July 30: True Fidelity

The Saint Head of John the Baptist
Volga River Region, 19th cent.

Saturday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Mt 14:1-12

The king was grieved, yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he commanded it to be given; he sent and had John beheaded in the prison. The head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, who brought it to her mother (NRSV, Mt 14:9-11)

Father, may we always be faithful to the Word revealed to every human being at the depth of their being and to the divine life offered to all in the Holy Spirit. John was true to his commitment to serve you, Father, a commitment made even from the womb. You help us in every instance, Father, to follow his example.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

July 27: Choose First the Kingdom of God

Sir John Everett Millais: The Hidden Treasure
British Tate Collection, London, 1864

Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Mt 13:44-46

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field (NRSV, Mt 13:44).”

Father, Jesus tells us that there is only one reality that matters and everything else receives its value for that reality. It is you, Father, and your coming kingdom. There is no need to flee the world to find you. It is you and you alone who gives meaning to all else. While embracing all that is good, may we thus choose you first and make your kingdom the center and focus of everything that we are and do.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jul 26: God Speaks to All

Alexander Master: God Speaking to Moses
Koninklijke Bibliotheek, the Hague, 1430

Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Reading I: Ex 33:7-11; 34:5b-9, 28

Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend (NRSV, Ex 33:11a).

Father, you spoke to Moses directly, seemingly as friend to friend. You speak in the same manner to every human being, even from the womb, through your Word who is always present to us, closer to us than we are to ourselves. May all of us listen attentively and always respond positively that we may grow constantly in your life and in the understanding of who you are and what you challenge us to become.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jul 25: A Never-ending Journey

Gil de Siloe: Saint James the Greater
The Cloisters, New York, 1489-93

Feast of Saint James, Apostle

Father, your holy people are a people on pilgrimage, always called to leave what they are in order to become something new. Abraham was called forth out of Mesopotamia to become the father of many believers. Moses and the Israelites were called out of physical slavery in Egypt and selfish rebellion in the desert. May we too, Father, be ready to leave everything we have become up until this very moment that we may share ever more fully in your life, a challenge that is then renewed in every moment forever and ever.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jul 24: Divine Wisdom Given to All

Luca Giordano: The Dream of Solomon
Museo del Prado, Madrid, 1693

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading I: 1 Kgs 3:5, 7-12

[O Lord], give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil (NRSV, 1 Kgs 3:9a).”

Father, your servant Solomon prayed for the gift of wisdom with which you then seemingly blessed him. In reality, Lord, you give to everyone who will accept and use it, even before our asking, this very gift for which Solomon pleaded. Your Word is present to all of us at every moment in every place. Through the Word, now made flesh in our Lord Jesus, you speak the fullness of your truth once and for all and you challenge us through him to accept and to grow constantly in your divine life.

May all of us, every human being in every time and place, be ever responsive to your gift of your own life which brings with it divine wisdom that we may judge rightly in all things, recognizing the truth and living it out in lives of love and service to one another.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jul 18: Through Water to New Life

Marc Chagall: The Parting of the Red Sea
Private Collection in New York, 1966

Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading I: Ex 14:5-18

“But you [Moses] lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the Israelites may go into the sea on dry ground. Then I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and so I will gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots, and his chariot drivers(NRSV, Ex 14:16-17).”

Father, as we remember the story and retell it to our children, you brought Israel out of slavery in Egypt through the sea into physical freedom and then eventually through the Jordan into freedom from the sin left behind in the dessert. In the sacrament of baptism you bring us through death into resurrection and new life in you. May we recognize that at every moment in every time and place, Father, you call every human being through the Word into newness of life in your Holy Spirit, life in which we are challenged to grow at every moment forever and ever.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jul 17: God Cares for All

Andrea del Sarto: Charity
Musée du Louvre, Paris, 1518

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading I: Wis 12:13, 16-19

There is no god besides you who have the care of all (NAB, Wis 12:13a).

