Gospel: Mark 9:30–37
Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.
To serve is not to be submissive or weak; it is not putting oneself on a lower level than those being served. It is simply to be totally committed to the good of others and to find one’s own well-being in being so committed.
Read MoreGospel: Mark 8:27–35
Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.”
When we are trying to do the right things in Jesus’ name, we may get little recognition or popular acclaim. It’s even tougher to believe when following God’s ways puts us at odds with those around us. Isn’t God supposed to “bless” those who believe with visible signs of approval?
Read MoreGospel: Luke 1:39-56
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.
The church celebrates the Assumption of Mary today. We see in her a model for our faith. We too give birth to Christ in our world. We are reminded that though Christ suffered, he has been kept safe by God, to whom he has returned and will come to bring us all to that place of protection and life.
Read MoreGospel: Matthew 28:16-20
"Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you."
So often we think of prayer as the effort that we make to talk to God. Prayer can look like the struggle to reach up to a distant God. Does He even hear us? But the prayer “Hail Mary…” reminds us that this is not so. WE do not break the silence. When we speak we are responding to a word spoken to us. We are taken into a conversation that has already begun without us.
Read MoreGospel: John 6:24–35
I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Now, however, we need to ask: How is Jesus bread and how are we to get it? By going to Jesus, by becoming his close companion and follower. By believing in Jesus, by an unconditional and total giving of self to him.
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