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.
And if your brother wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, 'I am sorry,' you should forgive him." And the Apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." (Lk 17:1-6)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111025.cfm
Context is everything, especially when it comes to Scripture references. It is in response to the teaching about forgiveness, that the apostles ask the Lord, “Increase our faith.” The hardest thing we ever have to do is forgive others. Saint Leo the Great (391-461) served with distinction during a troubled period for the city and the church. In his sermon for Christmas Day, Leo said, “Christian, remember your dignity.” I was ordained a priest at Saint Leo Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where I had served as a deacon.
Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? For the temple of God, which you are, is holy. (1 Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/110925.cfm
Dedications of churches are very special events, and today’s celebration is of the Cathedral of Rome. As Saint Paul reminds us, the physical building represents all of us. WE are God’s temple. It is we who make the physical building holy. https://youtu.be/mVPrnpm_hjY?si=F70g63dTrWrZktgS
Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you. I, Tertius, the writer of this letter, greet you in the Lord. (Rom 16:3-9, 16, 22-27)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/110825.cfm
We are grateful to Saint Paul for the letters he left us, but we’re also grateful to Tertius and all the scribes who actually put pen to paper capturing Saint Paul words. The Virgin Mary brought forth into this world the Word Made Flesh and reminds us to treasure the Word in our heart. https://youtu.be/OUey6ytEXqY?si=XKDTwke9NM09vph5
I have written to you rather boldly in some respects to remind you, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in performing the priestly service of the Gospel of God, so that the offering up of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. (Rom 15:14-21)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/110725.cfm
The words of Saint Paul echo in my heart. I am truly grateful for the grace to be a minister of Christ Jesus in performing the priestly service of the gospel. As I write my memoirs, reflecting back over 47 years of priestly ministry, the message has always been the same: “His banner over me is love!” https://youtu.be/zHUdmWNQf_E?si=-Qp3VXHnxRcoV8i-
None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. (Rom 14:7-12)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/110625.cfm
There is a wonderful old spiritual that sings of God’s providential care, “He’s got you and me, sister, in his hands, He’s got the whole world in His hands.” In uncertain times, it’s easy to give in to fear and to treat one another with suspicion. But Saint Paul reminds us that we live not in fear but in hope, no matter what happens, we are the Lord’s. Today’s photo is from our pilgrimage to the Infant of Prague who is holding the orb representing the world in his hand. https://youtu.be/eJaPrHBDkVM?si=I31YY44pF-W4OS62