Father, all peoples are your chosen ones. You offer your own divine life in the Holy Spirit through the Word who is present to all at every moment and in every place. May we overcome any notion that we may have that some of us are more privileged than others, for your unbounded love goes out to all of your children.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jul 16: New Bread, New Life

Hispano-Moresque Haggadah (Castile):Unleavened Bread
British Library, London, 13th cent.

Saturday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading I: Ex 12:37-42

They baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt; it was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves (NRSV, Ex 12:39).

Father, the story tells us how the Israelites had to begin totally anew as they left Egypt, even eating bread made from unleavened dough because it was not possible to bring any previously raised dough with them. You, Father, through the Word always present to us, challenge us to start our lives anew at every moment as we are challenged to accept and to grow in your divine life. May every moment before us a dying to our old selves and a truly new birth in you.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jul 15: Sacred Meals

Dieric Bouts the Elder: Passover
Sint-Pieterskerk, Leuven, 1642-47

Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, bishop and doctor of the Church

Reading I: Ex 11:10-12:14

"This is how you are to eat it: with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand, you shall eat like those who are in flight. It is the Passover of the LORD (Ex 12:11).”

Father, you are beyond place and yet in what you create you are everywhere. We find you in everything that we are and everything that we do. In the moment you share your life with us and so we have found you especially present in the meals in which we nourish the body, yes, but in which more significantly we share our lives, and your life, with one another. You are with the Jews as they celebrate Passover in the Seder meal. You are with Christians as we break bread together and celebrate your giving of life to us through the Word, now made flesh in Jesus the Christ. May the sacred meals we share bring us closer to you and to one another in loving service.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jul 14: I AM WHO I AM

Raffaello Sanzio: God Speaks to Moses from the Burning Bush
Stanza di Eliodoro, Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican, 1512

Memorial of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, virgin

Reading I: Ex 3:13-20

But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you (NRSV, Ex 3:13-14).’ ”

Father, you love us so much that you offer us an ever-increasing share in your life through the Word in every moment. And more than that you reveal your very name to us, so much do you love us. Father, may we always live in such a way as to be worthy of your great love in fidelity to your sacred name.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jul 13: Here I Am

Breviary of Martin d'Aragon: God Appears to Moses in the Burning Bush
La Biliothèque Nationale de France, Paris, 14th c.

Wednesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading I: Ex 3:1-6, 9-12

When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am (Ex 3:4).”

Father, Moses sensed that you called to him and spoke to him at privileged moments. In faith, we realize, Father, that you call to us and speak to us in every moment through the Word, now made flesh in our Lord Jesus. The Word that you utter is your one revelation made to every human being in every time and place, even from the womb. Father, may we always be responsive as Moses was when he heard you speaking to him from the burning bush. May we not only respond with “Here I am,” but may we say “yes” to you in the moment and in every moment to accept your life into our own and to grow in it constantly, sharing it with our sisters and brothers through acts of loving service.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jul 12: Out of the Water

Sébastien Bourdon: The Finding of Moses
The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1650

Tuesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading I: Ex 2:1-15a

Pharoah’s daughter named him Moses, “because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water (NRSV, Ex 2:10b).”

Father, because it is such an ambivalent reality that speaks to us of both death and life, water has come to symbolize for us our encounter with you at every moment, called as we are to die to ourselves to be born more fully in you.

That is why, when you called your people out of the slavery in Egypt into new life, they remembered that deliverance in terms of a passage through the sea. They told the story as well of how Moses had been rescued from death in the Nile to lead your people to freedom.

The River Jordan too took on great significance as your people hopefully left their rebellious selves in the desert to enter upon the land which they understood as their destiny. John recalled all of this when he summoned the people once again to pass through the Jordan in renouncing their sinfulness.

But, most of all, Father, it is in the waters of baptism that we effectively celebrate our union with Jesus in his death and resurrection and our summons in every moment to die to self and to be reborn.

