Tuesday of the Fifth Week

Reflection

“Who are you?” the Pharisees ask Jesus.

“You will realize that I AM” and “the one who sent me is with me”, says Jesus.

 “He has not left me alone” and “what I do is pleasing to Him”.

And from Psalm 102: “Hide not your face from me in the day of my distress.”

Jesus knows who He is and why He’s here, and He knows that He is never alone.

If I could summarize the faith given to me by my parents, it is this simple and foundational belief. They introduced me to Jesus, showed me how to know and talk with Him and with my Father, and to listen and watch for the Spirit. It is a life-long relationship that is nurtured through time and experience, like any human relationship.

I’ve always known that I’m not alone, and while I strive to do what pleases God, I also believe that God’s love for me is not dependent on my efforts. My part in the relationship is to trust and be open to receiving God’s grace and love. I often fail, but God continues in His part offering love, grace, blessings, beauty, goodness.

The hope I see in Psalm 102 is that God doesn’t hide from me when I’m in distress. I put up barriers of fear, worry, judgment, and self-centeredness, so it isn’t God who is hiding, but me. It’s like I put on glasses that narrow and blur my vision so I can’t see God. God hasn’t changed. I’m the one stumbling around trying to fix things myself. But I am never alone, God is always there, embracing me in the relationship of love that Jesus reveals.

Prayer

Jesus, help me see who You are and that You are with me always. Amen.

Jan Hancock M ’12, P ’99 and ’09 Member of the Worshipping Community

Scripture

First Reading: Numbers 21:4-9
Psalm 102:2-3, 16-21
Gospel: John 8:21-30

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Monday of the Fifth Week

Reflection

The readings are rich, powerful.

The story of Susanna captures an evil that threatens women and all vulnerable people: the abuse of a position of trust and power to gratify a slavish desire.  God, hearing Susanna’s plea, inspires the youth Daniel to intervene. Exposed, the elders receive the punishment they intended for Susanna.

In John, we hear of the woman caught in adultery. The idea was to trap Jesus, the teacher of God’s love and mercy. He would have to choose between following the letter of the Law while showing the Law overrode mercy, or, show mercy and violate the Law. Tellingly, only the woman is brought to Jesus. (Dt. 22: 22 actually requires both be stoned. Perhaps, there was a merciful interpretation for men?)

Any of God’s gifts can be abused: life, nature, sex, trust, the Law, and the Scriptures are vulnerable to the darkness of our minds and hearts. Far from violating the Law, Christ responds with the Love that motivated the giving of the Law and His own coming as the physician of wounded souls, the Law’s redemptive fulfillment.

Mercy, as Christ shows us and Pope Francis reminds us, is love at work in the world. It is not liberal indulgence. Sin is rebellion against God. True love makes demands, for the sake of the sinner, the beloved.

So, to the woman’s accusers, let him without sin cast the first stone. To the woman, I will not condemn you, go. However, Christ does not stop there, necessarily comes the command: sin no more.

Prayer

Father, grant us a share in the light of Your wise, generous love. Help us live a life that reveals Christ’s presence in our shadowed world. May we all work together overcoming the obstacles in the world and Church that limit what our sisters can show us of God’s love and mercy.

Eleanor and Peter Tumulty, Professor of Philosophy

Scripture

First Reading: Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 or 13:41c-62

Psalm 23:1-6

Gospel: John 8:12-20

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Fifth Sunday of Lent

Reflection

Perhaps the greatest challenge to our faith in a loving God is the incomprehensible suffering and death of the innocent, such as in abortion and children and innocent civilians who are major casualties in war, and parents who die at an early age leaving behind young families, etc. Pope Saint Paul VI spoke to this when he said that, “The right to life is basic and inalienable. It is grievously violated in our day by abortion and euthanasia, by widespread torture, by acts of violence against innocent parties and by the scourge of war. The arms race is an insanity which burdens the world and creates the conditions for even more massive and destruction of life.” Words spoken some years ago, but still alarmingly relevant.

Yet, in today’s Mass, we have God’s word that God is a God of life!  Each of the Scripture readings addresses the heart of the paschal or Easter mystery, which is new life coming through dying. When I give the homily at a funeral, if it is my choice, I will usually refer to the story of Jesus telling Martha, the grieving sister of Jesus’ friend Lazarus, who has died, that “I am the resurrection and the life, whoever believes in me, even if that person dies, will live and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” After which, Jesus raised Lazarus from death to life.

The late Fr. Raymond Brown, renowned Catholic Scripture scholar, wrote that “Jesus comes to give life that cannot be touched by death, so that those who believe in Him will never die.” The challenge, then, for all of us is to believe in Jesus the Christ and His promise of eternal life beyond all earthly sufferings and death.

