Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot:
The Pilgrim Praying
Albright-Knox Gallery,
Buffalo, NY, c. 1826-28

Email: Eriugena@gmail.com

Sept 2: The Fullness of Life Made Manifest in the World

Christ Pantocrator, Basilica of Monreale, Sicily, 12th c.

Friday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

Reading I: Col 1:15-20

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross (NRSV, Col 1:19-20).

Father, you are always present to every human being in every time and place through your Word, always offering us your life and forgiveness. The Word present to all at the depth of our being has been made manifest in his fullness, in the flesh, in our Lord Jesus Christ who gave him himself in love to you, Father, at every moment and challenges all of us to follow his example, even as, with him, we pass through physical death.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sept 1: Fishers of People

Jacopo Bassano: The Miraculous Draught of Fish
The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1545

Thursday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Lk 5:1-11

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people (NRSV, Lk 5:10b).”

Father, in every moment in every place you call each of us to grow in your life. Your Word, ever present at the depth of the being of each of us, challenges us to say “yes” to your summons. There is only one way in which we can answer that invitation: by accepting the gift of your love, Lord, and sharing it with our sisters and brothers. There is, Father, no other way to grow in you than by loving our fellow human beings. Flight from the world, Father, to be alone with you is not an option because the one life that you share with each of us is shared with all who will accept it. We are all one with you, called each of us to grow in you as we grow in one another. To leave everything to follow you, Lord, is finally to embrace all around us.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Aug 27: To All Those Who Have, More Will Be Given

Rembrandt van Rijn: The Parable of the Talents, 1852

Memorial of St. Monica

Gospel: Mt 25:14-30

“For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away (NRSV, Mt 25:29).”

Father, at every moment in every time and place you offer us your life and power. You challenge us to accept it, to allow it to transform us that we may share more fully in everything that you are. Growth in you, Father, prepares us to say “yes” with an even greater commitment. If we turn away from you, we lose what little we might have had. Still, Father, you are always there, through your Word, calling us to return to you and to grow more completely in you.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.