These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 149)
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance, let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp. For the LORD loves his people, and he adorns the lowly with victory.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092525.cfm
I received word yesterday that my Aunt Mary died (+Mary E. Jackson Torp, 1938-2025). She and my Uncle Percy were high school sweethearts and remained deeply in love until his untimely death at age 49. I was able to visit with her and her sister in my visit to the United States in June. During my sabbatical year at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, I invited Aunt Mary to experience the musical, Godspell. She was fascinated with the production, but I will never forget her wistful words to me afterwards, “Why couldn’t they have told us the story of Jesus like that?” I know that Aunt Mary and Uncle Percy are dancing the jitterbug with all the angels! https://youtu.be/wSIs1MHdFQY?si=AeubC6yhoI9xY3SS
Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there. Then they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere. (Lk 9:1-6)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092425.cfm
The instruction to “take nothing for the journey” implies that there is an urgency in proclaiming the kingdom. Perhaps, we need to travel lightly and trust that God will provide. Today’s feast of Our Lady of Mercy reminds us that God’s providential care surrounds us like a mother’s love. https://youtu.be/DdFJstx9ucE?si=ju67jm836_twbtkz
The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you." He said to them in reply, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it." (Lk 8:19-21)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092325.cfm
Some folks spend lots of time trying to figure out why Jesus seems to ignore his own family. What I see is Jesus expanding the notion of who belongs to his family to include all those who “hear the word of God and act on it.” Saint Pius of Pietrelcina (1887-1968) is known for his famous advice: "Pray, hope, and don't worry." https://youtu.be/P4l-TRl5CvI?si=o-tf6uRNfyj_f-5M
Jesus said to the crowd: "No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.” (Lk 8:16-18)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092225.cfm
The early church passed a dark time of persecution (64-311), but the martyrs were a bright light shining in the darkness. Saint Maurice (250-287) and his companions were soldiers from Egypt. Maurice became a Christian and refused to participate in pagan rites of the military and refused to kill innocents. His witness to Christ won over the other soldiers of his legion, and they remained loyal to Maurice. They all were martyred for the faith.
Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land! "When will the new moon be over," you ask, "that we may sell our grain, and the sabbath, that we may display the wheat? We will diminish the ephah, add to the shekel, and fix our scales for cheating! We will buy the lowly for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals; even the refuse of the wheat we will sell!" The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Never will I forget a thing they have done! (Amos 8:4-7)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092125.cfm
Although tax cuts for billionaires might be the politics of the day, God has other priorities. We choose to forget that a society is judged by how it treats its most vulnerable members. But God doesn’t forget. Through the prophet Amos, God says, “Never will I forget a thing they have done!” Maybe it’s time to Get Right With God. https://youtu.be/oqrGlnpFYu0?si=lH2g3WW07Wb9zge8
