“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.  There is need of only one thing.  Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” (Lk 10:25-27) There’s a tendency to take this Sunday’s Gospel as an encouragement of laziness.  We hear that Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus doing nothing, and Martha is doing all of the work. Yet, when Martha complains, Jesus reassures the two that Mary has “chosen the better part.” So doing nothing but listening to Jesus is better than helping out around the house?  Sounds like a quick way our of household chores!  “Need me to mow the lawn?  Sorry, but I’ve chosen the “better portion”; I’m heading to the Adoration Chapel to pray! That’s not really what’s going on here.  What Jesus is referring to is not the … [Read more...]

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said,  “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law?  How do you read it?” He said in reply, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Lk 10:25-27) If you could ask God one question, what would it be? Would you ask about the future?  Would you ask for the next Powerball number? Next year’s Superbowl Champion? Or perhaps you’d want to know about something from the past. Why did Katrina hit us?  Why did my loved one have to die?  Perhaps you’d want to know the answer to something current.  Why do bad things happen to good people? What is the cure for cancer or … [Read more...]

At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. … Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, 'The kingdom of God is at hand for you.' (Lk 10:1, 7-9) The mission of the 72 disciples of Jesus has been spoken about by the Fathers of the Church in several ways.  St. Augustine thought the 72 to be the first priests of the Church working in concert with the 12 Apostles (bishops).  Other saints, such as St. Cyril, saw the 72 as the first worshipping community of Christians sent out to teach.  Either way, the 72 brought the Gospel (Good News) of Christ to those whom had never received it.  Theirs was the work of “evangelization,” from the Latin … [Read more...]

Once when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” (Lk 9:18) We might skip over the first part of today’s Gospel without thinking too much. Jesus asked: “who do the crowds say that I am.” We might not think about it because we already know who Jesus is. We know He’s the incarnate Son of God. He’s the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. He’s the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He’s the suffering servant. He’s the Good Shepherd. He’s the Son of Mary. He’s our Savior. He’s our Redeemer. He’s God. But that’s the point. Since Jesus is God, He’s “everything.” And He came to proclaim Himself as the fulfillment of all of our dreams and desires. As Scripture said: He came “to bring glad tidings to the … [Read more...]

Afterward he journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.  (Lk 8:1) This Sunday’s Gospel recounts one story in the life of Christ.  It’s one visit to a household, one sinner anointing the feet of Jesus, one lesson taught, and one sinner forgiven.  When Jesus was on earth in the flesh, He limited Himself to being in one place at a time, and those encounters – so beautifully recounted in Sacred Scripture – reveal him reaching out and touching and healing specific individuals through the power of His love.  And Jesus was accompanied by the Twelve Apostles and some women who were witnesses to His love. After the Ascension and Pentecost, the Apostles obeyed the commands of Christ to go out to preach, sanctify (by the … [Read more...]