O merciful Father,
who have wonderfully fashioned man in your own image,
and have made his body to be a temple of the Holy Spirit,
sanctify, we pray you,
our doctors and nurses and all those whom you have called to study and practice the arts of healing the sick and the prevention of disease and pain.
Strengthen them in body and soul,
and bless their work,
that they may give comfort to those for whose salvation
your Son became Man,
lived on this earth,
healed the sick, …
Abba, Abba Father. You are the potter; we are the clay, the work of Your hands . . .
That is the beginning of a song I remember singing often at morning Mass when I was an 8th grader in parochial school. You probably recall the hymnal; it was ubiquitous in the early 80s, and contained many songs composed almost entirely of Bible verses. To this day, one song or another will frequently come instantly into my mind as I read the Bible or listen to the readings at Mass.
So naturally this song was the first thing I thought of when I read today’s First Reading from Jeremiah. I even looked it up online so I could listen to it while meditating on what I wanted to write about.
I started by picturing God at the potter’s wheel. I liked that image and found it comforting. As I went a little further, though, the analogy became more difficult. Picturing myself as clay was a bit uncomfortable. On the wheel, clay is messy, wet, and vulnerable. Haven’t you seen videos where the whole pot collapses? A little research told me potters call this phenomenon flopping, and this must have been what today’s reading refers to when it says, “the object of clay which he was making turned out badly in his hand.”
But the reading goes on to reassure us that with God as our potter we have nothing to fear. He can make of us what He wills. There’s a catch, though!
Just as God is more than a simple human potter, this analogy comes up short in comparing human beings who have free will and agency to clay which does not. A human potter whose pot flops has only himself to blame; if one of God’s pots “flops,” that is on the clay!
We must cooperate in God’s plan for us by allowing Him to form and shape us. The rest of today’s readings give advice on how we do this, and paint a picture of the consequences if we do not.
The Responsorial Psalm tells us that we must place our trust and our hope in the Lord alone rather than in the people and things of the world. We are also reminded to praise Him.
In the Gospel, Jesus relates a parable that makes being compared to clay seem much more pleasant than it seemed at first. Instead, he compares us to fish in a net, some good and some bad. There are not many things that bring up a more visceral reaction of disgust than the thought of a bad fish. There is no fixing it; throwing it away is the only option. And Jesus warns us that at the end of the age, that is what those who fail to place their hope and trust in the Lord will be like, thrown “into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”
I never heard a song about that, and I don’t think I want to.
Abba, Abba Padre. Tú eres el alfarero; somos barro, obra de tus manos. . .
Ese es el comienzo de una canción que recuerdo haber cantadao con frecuencia en la misa de la mañana cuando era estudiante de octavo grado en la escuela parroquial. Es probable que te acuerdas el himnario; se encontraba en todos lados a principios de los años 80 y contenía muchas canciones compuestas casi en su totalidad de versículos de la Biblia. Hasta el día de hoy, una canción u otra viene a la mente instantáneamente mientras leo la Biblia o escucho las lecturas de la Misa.
Así que, naturalmente, esta canción fue lo primero que pensé cuando leí la Primera Lectura de Jeremías de hoy. Incluso lo busqué en línea para poder escucharlo mientras meditaba sobre lo que quería escribir.
Empecé imaginando a Dios en la rueda del alfarero. Me gustó esa imagen y me consoló. Sin embargo, a medida que avanzaba un poco más, la analogía se hizo más difícil. Imaginarme a mí mismo como arcilla fue un poco incómodo. En la rueda, la arcilla es desordenada, húmeda y vulnerable. ¿No has visto vídeos donde se derrumba toda la olla? Un poco de investigación me dijo que los alfareros llaman a este fenómeno caída, y esto debe haber sido a lo que se refiere la lectura de hoy cuando dice: “Cuando se le estropeaba la vasija que estaba modelando”.
Pero la lectura continúa asegurándonos que con Dios como nuestro alfarero no tenemos nada que temer. Él puede hacer de nosotros lo que Él quiera. ¡Sin embargo, hay una trampa!