Prayer

That our faith and trust in the risen Christ may continually deepen throughout our life on earth.

Fr. Ray Doherty, S.S.E. ’51, Edmundite Campus Ministry

Scripture

First Reading: Ezekiel 37:12-14

Psalm 130:1-8

Second Reading: Romans 8:8-11

Gospel: John 11:1-45

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Saturday of the Fourth Week

Reflection

Today's readings present us with a very harsh lesson, but one that will resonate with anyone who makes a sincere effort to do the right thing for the right reason. As Jesus said to His followers, "If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also." This harsh reality continually confronts anyone who makes a sincere and constant effort to do the will of the Lord.

The good news is that the triune God will always be our refuge and our strength in times of trouble. The words of the prophet Jeremiah with regard to our persecutors are strong indeed: "But you, O Lord of hosts, O just judge, searcher of mind and heart, let me witness the vengeance you take on them, for to you I have entrusted my cause!"

We take comfort in the words of the responsorial Psalm: "Do me justice, O Lord, because I am just, and because of the innocence that is mine. Let the malice of the wicked come to an end, but sustain the just, O searcher of heart and soul, O just God.”

Doing the work of the Lord while being guided by a good conscience under the direction of the Holy Spirit is never easy, but the Comforter is always by our side. Faith, hope, and love must be our
constant companions, and not without good reason are they known as the theological virtues and regarded as the fundamental principles of Catholicism.

Prayer

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, help us to remember that You will always be our refuge and our strength in times of trouble.

Lorraine Sterritt, President of Saint Michael’s College and Norbert Lain, Instructor in Latin, Greek, and of Medical and Scientific Terminology

Scripture

First Reading: Jeremiah 11:18-20

Psalm 7:2-3, 9b-12

Gospel: John 7:40-53

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Friday of the Fourth Week

Reflection

Today’s responsorial Psalm reminds us that it is not always easy to “follow the Lord,” “to be just in His eyes.”  Life is full of ups and downs.  Each day has its own series of challenges. We cannot avoid the stress, pain, suffering, and inconveniences of living.  But we know that the “Lord delivers us...The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.” (Psalm 34) 

In John’s Gospel, we read that Jesus was also challenged in life.  He was among the hunted; He was hated and not trusted by some peers.  But how did Jesus respond to this lack of understanding? He looked within Himself to find courage, strength, and power.  He knew who He was.  He was in relationship with His Father and He defended their relationship. 

Today’s Gospel challenges us to respond as Jesus did.  We are challenged to look within to find courage and strength which come from our relationship with the Father and the Son.  This relationship is the source of hope and power; it is the divine life within us.  We know the Father because we know the Son.  We were sent by the Father to know Him and to share in the life of His Son.  Let us pray that we may be one in Him. 

Prayer

Lord, mindful of Your Life within me, give me the strength to respond to my life challenges with the courage and the power which come from You.  I offer this prayer in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Janice Couture, Member of the Worshipping Community

Scripture

First Reading: Wisdom 2:1a, 12-22
Psalm 34:17-21, 23
Gospel: John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Thursday of the Fourth Week

Reflection

In the readings for today, the ancient Israelites and the contemporaries of Jesus shared a similar affliction.  They could not bring themselves to see and appreciate gifts of immediate, abundant, immeasurable value.  The Israelites lost sight of their covenant with the Lord who had freed them from the bonds of slavery.  Those conversing with Jesus found it difficult to look up from studying their Scriptures to see those very writings fulfilled in their presence.   The people led by Moses preferred the bovine to the divine!  Those addressed by Jesus were more intrigued with the words of an oddly curious fellow out in the wilds of the desert. 

How often are we similarly “stiff-necked”?  Blind to gifts of immeasurable value given to each of us, personally.  A role in divine creation—our uniquely own “am, here and now”.  An immortal soul of our own.  Promises of salvation and eternal life made directly to each of us.  Holy cow!?

Instead, we grouse about the Patriot’s blowing their chances for the Playoffs, our bosses don’t appreciate us, the B+ should have been an A-, the skis we want aren’t in stock.  Spending our time and energy, fretting and molding little cattle-shaped worries rather than pausing, raising our eyes and saying, “Wow, thank you.”

Maybe part of the challenge is that our true gifts are of such value that we are incapable of finding the words to sufficiently express the breadth and depth of our gratitude.  Perhaps we will someday be handed a new and divine lexicon to help with that.  On the “required reading” shelf in the heavenly bookstore.

