14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 6, 2025

What might a call from Jesus to go out and preach the gospel look like?

Luke 10: 1–12, 17–20

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.
He said to them,
"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter, first say,
'Peace to this household.'
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves his payment.
Do not move about from one house to another.
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.'
Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you,
go out into the streets and say,
'The dust of your town that clings to our feet,
even that we shake off against you.'
Yet know this: the kingdom of God is at hand.
I tell you,
it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town."

The seventy-two returned rejoicing, and said,
"Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name."
Jesus said, "I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.
Behold, I have given you the power to 'tread upon serpents' and scorpions
and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you.
Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

Music Meditations

• The Summons
• Here I am, Lord
• Lead Me, Guide Me
• Servant Song

Preparation / Centering

If done in a group setting, the prompts are read aloud by the leader; otherwise a silent meditation.

Adapted from Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2025

Presence of God:

Jesus, As I come to you today, fill my heart, my whole being, with the wonder of your sacred presence. Help me to become more aware of your presence in my life, and more receptive to that presence. I desire to love you as you love me. May nothing ever separate me from you.

[1-2 minutes of silence]

Freedom:

Jesus, Grant me the grace to have freedom of spirit. Keep me from being bound by desires and actions that are not good for me or others. Cleanse my heart and soul that I may live joyously in your love.

[1-2 minutes of silence]

Consciousness:

Where am I with God? With others in my life? What am I grateful for? Is there something I am sorry for, words or actions that have hurt others, and which I now regret? I take a moment to ask forgiveness of God and of those whom I have hurt. God, I give you thanks for your constant love and care for me. Keep me always aware of your presence in my life.

[2-3 minutes of silence]

Opening Prayer

From Sacred Space:

Jesus, you came as one bringing peace, and told us to greet people with a word of peace, not hostility, or judgment. May your blessing flow through me, so that when I leave people, they may feel approved of, contented and tranquil

Companions for the Journey

From Living Space, a service of the Irish Jesuits

In addition to the inner circle of the Twelve, we are told today that he appointed another 72 (12×6) and sent them two by two to the places he himself would be visiting (note that only Luke mentions this group). That is a good description of our Christian role. We are supposed to go first to prepare the ground, but then it is Jesus himself who comes to plant the seed of faith.

Jesus then goes on to give an instruction to his disciples. We, too, should be listening to his words.

First, he points out that the harvest is great and there are very few laborers—few who are willing to do the harvesting work with Jesus.

This is a text which is often thrown at us during “vocation” campaigns. We tend to hear it as a call for more priests, brothers and nuns. It is that, of course, but when Jesus spoke there were no priests, brothers or nuns. The challenge was being thrown out to all his followers to find more people to join in the harvesting work.

We have to be careful as we listen to these words not to exclude ourselves because we are middle-aged, or married, or already have a career. The words are addressed to all of us and call for some kind of response from every one of us. It is never too late to respond to the call.

Second, Jesus warns his followers that it may not be easy. “I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves.”

In spite of the message of truth, love, compassion and justice that we bring, it does not mean that we will be received with open arms. On the contrary, we may meet with strong opposition and even persecution. Our message will be seen as threatening. It will be distorted and misunderstood.

Third, the disciples are called on to travel light. Jesus himself “had nowhere to lay his head” and he only had the clothes he wore. 

So many of us are weighed down by the things we own. Some of us have to protect our property with the latest in security devices. In our search for prosperity and material security we have lost the more precious gift of freedom. The disciples are not to stop to greet people in the sense of carrying on lengthy conversations. Their mission was urgent—there are few laborers for a potentially huge harvest.

Fourth, they are to be bearers of peace. Peace, shalom, is much more than an absence of violence. It is a deep inner harmony with oneself, with others, with one’s environment, with God:

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Matt 5:9)

We could hardly bring a more precious gift to others than this inner peace. It is, in fact, the heart of our Christian message. Faith, hope and love are the keys to peace.