Así como Dios es más que un simple alfarero humano, esta analogía se queda corta al comparar a los seres humanos que tienen libre albedrío y voluntad con el barro que no lo tiene. Un alfarero humano cuya vasija estropea solo tiene la culpa él mismo; si una de las vasijas de Dios “se cae”, ¡el barro tiene la culpa!
Debemos cooperar con el plan que Dios tiene para nosotros al permitir que Él nos forme y nos moldee. El resto de las lecturas de hoy dan consejos sobre cómo hacer esto y pintan un cuadro de las consecuencias si no lo hacemos.
El Salmo Responsorial nos dice que debemos poner nuestra confianza y nuestra esperanza solo en el Señor y no en las personas y las cosas del mundo. También nos recuerda alabarlo.
En el Evangelio, Jesús relata una parábola que hace que ser comparado con el barro parezca mucho más agradable de lo que parecía al principio. En cambio, nos compara con peces en una red, algunos buenos y otros malos. No hay muchas cosas que provoquen una reacción de disgusto más visceral que la idea de un pescado malo. No hay forma de arreglarlo; botarlo es la única opción. Y Jesús nos advierte que al final de los tiempos, así serán los que no ponen su esperanza y confianza en el Señor, arrojados “al horno encendido. Allí será el llanto y la desesperación”.
Nunca he escuchado una canción sobre eso, y no creo que me gustaría escucharlo si hubiera.
Leslie Sholly is a Catholic, Southern wife and mother of five, living in her hometown, Knoxville, Tennessee. She graduated from Georgetown University with an English major and Theology minor. She blogs at Life in Every Limb, where for 11 years she has covered all kinds of topics, more recently focusing on the intersection of faith, politics, and social justice.
Feature Image Credit: ottawagraphics, pixabay.com/photos/pottery-handcraft-clay-art-craft-4618917/
Innocent was born at Albano, Italy. He became Pope, succeeding Pope St. Anastasius I, on December 22, 401. During Innocent’s pontificate, he emphasized papal supremacy, commending the bishops of Africa for referring the decrees of their councils at Carthage and Millevis in 416, condemning Pelagianism, to the Pope for confirmation. It was his confirmation of these decrees that caused Augustine to make a remark that was to echo through the centuries: “Roma locuta, causa finitas” (Rome …
Grant us, O Lord Jesus,
to imitate faithfully the example of your Holy Family
and to make our home another Nazareth.
May peace, love and happiness prevail.
Grant us the grace to be the parents
we should be for our children.
Grant that our child may find solid support
for their human dignity
and for their growth in truth and love
within the embrace of our home.
When the time comes for each of us
to go to the everlasting home you have prepared for us,
may your …
How far back can you remember what your favorite toy was? I can remember still, sleeping in a crib cuddling with my blankie and holding my little stuffed elephant. For some reason I never had a teddy bear. I guess it’s human nature wanting to cuddle up with something.
I bring this up because Jesus, in today’s Gospel talks about the pearl of great price. He uses the example of the pearl to show how someone can become fixated on an object. The object could be anything, like a rare shotgun, or a beautiful ring, or a 1939 Pontiac or a Rolex and on and on. Having those things is not a bad thing, it’s just how we think about them. Are they our pearl of great price?
Have you ever heard of the parenting style “Love and Logic”? I learned it in the 90’s when our youngest was 14. Love and logic does not have punishments. It has consequences. I think they used that word so it doesn’t sound so bad. If your parenting skills are not quite as they should be, look up Love and Logic. It might just change your family life! There are classes and books that will put you on track.
The beauty of this parenting style is that you are not the bad guy. The child is allowed to discern whether to do this or to do that. You decide what the consequences are and design it so that whatever they choose, is still pleasing to the parent. For instance, you sit down with the child and explain to them, if you don’t do what Mommy or Daddy ask you to do there will be a consequence. The consequence is based on withholding something that they hold dear. Warning. If your child does not hold anything dear, it’s going to be a difficult process.