Prayer

Open my eyes, Lord   Help me to see your face   Open my eyes, Lord   Help me to see
Open my ears, Lord   Help me to hear your voice   Open my ears, Lord   Help me to hear

Open my heart, Lord   Help me to know your gifts   Open my heart, Lord   Help me to say, thank you.  Amen.

Church Hindes, ’69, Member of the Worshipping Community

Scripture

First Reading: Exodus 32:7-14
Psalm 106:19-23
Gospel: John 5:31-47

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Wednesday of the Fourth Week

Annunciation of the Lord

Reflection

Who is God? This is one of the foundational questions of any deistic faith. It can be answered in any number of ways: God is the Creator, the “unmoved-mover,” the supreme being. God is omnipotent, omnipresent, eternal and necessary for all existence. As one can see, efforts to capture the nature of God, to come and “know” God, are often very separate from concrete realities. We can, of course, fall into analogy—for example, God is like a Father—but pondering the nature of God, especially as God is in the first person of the Trinity, tends to lead us into the intellect and the abstract… that is until we encounter the Incarnation of Jesus in the womb of Mary.

Here we move from the abstract to the concrete. No longer is God just the transcendent One, but God is one with us. No longer is God only understood to be omnipotent, omnipresent, and eternal, but God is truly human and truly vulnerable as life impregnated by the power of the Holy Spirit in response to Mary’s fiat, “May it be done to me according to your word.” But even more, the incarnation is not simply a one way movement of God assuming our humble existence. In assuming our humanity, God also elevates it. And that is a wondrous inheritance…

Prayer

“I Sing of a Maiden” by Fr. John Duffy, C.S.s.R. 

She was the Mother of the wandering Word,

Little and terrifying in the laboring womb.

And nothing would again be casual and small,

But everything with light invested, overspilled

With terror and divinity, the dawn, the first bird’s call,

The silhouetted pitcher waiting to be filled.

Most Rev. Christopher Coyne, Bishop of Burlington

Scripture

First Reading: Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10

Psalm 40:7-11

Second Reading: Hebrews 10:4-10

Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Tuesday of the Fourth Week

Reflection

Today—in the midst of forty days of reflecting on Jesus’s time in the heat and drought of the desert—we find water.  What begins in the first reading as a small trickle coming from the temple deepens and widens into a powerful river as Ezekiel follows the angel further. Much like the river flows downstream to make fresh the massive salt water sea, Christ comes down from Heaven to Earth to save the sea of imperfect people so that they, too, may be cleansed, as He does for the man who was afflicted in the Gospel. Ezekiel’s inability to cross the river in the first reading and the Psalm’s declaration that “we fear not, though the earth be shaken / and mountains plunge into the depths of the sea”  ground us in our own temporality and physical limitations of our humanity, yet also place us side by side with God, who is limitless in His divinity. Illustrated further in the Gospel, this contrast emphasizes Christ’s ability to radically reimagine and give new life to laws that was hijacked by Pharisees and Sadducees and kept us from right relationship with God.

Just as the river nurtures the soil and vegetation while journeying to cleanse the sea, Christ gives us new life as He passes through the physical world. It is a life of abundance, even during this season of restraint. For this, we give thanks to the water, and we give thanks to God. 

Prayer

Lord, let my faith in you grow deeper, wider, and stronger like a river during this season of Lent. We give you thanks for renewing and cleansing us through Christ. 

Mackenzie Faber, ’18

Scripture

First Reading: Ezekiel 47: 1-9, 12
Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9
Gospel: John 5:1-16

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Monday of the Fourth Week

Reflection

I take two lessons from today’s rich readings.

The first lesson surrounds my faith. Does my faith hinge on proof?  Does my faith hold together by facts, by figures?  Does my faith depend strictly on miraculous displays of God’s glory?  Do I require that God validate, that God substantiate, that God demonstrate?  I just wish that God would show me a sign. Give me a miracle. Lend me a hand. 

I’ve got to ask why the Word of God isn’t sufficient to feed my faith.  Why isn’t His holy language ample sustenance, plenty of food, a smorgasbord for my table?

I learn today to see that Jesus’ curing of the official’s son isn’t the actual miracle. The actual miracle is, in fact, that the official believes Jesus’ word before seeing. The miracle is that the official believes at the very holy moment of Jesus’ spoken holy word. The actual miracle is that he need not run home to see his son cured in order to believe. Oh yes! 

The second lesson is in witnessing how Jesus relates to outsiders.  He receives the Other, this gentile, this official of the King, as a fellow sacred being on this earth.  Plain and simple.  We are one people joined in Divinity.

Prayer

May I completely know that my belief is the miracle I’ve been searching for.  As I continue to travel from home to outskirts back to home again, may I see all others as me.  Dear Jesus, heal my hungry heart and repair my divisions.  Amen.

