gilmont)

When I read this passage from Matthew, in the same chapter as the Beatitudes, I experienced the discomfort of recognizing that God does not operate on a quid pro quo basis. If I do good to others, and pray to God, should I then expect material prosperity as result? Jesus assures us that this is irrelevant in a relationship with God. God gives the sun and the rain to people who love and to people who hate. What is the reward is the relationship itself, not simply in some far off future, but here and now. To make the relationship more challenging and more rewarding, God asks us to provide that sunshine and nourishing rain to those who are indifferent to our feelings or who have hurt us. If we pray for those who persecute us, at the very least we can recognize that these persons share a most important quality with us-a shared humanity. There was once a wise teacher at my school who told the young teachers to pray for the names in their gradebook each day. He said, as much as these young people could sometimes be rude and try his patience, they would become more than names and numbers when he reminded himself through prayer how they reveal God’s image and likeness.

You are called then by your Founder
to enter into a true mutual sharing
with your brothers and sisters.
This sharing will demand of you
an opening and a giving of yourself to them
at many levels,
and a ready acceptance of each of them
in all their sinful and graced humanity. – The Fundamental Principles of the Xaverian Brothers

Loving God, you call us to renew your covenant with us each day. Help us to act as Jesus would towards those we would rather not encounter. May we recognize your light in them just as we draw strength from the warmth we find in our loved ones. Remind us that our efforts may not result in measurable success, and that what matters is that we have shared our belief that they matter.

Amen

March 14-Friday of the First Week of Lent

Posted on by Rob Peace
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If the wicked man turns away from all the sins he committed, 
    if he keeps all my statutes and does what is right and just,
    he shall surely live, he shall not die. 
None of the crimes he committed shall be remembered against him;
    he shall live because of the virtue he has practiced. 
Do I indeed derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked?
    says the Lord GOD. 
Do I not rather rejoice when he turns from his evil way
    that he may live?

Ezekiel 18: 21-22

Here are the complete readings for Friday, March 14, 2025

(“Repentance” by Elisheva Nesis)

Consider the image above. The person clutches their garment with the left hand, perhaps out of fear. The space is claustrophobic. But look at the person’s eyes. They are not downcast, they gaze with anticipation and hope. They hope for freedom from whatever prison they find themselves at the moment. When we think about conversion and repentance, it can unburden us from our faults and and the shame that comes from these actions. This alone is freeing for the mind and soul. Can we also look at repentance as the opportunity to be freed from the isolation that comes from turning inward in fear when we are invited to join in communion? Can we be free to open ourselves to loving relationships with full knowledge of who we are, with our many gifts and imperfections that make us very ordinarily…human?

In this shared faith of the community
you will experience
the ongoing revelation of Jesus.
I no longer call you slaves,
for a master does not confide in his slaves;
now I call you friends.
You will find
your love and friendship
within the community
one of the chief joys
with which God blesses you,
and a most powerful means of evangelization. – The Fundamental Principles of the Xaverian Brothers

God, your forgiveness and invitation to relationship are so profound. We cannot understand the depths of your generosity, but we celebrate that your invitation is constant, daily, and eternal. Help us share this good news with the people we encounter who feel unloved or incapable of being loved. Inspired by your confidence in us, may we be messengers of hope and freedom to cast away despair by helping people open up the windows to their souls.

Amen