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.
But the LORD said to Abraham: "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Shall I really bear a child, old as I am?' Is anything too marvelous for the LORD to do? At the appointed time, about this time next year, I will return to you, and Sarah will have a son." Because she was afraid, Sarah dissembled, saying, "I didn't laugh." But he replied, "Yes you did." (Gen 18:1-15)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/070123.cfm
“Is anything too marvelous for the Lord to do?” Sarah’s laughter will become the child’s lasting legacy: he gets stuck with the name ‘Isaac,' which means, ‘he laughs.' Perhaps the Bible does have a sense of humor. As the Virgin Mary will sing in her hymn of praise, “The Almighty has done great things for me, Holy is his Name.”
We are so grateful for our wonderful trip to Eastern Europe: Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria and Poland. Amidst the beautiful churches and architecture the lasting effects of human aggression and war can still be seen and sadly continue to occur in Ukraine. Our visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau (where over a million people were systematically put to death) was the most profound and disturbing part of this journey. But the wonderful people we met and our visits to the shrines of the Infant of Prague and Our Lady of Częstochowa reminded us that God is greater than the worst we humans can do and that we all have a duty of care for one another especially for the most vulnerable. Everywhere we saw signs of hope for humanity: at the Holocaust memorial in Warsaw next to the Polish banner were the banners of Ukraine and of the Rainbow.
Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 19)
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
They are more precious than gold, than a heap of purest gold;
Sweeter also than syrup or honey from the comb.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/060323.cfm
After today, June 3, the Daily Reflection will be on vacation until Sunday, July 2. After tomorrow, Sunday, June 4, the weekly “Mass in Spanish with a Little Bit of English” on Facebook will also be on vacation. I will be visiting Eastern Europe: Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland. Looking forward to seeing all of you again on Sunday, July 2. May God’s Word, which is sweeter than honey from the comb, fill your hearts with delight.
I will now praise the godly, our ancestors, in their own time, the abounding glory of the Most High’s portion, his own part, since the days of old. (Sir 44:1, 9-13)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/060223.cfm
The praise of the godly ancestors is a wonderful telling of the importance of memory: to know our own story and to remember the stories of those who have gone before us. Knowing the name of your 6th great grandmother can be an interesting tidbit to impress your friends, but without her story, then she is like those “others” of whom “there is no memory, for when they ceased, they ceased.” Today’s picture is a composite of three of my great-great grandparents.
Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." (Lk 1:39-56)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/053123.cfm
Today with Elizabeth we too can say, “Who am I that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?” Mary’s response to Elizabeth is to praise God in the words of her Magnificat as she invites us to sing: “Holy is his Name.”
