Reflection for the 32nd Ordinary Sunday 2024

So also Christ, offered once to take away the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him.

For seven Sundays this summer we journeyed with Jesus and His apostles coming to understand that we receive Him.

Jesus’ journey continued as He moved from Galilee into Judea and on to Jerusalem. He is now there about a week before His arrest and crucifixion. This is Jesus’ ultimate journey to the sacrifice He would offer for our salvation which the Letter to the Hebrews speaks of. Along the way, Jesus has discussed the many ways we are to apply His presence within us.

Today we hear of God’s great provision. We start in First Kings with Elijah’s visit to the widow of Zarephath. Jesus would speak of this visit and God’s provision when He went back to His hometown of Nazareth. Jesus pointed out to the Nazoreans that this woman acted in faith toward the One true God despite her desperate situation – and because of that she was rewarded. It was not because she was Jewish – in fact she wasn’t. The people of Zarephath worshiped various gods and stone columns. Yet she changed, not based on facts or teaching, but rather based on inspiration. The people of Nazareth refused that inspiration and the asked for change in their lives.

Our witness to Jesus’ presence within us is how we changed in our reactions. For us, we must act as the widow – inspired by trust in God’s mighty provision.

In our Gospel lesson, Jesus points to the trust of the poor widow. He is reinforcing the call to trust. The opposite of that, as Jesus points out, is the self-preservation and the building up of the Scribes egos.

Listen carefully to our prayer over the gifts today where we will hear: May we realize that we are truly rich only when we are truly Yours.

Our witness of trust is best exemplified in our ability to give of ourselves beyond measure, beyond respectability and caution, against practicality. The Letter to the Hebrews points out Jesus’ total self-giving and speaks of our call to eagerly await Him.

Over the next two weeks Jesus speaks of the end times and approaches His crucifixion and death. The journey from Nazareth to Galilee to Judea and Jerusalem comes to completion and we are saved.

Now we await Him, His second coming not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him. How we witness to Him in us and await Him counts. Let us, like the widows, do so unburdened and with trust.

Reflection for the 6th Sunday of Easter and Mother’s Day 2023

Lived Victory!

Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear

Thank you for joining today as we continue in our Easter joy. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Scripture tells us of Peter’s mother-in-law, how Jesus healed her, and how she took care of Jesus and His disciples. Certainly, one of the many amazing, devoted women in Holy Scripture. I must imagine that Peter also had an amazing mom considering the letter that he wrote which we are reflecting on: Be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear.

That is a mom statement if I ever heard one. I can hear my mom saying similar things. You know, those occasions when we are upset, feel misunderstood, or are angry and want to run off and do something not quite smart. Maybe the words were slightly different, yet they were the same: ‘Explain yourself clearly. Use your words. Do things with gentleness and reverence. Honor those you encounter. Do not sin. Act with integrity. Just because someone wronged you does not mean you should do wrong. Have a clear conscience.’

Consider some of the other moms of the Bible. Like our moms they were wonderful examples of devotion to God, His people, and their families.

Jochebed was the mother of Moses and would not let the commands of government overcome her love for her son. She refused to allow him to be killed, hid him, and saved him. Not only did she protect Moses, but she reverently placed his fate in the hands of God when she placed him in the basket in the Nile. Our moms have confidently placed us in the hands of God. They taught us to trust in God over all things.

Hannah was in despair because she was unable to have a child. She was deeply loved by her husband Elkanah, but still longed for a child of her own. Every time Hannah went to the Temple, she poured her heart out to God. God heard her, and she bore a son. Out of gratitude to the Lord, she surrendered her son back to God. Hannah gave her child to God because she knew it was the best she could do for him. Releasing control opened the door for God to do amazing things for Samuel, one of the greatest prophets. Our moms have prayed for us and have given us to God in baptism so that He bless us as well.

The Widow of Zarephath gave what little she had to feed the prophet Elijah. Amid famine and desperation, her reverent faith and trust in God was essential to her and her son’s survival. Later when her son died, she went to Elijah for help, and her son was saved. Our moms have had “famine” seasons where things seemed bleak and hopeless. During those times, they taught us that reverent trust and faith in God overcome even when things don’t make sense.

Elizabeth and Mary reverently surrendered themselves to God’s will even though His way seemed impossible from a human perspective. They act as the premier example of moms who allowed God’s will to be done.

If we have learned from our moms and the moms of the Bible, our ears are opened to what Jesus asks and promises: “Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.” Let us honor the special women of our lives by our reverence to God and by living His gospel way of life.