Father, may we live every moment as one symbolized by watery death and rebirth. In every moment may we grow in you.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jul 11: Every Moment A Prayer

Anonymous Master (Monastery of St. Gilles, Nimes): St. Benedict Giving his Rule to St. Maurus and Other Monks
British Library, London, 1129

Memorial of Saint Benedict, abbot

Father, you summons us at every moment through the Word to accept and to grow in your divine life. Jesus, the Word made flesh, challenges us to decide for you, Father, and your coming kingdom in every situation. From St. Benedict may we also learn that every single moment can therefore be prayer if we lift it up to you, Father, through the Word in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Jul 10: The Sower is the Word of God

Camille Pisarro: The Sower at Montfoucault
Private Collection, 1875

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Mt 13:1-23

“But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty (NRSV, Mt 13:23).”

Father, Your Word, spoken once and for all to everyone in every situation, is the perpetual sower who never fails to plant his seed. May we ever be responsive in every moment to his divine action that through him we may accept the the gift of life in the Holy Spirit and grow constantly in that life as we journey toward you, Father, who are our one and true future.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jul 9: Our Life and Our Salvation

Pieter von Cornelius: Joseph Recognizes His Brothers
Nationalgalerie, Berlin, 1816-17

Saturday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading I: Gen 49:29-32; 50:15-26a

But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today (NRSV, Gen 50:19-20).”

Father, every situation for us is the saving one. Through the Word, your life and power is always offered to us in every situation in the Holy Spirit that blessing may flow from it. Evil has no grip upon us as long as we rely solely upon you, Lord, who empower us with the gift of your own divine life. You alone, Father, are salvation for us.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jul 8: One Word Spoken to All

Caravaggio: The Inspiration of Saint Matthew
Cappella Contarelli, San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome, 1602

Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Mt 10:16-23

“When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you (NRSV, Mt 10:19-20).”

Father, everything is revealed to us in the moment, once and for all, through the Word, always present to us. May we be ever responsive to what is spoken that as we grow in your life we may also grow in understanding that your truth will fill us and we shall be empowered ourselves to utter your revelation, even as the Word does, to all who will listen.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jul 7: Every Moment is Blessed

Marc Chagall: Joseph and His Brothers

Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading I: Gen 44:18-21, 23b-29; 45:1-5

Joseph said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life (NRSV, Gen 45:4b-5).”

Father, no moment is so dark, not the selling into slavery of Joseph, or even the crucifixion of Jesus, that it is not the saving moment. You greet us, Father, in every situation, even the darkest, through your Word always present to us who offers us your life and power if only we will accept it. Joseph, rejected by his brothers, provided for their material needs during famine. Jesus, even more, is the great sacrament of salvation. Crucified and rejected by us, resurrected to eternal life, Jesus is the very incarnation, Father, for everyone to experience, of your saving act that is one with your being and that fills all of history.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jul 6: The Glory of Poetry and Music

Hans Memling: Angel Musicians
Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp, 1480s

Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 33:2-3, 10-11, 18-19

Praise the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.
Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts (Ps 33:2-3).

Father, you speak your one Word to all of us in every moment but because of our finitude as creatures and because of the influence of the sin of the world and our own sinfulness it is difficult for us to articulate the fullness of truth that you reveal to us. In poetry and music we can often give expression to truth that logical reason cannot always utter. Father, may we find in poetry and music the means to speak when ordinary speech fails and thus give you more adequate praise even while growing in the life and power that you always offer to us.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jul 5: God Is Always Near

Gustav Moreau: Jacob and the Angel
Musée Gustave Moreau, Paris, 1878

Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading I: Gn 32:23-33

So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved (NRSV, Gen 32:30).”

Father, in a moment of enlightenment Jacob realized how close you were to him, even that he had seen you face to face. May we, in response to the challenge of the Word, recognize your presence to us at every moment, closer to us than we are to ourselves. May we grow constantly in the life that you offer to us in every situation.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.