Saturday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time Philippians 1:18b–26 Paul is in prison. His body is chained. His future is uncertain. Some people are even trying to make his suffering worse. They preach Christ, but not with a pure heart. They may want to hurt Paul. They may want to increase the pressure on him. They may want to show that they are stronger now that Paul is weak. ...
Joy Began by a River
Friday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time Philippians 1:3–11 Paul’s mission in Philippi began very quietly. Not in a synagogue. Not before a large crowd. Not with a great public speech. It began outside the city gate, near a river. There Paul found a few women gathered in prayer. Among them was Lydia. She listened, and the Lord opened her heart. That was the beginning. One open heart. One open home. One small community born by the river. ...
The Armor of God
Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time Ephesians 6:10–20 Saint Paul ends his Letter to the Ephesians with a call to spiritual warfare. He tells us something we often forget: our real enemies are not flesh and blood. Our deepest struggle is not first against other people. It is against the powers of darkness, against the forces of evil, against everything that tries to pull us away from God. ...
Unknown, Yet Chosen
Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles Luke 6:12–16 During the Second World War, there was a Polish fighter squadron that became famous in the Battle of Britain. It was Squadron No. 303. Many of its pilots did not come from important families. Some came from poor backgrounds. Some had difficult beginnings. Some did not look like the kind of people who would one day become heroes. But in the hour of battle, they became courageous, skillful, and faithful to their mission. ...
Love That Gives Itself
Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time Ephesians 5:21–33 Today’s reading is not easy for many people today. Saint Paul speaks about wives and husbands. He speaks about submission. He speaks about love. And many hear only one word: submission. But the passage begins with a wider call: Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ. This is the key. Paul is not simply repeating the customs of his time. ...
Children of Light
Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time Ephesians 4:32–5:8 Saint Paul gives us a simple movement. Leave the old life. Put on the new life. Replace bitterness with kindness. Replace hardness with compassion. Replace resentment with forgiveness. This is not only moral advice. This is imitation of God. Be kind to one another. Be compassionate. Forgive one another as God has forgiven you in Christ. This is the measure. ...
The Heart of the Law
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Exodus 22:20–26; 1 Thessalonians 1:5c–10; Matthew 22:34–40 There are many commandments in the Bible. There are many rules in the life of the Church. There are many teachings in the Catechism. All of them matter. But most of us cannot remember everything. We have work to do. Families to care for. Problems to face. Decisions to make. So the question in today’s Gospel is not only a question from a scholar of the Law. ...
Growing into Christ
Saturday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time Ephesians 4:7–16 Saint Paul speaks often about spiritual gifts. Some gifts may seem extraordinary. Healing. Miracles. Prophecy. Speaking in tongues. Other gifts may look more ordinary. Teaching. Serving. Encouraging. Leading. Helping those in need. But all these gifts come from the same source: the grace of Christ and the Spirit of God. Today Saint Paul says: Grace was given to each of us ...
The Bond of Peace
Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time Ephesians 4:1–6 We all speak about unity. Unity in the family. Unity in the Church. Unity in society. Unity among nations. But unity is not easy. We know this. Pope Francis once wrote that God created all human beings equal in dignity and called us to live as brothers and sisters. But he also spoke about the shattered dreams of fraternity. Saint Paul was concerned about the unity of the Church. ...
Rooted in Love
Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time Ephesians 3:14–21 Saint Paul begins his prayer for the Ephesians with a simple gesture. He kneels. I kneel before the Father. This is not only a posture of the body. It is a posture of the heart. Prayer begins when pride becomes quiet. Prayer begins when we stand no longer on our own strength, but open ourselves to God. Humility is the foundation of prayer. ...