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.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Mt 10:24-33)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071225.cfm
Sometimes the Lord has to remind us that each one of us is of infinite value, infinite worth. The Virgin Mary invites us all to sing her hymn of praise for God who raises up the lowly. https://youtu.be/8VmUASVDQgU?si=tT6tVN6z7eg5SDHY
Israel set out with all that was his. When he arrived at Beer-sheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. There God, speaking to Israel in a vision by night, called, "Jacob! Jacob!" He answered, "Here I am." Then he said: "I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you a great nation.” (Gen 46:1-7, 28-30)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071125.cfm
The message God has for Jacob is simple: Don’t be afraid. It takes faith to step out and follow the path less traveled. It takes faith to trust that God will keep the promise come what may. Saint Benedict (480-547) had such faith. He wrote a rule for monks in community which he called a “school of the Lord’s service.” He taught hospitality as a means to holiness especially when we receive strangers as Christ. I began my journey to priestly ministry with the Benedictine monks of Saint Bernard Abbey in Cullman, Alabama.
Joseph could no longer control himself in the presence of all his attendants, so he cried out, "Have everyone withdraw from me!" Thus no one else was about when he made himself known to his brothers. But his sobs were so loud that the Egyptians heard him, and so the news reached Pharaoh's palace. "I am Joseph," he said to his brothers. (Gen 44:18-21, 23b-29; 45:1-5)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071025.cfm
The “great reveal” in the rags-to-riches story of the Patriarch Joseph sets up the rest of the story of Genesis and Exodus. God calls us too. Are we listening? https://youtu.be/MrV97eUb4sI?si=fiL1AClecsKq_GR2
While he was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” (Lk 11:27-28)
Today is the Patronal Feast of Colombia. The Shrine of Chiquinquirá is a center of pilgrimage for the whole country. As Mary says to the Angel, “Let it be done to me according to your word.” https://youtu.be/0P6EVINaVvs?si=aGssitrul49OW8X3
Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” (Mt 9:32-38)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/070825.cfm
Yesterday, my friend, Father Larry Richardt, (1937-2025), died in the Lord. Many of us who passed through Saint Meinrad Seminary knew Father Larry as a spiritual director who accompanied us with wisdom and compassion; as a dear friend who held the precious memories and connections of lives shared in Christ; as a devoted teacher who taught us to “celebrate well.” And by his example, Larry taught us to be priests after the Heart of Christ. https://youtu.be/3fIVTpzi0zU?si=FJ-CvfnCRjwNjdlq
