Friday of the Fourth Week

Reflection

I was there when they tried to arrest him, and I was secretly happy that he slipped away. Could this Jesus really be the Christ?

I want to ask those around me what they think. I want to ask if they also wonder whether he may be the one. But I’m afraid. Powerful people revile him and are eager to condemn him. I’m not terribly surprised, since Jesus is clearly not afraid to speak truth to power. I silently cheer him on! We all know they’re corrupt, but rare is the person who will stand up to them.

During the Feast of Tabernacles, it is our tradition to extend hospitality, to celebrate the fruits of the harvest, to give thanks for all we have been given and to give back to God in return. If only I’d had the courage to speak up and to invite him to join me and my,family for a meal. Perhaps we would now know for sure.

Prayer

Lord, we welcome you to our table and into our hearts, with gratitude for all we have been given. Grant that we may generously give back by loving our neighbors and give us the courage to speak your truth each day.

Rick Coté, ’89
Saint Michael’s College Board of Trustees

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

Feast of Saint Joseph

Reflection

When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you…and I will make his kingdom firm. (2 Samuel 7: 12) In Europe there are royal families in several nations such as the UK, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Monaco, and more. These “kingdoms” are given the name of a “house,” such as the House of Windsor (UK), House of Bourbon (Spain), or House of Grimaldi (Monaco), as examples.

 

Today’s first reading recounts how God speaks to Nathan, who as King David’s advisor, needs to make David aware that God will be building a “house,” a kingdom, based on an heir of David. Lost in the discontinuous verses of today’s Samuel reading is a detail regarding God refusing David’s offer to build a temple in Jerusalem. Nathan has the undesirable task of telling the king this is not what God wants. The “house” and “kingdom” will not be of David’s making but of God’s doing through an heir, a human-divine descendant of David. I (God) will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. (2 Samuel 7:14)

 

The first line of our Gospel reading reads: Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Jacob is another name for Israel, which in the Bible often refers to the nation descended from him. Jacob is of David’s stock, and though one might be a skeptic of David because of past conduct, in Joseph, “righteous man” and, “the husband of Mary,” God raises up an heir after David; of him will arise a royal house/kingdom of a whole new order.

 

When I was asked to prepare the reflection for the Feast of St. Joseph, I thought back to Pope Francis’ decision to insert Joseph in the Eucharistic prayers of the Mass. A google search resulted in a statement that: “This move highlights Joseph as a model of quiet strength, humility, and protection, encouraging Catholics to seek his intercession in times of crisis.” I dare add that Joseph is one more example or place holder of our spiritual parentage in God’s Love…that divine grace is our heritage in Jesus Christ.

Prayer

Gracious God, send us your Holy Spirit of faithfulness, so that the offering of our heart, mind, and person may be “a bowing down in your presence” to your commandment to love you above all else and our neighbor as ourselves. We make this prayer in the name of Jesus, your Son, our risen Lord. Amen.

Marcel Rainville, S.S.E. ’67 
Edmundite Campus Ministry

Scripture

First Reading: 2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16
Psalm 89:2-5, 27, 29
Second Reading: Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22
Gospel: Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a or Luke 2:41-51a

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Wednesday of the Fourth Week

Reflection

In the garden, on a gorgeous day in July, when the plants are cranking out flowers and fruit and the insects are humming and the smell is divine, we could forget the garden emerges out of all of these individual elements coming together as one.

And while we can’t take full credit for it, we can take some–were it not for us, these garden beds wouldn’t have been prepared in April. Were it not for us, these individual seeds would not have been planted, and later, they would not have been cared for.

But if we become too attached to ourselves as the sole actor, the only ego worth caring for in our daily rounds, the garden will suffer. If we only tend to our desires for instant gratification, we couldn’t do the work on those cold days in May that will lead to flowers in June. We need to tend to the Wholeness if we want any success.

The 20th Century mystic Thomas Merton wrote of a “hidden wholeness”; that binds all creation. In the Gospel, Jesus says, “The Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing.”

We could imagine extending the popular phrase to be “What Would Jesus Do… in the Garden?” I think we could expect him to experience himself not as controlling and dominating the garden for his own selfish desires, but instead participating in the garden as part of a divine dance between Himself and the elements. 

Prayer

May I recall that life is not about me–I am about life.
May I recall that I’m not who I think I am–I’m much more.
May I rejoice in the opportunity to serve others in the One Great Garden.

Trevien Stanger, ’05, M.S.
Ecological Restoration Program Manager,
The Patrick ’61 and Marcelle Leahy Institute

Scripture

First Reading: Isaiah 49:8-15
Psalm 145:8-9, 13cd-14, 17-18
Gospel: John 5:17-30

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Tuesday of the Fourth Week

Reflection

Ezekiel, the Prophet of the Babylonian exile, speaks to the Israelites longing for their return to Jerusalem. The vision of water flowing from the Temple to the sea portrays a life-giving river that makes the Great Salt Sea fresh. Ezekiel urges the Israelites to seek God’s forgiveness and deepen their faith and understanding of God’s loving presence while dreaming of a return to their homeland.