Ten or so years ago one of my grandsons was the receiver of this new parenting style. At that moment in his life he thought Thomas the train was the best thing ever. His mother picked up on that and used the withdrawal of Thomas as his consequence. I never heard much about how that was going. Except, I walked in the back door one day and there was my grandson staring up at Thomas the train which was set-up on the top of the refrigerator. He didn’t move, he just stood there and stared at it. I could hardly keep from chuckling. I knew his mother had picked the right consequence.
So what does this have to do with the Pearl of great price? Jesus is trying to tell us that we are to love nothing above him. If I were to ask you, “Do you love Jesus”? You would probably say yes. And so would I. But if they heard you or I talking about something that we really would like to have, then sometime later, purchased it, especially if it was kind of pricey, what would you think?
Jesus wants to be the “Pearl”. He wants us to seek him and love him and to adore him. Is that so difficult? The gifts that he gives us at times are beyond our understanding. At times we see those gifts less and less. Why? Does he move away from us? Wait! That is not what happens. We move away from Him. We are in a battle today to keep our faith. The world is so full of darkness, it wants to rip faith away from us. Many stayed home during the COVID pandemic and watched Church streaming on TV. The problem is many are still watching it on TV. If that is what you need to do, that’s fine. But those who are able to get to church, should go to church. Searching for that Pearl of great price (Jesus) is not so difficult. No matter how long we’ve been away, He is there waiting for us. Waiting to forgive us and bringing his marvelous light into our hearts.
Serving With Joy!
¿Cuánto tiempo atrás puedes recordar cuál era tu juguete favorito? Todavía me acuerdo durmiendo en una cuna acurrucada con mi frazada y sosteniendo mi pequeño elefante de peluche. Por alguna razón nunca tuve un osito de peluche. Supongo que es la naturaleza humana querer acurrucarse con algo.
Mencione esto porque Jesús, en el Evangelio de hoy, habla de la perla de gran precio. Utiliza el ejemplo de la perla para mostrar cómo alguien puede obsesionarse con un objeto. El objeto podría ser cualquier cosa, como una escopeta rara, un hermoso anillo, un Pontiac del año 1939 o un Rolex, etc. Tener esas cosas no es algo malo, pero ¿cómo pensamos de ellas? ¿Son nuestra perla de gran precio?
¿Alguna vez has oído hablar del estilo de crianza “Love and Logic” (El Amor y la Lógica)? Lo aprendí en los años 90 cuando mi hijo menor tenía 14 años. El amor y la lógica no tiene castigos. Tiene consecuencias. Creo que usaron esa palabra para que no suene tan mal. Si sus habilidades de crianza no son como deberían ser, busque “Love and Logic”. ¡Podría cambiar su vida familiar! Hay clases y libros para encaminarte.
La belleza de este estilo de crianza es que tú no eres el malo. Al niño se le permite discernir si hacer esto o aquello. Usted decide cuáles son las consecuencias y lo diseña para que, sea lo que sea que elijan, siga siendo agradable para los padres. Por ejemplo, te sientas con el niño y le explicas que si no haces lo que mamá o papá te piden, habrá una consecuencia. La consecuencia se basa en retener algo que aprecian. Advertencia. Si su hijo no tiene nada querido, será un proceso difícil.
Hace más o menos diez años, uno de mis nietos fue el receptor de este nuevo estilo de crianza. En ese momento de su vida, pensó que Thomas el tren, era la mejor cosa del mundo. Su mamá se dio cuenta de eso y usó la retirada de Thomas como su consecuencia. Nunca escuché mucho acerca de cómo le iba, pero un día entré por la puerta trasera de su casa y allí estaba mi nieto mirando a Thomas el tren que estaba instalado en la parte superior del refrigerador. No se movió, solo se quedó allí y lo miró. Apenas pude evitar reírme. Sabía que su mamá había elegido la consecuencia correcta.
