Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time Ezekiel 9:1–7; 10:18–22 Today’s reading from Ezekiel is difficult. It makes us uncomfortable. And it should. Ezekiel sees the judgment of Jerusalem. He sees violence. He sees mysterious figures passing through the city. He hears a terrible command: do not look with pity, show no mercy. When we hear this as Christians, we struggle. Because in the Gospel, God does look on us with pity. ...
Tuesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Saint Clare, Virgin Ezekiel 2:8—3:4 After the vision of God’s glory, Ezekiel receives his prophetic mission. But before he speaks, he must first eat. A mysterious hand gives him a scroll. And the Lord says: “Eat what is before you.” The meaning is clear. The prophet cannot proclaim a word that remains outside him. He must receive it. Taste it. ...
Feast of Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr John 12:24–26 The story of Saint Lawrence is well known. He was a deacon of the Church of Rome. When the prefect of Rome demanded that Lawrence hand over the riches of the Church, Lawrence acted quickly. He distributed as much as he could to the poor and the needy, so that the wealth of the Church would not fall into the hands of the powerful. ...
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 1 Kings 19:9, 11–13a; Romans 9:1–5; Matthew 14:22–33 Elijah stood on the mountain before the Lord. A powerful wind came. Then an earthquake. Then fire. But the Lord was not in the wind. The Lord was not in the earthquake. The Lord was not in the fire. Then came a tiny whisper. And Elijah recognized the presence of God. In the Gospel, the disciples are also surrounded by wind. ...
Saturday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Saint Dominic, Priest Habakkuk 1:12–2:4 We know very little about the prophet Habakkuk. Even the meaning of his name is not certain. Some say it may refer to a plant. Others connect it with a Hebrew root meaning “to embrace.” If so, Habakkuk is the one who embraces God, but also the one who struggles with God. And that fits his book well. ...
Friday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time Nahum 2:1, 3; 3:1–3, 6–7 Some powers look as if they will last forever. An empire. A dictatorship. A corrupt system. A violent economy. A group of people who seem able to hurt others without consequence. This is the world behind the prophet Nahum. Nahum speaks about Assyria, one of the most feared empires of the ancient world. Assyria had destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel. Its army was brutal. Its capital, Nineveh, seemed powerful, rich, and untouchable. ...
The Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord Daniel 7:9–10, 13–14; 2 Peter 1:16–19; Matthew 17:1–9 Before Jesus led Peter, James, and John up the mountain, he had spoken to them about the cross. He told them that he would go to Jerusalem, suffer, be rejected, be killed, and rise again. This was hard for the disciples to accept. They wanted a strong Messiah. They wanted victory. They wanted glory without suffering. ...
Wednesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time Jeremiah 31:1–7 Until now, we have mostly heard Jeremiah speak hard words. He has condemned idolatry. He has exposed injustice. He has called the people to repentance. He has warned them that their choices would have consequences. But now, as disaster falls, Jeremiah’s voice changes. The prophet of judgment becomes the prophet of consolation. Jerusalem may be destroyed. The temple may be gone. ...
Tuesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Saint John Vianney, Priest Jeremiah 30:1–2, 12–15, 18–22 Today, the Lord tells Jeremiah to write His words in a book. And those words begin with a painful diagnosis: “Your injury is incurable.” A fatal wound. A wound no one can heal. At least, not those on whom Israel had relied until now. Not idols. Not alliances. Not false prophets. Not human strength. ...
Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time Jeremiah 28:1–17 Today, we witness a conflict between two prophets: Jeremiah and Hananiah. Jeremiah stands with a wooden yoke on his neck. It is a painful sign. He tells the king of Judah and the people that Babylon will not disappear soon. They must accept the yoke of Babylon and live. Hananiah speaks differently. He breaks Jeremiah’s wooden yoke in front of everyone and announces: ...