In John’s Gospel, Jesus, embodying the life-giving waters of Ezekiel’s vision, heals the cripple who sits at the pool of Bethesda. Through a simple command, Jesus cures the cripple who then proceeds to announce his ‘good news’ throughout the city. Both of these readings invite us to imagine the flow of water as a channel that flows in us as our faith deepens and our dreams are realized. 

Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. At the age of 16, Patrick was kidnapped from Britain by Irish pirates, brought to Ireland, sold into slavery, and remained there for six years before escaping and returning to his family. Though not an active Christian, Patrick had a dream about the people of Ireland pleading with him to bring Christianity to them. After studies and ordination as a priest and then bishop, he set sail to Christianize the Emerald Isle. As in Ezekiel and John, water can also be identified as a metaphor for Patrick’s life-long spiritual growth in faith. May we contemplate these readings as we allow the Water of Life to grow in us each day.

Prayer

Loving God, I pray that this Lent may be a time for me to travel each day with an awareness of your presence in all that I experience as I seek to deep-en my own faith in you.

Liz Mahoney, ’97, M’01, P’92

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

The Lord promises to create a “new heavens and a new earth; the things of the past shall not be remembered.” We, as God’s people, can be His handiwork, creating the world anew. When we hear “the sound of weeping” or “the sound of crying,” we are invited to bring “rejoicing and happiness” to our brothers and sisters. Because we know God’s eternal love, we are called to share our enduring joy with those around us.

There are times, however, when we are the weeping ones; even the most faithful become lost amid the sound of their own crying. When I reflect on the psalm, “I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me,” I think of the times I have surrendered to my short-comings, pains, and sorrows. Surrendered, not succumbed. When we welcome His saving grace, it is through our brokenness that the Lord is able to do His handiwork.

Reflecting on the phrase, “O Lord, be my helper,” I wonder about the gentleness of the word “helper.” In today’s Gospel Jesus re-marks, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” Jesus offers radical signs and miracles, but perhaps we are also invited to see Him as our daily “helper,” a constant, if not visibly apparent, presence in our lives. As we progress through this Lenten season, may we welcome Jesus our savior and Jesus our helper into our hearts.

Prayer

Jesus, as we walk beside you this Lenten season, may we unite ourselves with you. As our loving helper, hold us close to your divine light and make us new.

Kathleen Dean, ’26
Singer in Liturgical Ensemble

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

As we begin this fourth week of Lent, we take a look at the beginning of a young shepherd’s journey to becoming King. Jesse presents seven of eight sons at the sacrifice and yet God knows David, who is out tending the sheep, is the one He will use to bring His son into the world. This same son, our Christ, brings light into our darkness and gives sight to the blind. He brings sinners back to union and provides all that is needed during this journey through the desert of Lent. 

On this fourth Sunday, we are given a small reminder of the light of Christ and, further, the conclusion of our Lenten struggles ushers in our redemption. The Gospel today depicts the story of the man born blind, calling to mind our own blindness. A man blind from birth gains his sight and the initial reaction is to deny he was ever blind, then to question if Jesus was able to heal him, and for some to remain in the darkness of doubt at the end. In curing the man’s blindness Jesus cures ours as well, but we — like the Pharisees — often are distracted by parts, failing to see the whole and choosing to not let Christ’s light radiate through us. 

As we near the end of this Lenten journey are we letting Christ’s light in with its many forms or are we discounting it for the means it comes to us? Let us choose light.

Prayer

Dear Lord, as we continue to walk with you in this desert of Lent, may we choose to let your light in, allowing it to radiate through us to those who have yet to see.

Nick Wracker, ’26

Scripture

First Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a
Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-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’s Gospel is a tough reminder of what humility actually looks like. It’s easy to look down on the Pharisee; his pride is so obvious, and his “gratitude” feels more like a performance than a prayer. But when I really sit with this, I realize I’m not always the tax collector I’d like to be.

The truth is, most of us want to be seen as “good”—both by God and the people around us. There’s a comfort in following the “prescription” of being a good Catholic, checking the boxes and feeling like we’re earning our way to heaven. But that’s exactly where pride hides. We start thinking our goodness is something we create.

In reality, we have nothing on our own. It isn’t gold-star behavior that makes us worthy; it’s simply that God loves us. Real humility is about letting go of the “us” part, and just being with God. It’s acknowledging Him as our life source and realizing it’s not a competition or a ladder we have to climb.

We don’t need to do more or be more. We don’t rise up to meet God through our own effort; He comes down to meet us exactly where we are. When we practice that kind of humility, we can finally stop performing, let go of that hidden pride, and just relax in His love.  

Prayer

Lord, help me to stop performing and simply learn to rest in Your love. Thank You for meeting me right where I am and reminding me that, in Your presence, I am already enough.

Monique Tetreault, ’97
Member of the Worshiping Community

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