Entonces, ¿qué tiene esto que ver con la perla de gran precio? Jesús está tratando de decirnos que no debemos amar nada más que a él. Si te preguntaran: “¿Amas a Jesús?” Probablemente dirías que sí. Y yo también. Pero si escuchan a ti o a mí hablando de algo que realmente nos gustaría tener, y luego lo compramos, especialmente si es un poco caro, ¿qué pensarías?
Jesús quiere ser la “Perla”. Él quiere que lo busquemos y lo amemos y lo adoremos. ¿Es tan difícil? Los dones que nos da a veces están más allá de nuestra comprensión. A veces vemos esos dones cada vez menos. ¿Por qué? ¿Dios se aleja de nosotros? Eso no es lo que sucede. Nosostros nos alejamos de Él. Estamos en una batalla hoy para mantener nuestra fe. El mundo está tan lleno de oscuridad que quiere arrancarnos la fe. Muchos se quedaron en casa durante la pandemia de COVID y vieron la transmisión de la Iglesia en la televisión. El problema es que muchos todavía lo están viendo en la televisión. Si eso es lo que necesitas hacer, está bien. Pero aquellos que pueden ir a la iglesia, deben ir a la iglesia. Buscar esa Perla de gran precio (Jesús) no es tan difícil. No importa cuánto tiempo hayamos estado fuera, Él está allí esperándonos, esperando perdonarnos y trayendo su maravillosa luz a nuestros corazones.
¡Sirviendo con alegría!
Deacon Dan Schneider is a retired general manager of industrial distributors. He and his wife Vicki have been married for over 50 years. They are the parents of eight children and thirty grandchildren. He has a degree in Family Life Education from Spring Arbor University. He was ordained a Permanent Deacon in 2002. He has a passion for working with engaged and married couples and his main ministry has been preparing couples for marriage.
Featured Image Credit: Dagmara Dombrovska, unsplash.com/photos/zDKYfgy4G9k
St Pantaleon came from Nicomedia, near the Black Sea, in Asia. He was such a famous doctor that the Emperor himself chose him for his own doctor. Pantaleon was a Christian, but the bad influence from the pagan court caused him to give up his Christian faith entirely. A holy priest named Hermolaos made him realize what a sin he had committed. Pantaleon listened to him, detested his sin and joined the Church once more. To make up for what he had done, he greatly desired to suffer and die for …
Hail Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed are thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.
Holy Mary Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death
Amen.
In the Gospel reading today, we are given clarity to the parable of the wheat and weeds in the field. Jesus shares that the Children of God are the good seed. The weeds are the children of the Evil One, and the Gospel goes on to say: “The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, So will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his Kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers…Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
We are asked to allow our faith to shine in the midst of the weeds and darkness of our age. Jesus came and established a heavenly Kingdom on earth. His Kingdom lasts forever, and all are invited to His kingdom. It is constantly growing, in spite of the weeds, until the end of time.
God has chosen for us to be the light in this world, to co-exist among those who seek to spread evil, hate, and lies, the children of the evil one. Evil is a reality here on earth, but we are asked to rise above sin and seek holiness.
The last line is essential for all of us to understand, “Whoever has ears ought to hear”. It is easy for us to drown out the Lord with the sounds of the culture. Just pause for a minute and reflect on how noisy this culture can be, luring us into sin and even attempting to dilute our faith. Rarely, are Christian values and authentic faith affirmed by this culture. Instead, more and more we are criticized for practicing our Catholic faith. But our focus needs to be on the light of Christ and showing the love of the Father through our good deeds.
Today we celebrate the feast day of Sts. Joachim and St. Anne, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are beautiful examples of the importance of holy parents as they protected and helped to form the Blessed Mother. They are considered to be holy parents and the patron saints of all grandparents.
As parents and grandparents, our responsibility is to pass down to the younger generation our love of Christ and our Catholic beliefs. This is the most important legacy we can give them – to let our faith shine. We can not assume that our loved ones have received this great gift of faith, so do not hesitate to share the love of Christ from your heart with them.