Antonia Messuri

Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs and Director of the Office of Accessibility Services

Scripture

First Reading: Isaiah 65:17-21
Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-12a, 13b
Gospel: John 4:43-54

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Fourth Sunday of Lent

Reflection

Today’s readings are centered on the theme of darkness and light. In the first reading, Samuel, who was sent to anoint the king of Israel, is blinded by human perception. He cannot see the way God does. The chosen one is David. On a quick look, by the time David is summoned, his seven brothers have been considered for the position. In biblical terms, the number seven has a sense of completeness. Also, culturally, shepherds are considered outsiders. David, for human eyes, is not the best option. But God sees differently.

In the Gospel reading, the theme of dark and light echoes through the story of the blind man. Because this man was born blind, he has lived all his life in darkness. The darkness from the beginning and the use of dirt points to a new creation. The blind man was given a new life. As the story progresses, after the blind man recovers his sight, he also opens the eyes of his heart and recognizes the light of Jesus.

Pope Francis affirms he is a sinful man. None of us is perfect. Our lives wave between light and darkness. During this Season of Lent, we should reflect upon the darkness and the light in our lives. We should celebrate the light in it. And, with the help of God, bring light to the dark spots.

Prayer

You were once darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
Live as children of light,
for light produces every kind of goodness
and righteousness and truth. Eph 5, 8-9

Fr. Lino Oropeza, S.S.E. ’11, Edmundite Campus Ministry

Scripture

First Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a

Psalm 23:1-6

Second Reading: Ephesians 5:8-14

Gospel: John 9:1-41

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Saturday of the Third Week
Reflection

Today, we read one of my favorite Gospel passages, Luke 18:9-14, which reminds us of God’s love and mercy. It also teaches us to be humble in what we do, and that “everyone who exalts himself with be humbled and everyone who is humble will be exalted.” Two men arrive at the temple, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee prays aloud that he is a holy man, one who fasts twice a week, and pays his taxes. The tax collector on the other hand, stands to the side and prays for God’s mercy, saying “O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Jesus then tells us that the tax collector went home justified while the other didn’t.

This calls us to look at our own lives and moments where maybe we have been less than humble. Are there moments when we forget the love that God has given us, and the blessings that we have been given along the way? Are there moments we have done something for praise rather than in gratitude for what God has given us? The tax collector had a hard job and knew his position in life, yet he asked God for mercy. He is humble enough to ask God to help him live the life that God asks all of us to live. Being humble is hard to do.  We all want to be successful, appear that we have our lives in order, and always do the right thing. We forget that God is the reason we are where we are. Like the tax collector, we might not live the most righteous life, but somehow, we all try to live out what God asks of us to do. For some who might relate to the Pharisee, we might need to take a step back and question if what we say we do for God is out of love for Him or for our own gain. Is it better to do everything that is asked of us, fasting, going to Mass, saying every prayer known to us, if we want to impress others and not of love for our Lord? To be humble is to recognize blessings in our lives and use those blessings to live how God asks us to live. Living out God’s call isn’t like a checklist. Instead, God asks us to love others as He loves us, to be kind to those who struggle, and to serve those around us. God tells us that “it is love that I desire, not sacrifice.”  (Hosea 6:6). We might do this by helping those around us, taking the time to thank God and pray, and above all, loving before judging. 

Prayer

God, help me to better live out Your call to serve and love others. May I learn to be humble like the tax collector and recognize when I am not being the disciple You have asked me to be and how I can best live my actions out of love for You and others around me. Let us all be grateful for the love we have in our lives and learn to use it to serve others. Amen, and blessed be.

Rada Ruggles, ’23

Scripture

First Reading: Hosea 6:1-6
Psalm 51:3-4, 18-21b
Gospel: Luke 18:9-14

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Friday of the Third Week

Reflection

As I began to write this reflection, my notes from the readings surprised me by turning into a poem.

Hear, O Israel

You, collapsed through your guilt.

Return to God.

Take with you words;

Return.

Repent.

The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Forgive,

And receive what is good.

Be rooted.

Put forth shoots.

Blossom. 

Bear fruit.

Be wise.  Be prudent.

Walk the straight path.

Love God with all your heart.

Love your neighbor.

You are not far from the Kingdom of God.

Prayer

God, guide me to walk the straight path.  When I stray, help me to repent and return. 

Helen Donahey, Administrative Assistant, President’s Office and Secretary to the Board of Trustees

Scripture

First Reading: Hosea 14:2-10
Psalm 81:6c-11b, 14, 17
Gospel: Mark 12:28-34

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website