En la lectura del Evangelio de hoy, se nos aclara la parábola del trigo y la cizaña en el campo. Jesús comparte que los Hijos de Dios son la buena semilla. La cizaña son los hijos del Maligno, y el Evangelio continúa diciendo: “El tiempo de la cosecha es el fin del mundo, y los segadores son los ángeles. Y así como recogen la cizaña y la queman en el fuego, así sucederá al fin del mundo: el Hijo del hombre enviará a sus ángeles para que arranquen de su Reino a todos los que inducen a otros al pecado y a todos los malvados, y los arrojen en el horno encendido. Allí será el llanto y la desesperación. Entonces los justos brillarán como el sol en el Reino de su Padre. El que tenga oídos, que oiga’’.
Se nos pide que permitamos que nuestra fe brille en medio de la maleza y la oscuridad de nuestros tiempos. Jesús vino y estableció un Reino celestial en la tierra. Su Reino dura para siempre, y todos están invitados a Su reino. Está en constante crecimiento, a pesar de las malas hierbas, hasta el final de los tiempos.
Dios nos ha elegido para que seamos la luz en este mundo, para coexistir entre los que buscan sembrar el mal, el odio y la mentira, los hijos del maligno. El mal es una realidad aquí en la tierra, pero se nos pide que nos elevemos por encima del pecado y busquemos la santidad.
La última línea es esencial para que todos la entendamos: “El que tenga oídos, que oiga”. Es fácil para nosotros ahogar al Señor con los sonidos de la cultura. Solo haga una pausa por un minuto y reflexione sobre cuán ruidosa puede ser esta cultura, atrayéndonos al pecado e incluso intentando diluir nuestra fe. Rara vez, los valores cristianos y la fe auténtica son afirmados por esta cultura. En cambio, cada vez somos más criticados por practicar nuestra fe católica. Pero nuestro enfoque debe estar en la luz de Cristo y mostrar el amor del Padre a través de nuestras buenas obras.
Hoy celebramos la fiesta de los Santos Joaquín y Santa Ana, los padres de la Santísima Virgen María. Son hermosos ejemplos de la importancia de los santos padres que protegieron y ayudaron a formar a la Santísima Madre. Se les considera padres santos y santos patronos de todos los abuelos.
Como padres y abuelos, nuestra responsabilidad es transmitir a la generación más joven nuestro amor por Cristo y nuestras creencias católicas. Este es el legado más importante que podemos darles: dejar brillar nuestra fe. No podemos tomar por hecho que nuestros seres queridos han recibido este gran don de la fe, así que no dudes en compartir con ellos el amor de Cristo desde tu corazón.
Emily Jaminet is a Catholic author, speaker, radio personality, wife, and mother of seven children. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mental health and human services from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. She is the co-founder of www.inspirethefaith.com and the Executive Director of The Sacred Heart Enthronement Network www.WelcomeHisHeart.com. She has co-authored several Catholic books and her next one, Secrets of the Sacred Heart: Claiming Jesus’ Twelve Promises in Your Life, comes out in Oct. 2020. Emily serves on the board of the Columbus Catholic Women’s Conference, contributes to Relevant Radio and Catholic Mom.com.
Feature Image Credit: cathopic_1493106530543225.jpg
Saints Joachim (sometimes spelled “Joaquin,” pronounced “wal-keem”) and Anne, are the parents of the Virgin Mary. There are no mentions of them in the Bible or Gospels, what we know comes from Catholic legend and the Gospel of James, which is an unsanctioned, apocryphal writing form the second century AD. We do know from scholarship that the Gospel of James was not written by James, the Brother of Jesus, despite its claim to be so authored.
Even the early Church fathers expressed skepticism …
Father in Heaven,
We praise You for giving us Your Son
To be our Saviour and Lord.
Bless us all as we gather here today, (tonight)
And let us live happily in Your love.
Hear our prayer, loving Father,
For we ask this in Jesus’ Name.
Amen.