Fifth, the evangelizer is to stay in the first house that accepts him. He should not be going around looking for better accommodation. At the same time, he is to be provided with shelter and hospitality:

…for the laborer deserves to be paid.

This, it seems, was the way Jesus himself lived. And this was the overall ideal of the Christian community: a network of mutually supporting people sharing their resources with each other and with those in greater need than themselves.

Sixth, their work is primarily to heal the sick in the places they go to. ‘Healing’ should be taken in a wider sense of including body, feelings, mind and spirit. And ‘healing’ should also be seen not just as getting rid of a sickness, but of making a person whole again. Bringing healing and wholeness into the lives of individuals and communities is of the essence of the Kingdom and at the heart of Jesus’ work and that of his followers. The sign of that wholeness is inner peace. Today it is no different.

And they are to say:

…the kingdom of God has come near.

This is not just a statement they are to throw out. It is the core of Jesus’ message and an explanation of why people are experiencing healing and wholeness coming into their lives. This is the effect of the coming of the Kingdom; this is what the coming of the Kingdom means. God’s power is penetrating their lives, transforming them and making them whole again.

Luke mentions the kingdom of God more than 30 times; Matthew more than 50 times. Matthew’s is truly a Gospel of the Kingdom.

The term can have a number of meanings:

• the eternal Kingship (basileia) of God;
• the presence of the Kingdom in the person of Jesus; he is the embodiment, the incarnation of the rule of God in himself, an incarnation he wishes to be found in his disciples and the communities they establish;
• the future Kingdom in the life that is to come.

In short, the Kingdom—the rule of God—is intended to be both a present reality as well as a future hope.

And finally, seventh, if there is any place where they are not received, the disciples are to leave it to its own fate. Even then those people are to know that the Kingdom of God is near to them also. There is always the hope that the results of their very rejection of the Kingdom will lead to a deeper awareness later on. By rejecting the messengers of God, they have opened themselves to a fate worse than that of Sodom, a city utterly destroyed because of its shameful lack of hospitality to divine visitors. But those hearing the message of Jesus are even more accountable for hearing the message of the Kingdom proclaimed to them and turning their back on it.

Clearly, we cannot literally apply all of these points to our own work on behalf of the Gospel, but we need to make the underlying principles and values ours too. It will require some reflection on our part, both as individuals and as communities, on how we should effectively share the Gospel with those around us and be the harvesters that are so badly needed. Indeed, let us pray for vocations, but let us remember that every single one of us is being called to work in the harvest field and not just some chosen souls who are totally unknown to us.

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

• Do I think of only ordained or consecrated individuals as the legitimate preachers of the gospel?
  What, exactly IS my role in spreading the Good News of Jesus and the Kingdom?
  Do I understand that I have a role and a mission?
  Am I uncomfortable with that idea?
  Why?
• What might be the rewards of accepting this commission?
  What might be the costs of accepting this commission?
• What are some particular venues in which I might actually be a missionary of Jesus?
  What are some particular strengths or talents I possess that can be used to help others, heal others?
• What if I encounter resistance or downright hostility?
  What did Jesus tell the 72 to do?
• As I travel through life, am I burdened with the weight of all the “stuff” I am carrying?
  What material goods can I divest myself of?
  What resentments can I let go of?
  What guilt can I entrust to God?
• What, to me, is the difference between “curing” and “healing”?
• Am I ready to go wherever God sends me, even if I do not know the outcome?
• What “baggage” would I have to leave behind to be a disciple of Jesus?
• What intimidates me about the task of spreading the good news of the gospel?
• Are there any lines in the gospel which give me courage for the task of being disciple?
• Are there any people in my life right now who are actively living out their call?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/ Imagination:

Luke 10: 1-12, 17-20 Place yourself in the events of this gospel, and imagine that you are one of the ones Jesus is sending on a mission. How do you imagine yourself in that crowd of 72? What does Jesus look like as he speaks to yo?. Does he address you personally and look directly at you? How do you feel as he tells you of the importance of this mission? How do you feel when he send you are going to be sent as lambs among wolves? How do the others seem to react? Which of his directives make absolute sense to you? And which give you pause? How does it feel to know that you will be empowered to cure the sick? How does it feel when He hints that you might not be welcome everywhere? Stay with these feelings for a few minutes, imagining the reactions of others around you, the location where this is taking place, the sounds, smells, and concrete reality of the situation. Now project this scene into your own time and your own personal situation. What are you being asked to do in the here and now? What are your challenges? Think of one way that you can be a “missionary for Christ”, and get out there and get started!

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:

There is an article in America Magazine on June 27 which chronicles the story of the Catholic sister who brought faith an social justice to New York’s airwaves for over 50 years. As a woman religious among male clerics of other faiths, she had to fight to get the job, but eventually were over three million listeners a week. Three times a day on Sunday, for the last 52 years, Sister Camille Arienzo, RSM, in her Queens-accented voice, offered stories of inspiration and challenged listeners to think about the moral questions surrounding them. This was on the local news station WINS 1010. She questioned the arrest of undocumented immigrants, reported on the murder of clerics in Central America, spoke out about genocide in Rwanda, among other more ordinary moral issues. She was against nuclear proliferation, for peace and forgiveness, for welcoming LGBTQ people into the church. She spoke her mind. Because of her public resistance to the Church’s refusal to consider allowing women in the priesthood, she had to declare that she did not speak officially for the Diocese of Brooklyn, but spoke simply as a Catholic sister. Finally retiring at 92, she has been the longest continuous voice on WINS 1010 in its history. An unlikely missionary in the modern world, but a missionary nonetheless, she follows in the footsteps of those first 72…. Make no mistake, we each are invited to be missionaries bringing the Good News of the Kingdom to the world around us. Each person’s calling is unique and comes with its successes and its pitfalls. What have I been called to do? What have I been called to be? Has my mission changed over the years? Am I an active spokesperson for Jesus and His message? Do I live what I preach? Am I willing to be one of the 72?

Poetic Reflection:

Read the following poem from former Stegner Fellow Thomas Centollela, calling us to an active ministry of love. Resolve to pick one thing you can start to do this week that reaches out to others and brings the love and message of Jesus to them. Take the risk:

“At Big Rec”

A few hours spent in the dry rooms of the dying.
Then the walk home, and the sudden rain
comes hard, and you want it coming hard,
you want it hitting you in the forehead
like anointment, blessing all the days
that otherwise would be dismissed
as business as usual. Now you’re ready
to lean on the rail above the empty diamonds
where, in summer, the ballplayers wait patiently
for one true moment more alive than all the rest.
Now you’re ready for the ancient religion of dogs,
that unleashed romp through the wildness, responding
To no one’s liturgy but the field’s and the rain’s.
You’ve come this far, but you need to live further in.
You need to slip into the blind man for a while,
tap along with his cane past the market stalls
and take in, as if they were abandoned,
the little blue crabs which within an hour will be eaten.
You have to become large enough to accommodate
all the small lives that otherwise would be forgotten.
You have to raise yourself to the power of ten.
Love more, require less, love without regard
For form. You have to live further in.

Closing Prayer

MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore, will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

—Thomas Merton

Saints Peter and Paul, June 29, 2025

Peter and Paul grew into their roles as disciples; so must we

Matthew 16: 13–19

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Music Meditations

• Will You Come and Follow Me-William Bell
• All That I Am—Emmaus Music
• Here I am, Lord-St. Louis Jesuits
• More Love to Thee—Fernando Ortega

Preparation / Centering

If done in a group setting, the prompts are read aloud by the leader; otherwise a silent meditation.

Adapted from Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2025

Presence of God:

Jesus, As I come to you today, fill my heart, my whole being, with the wonder of your sacred presence. Help me to become more aware of your presence in my life, and more receptive to that presence. I desire to love you as you love me. May nothing ever separate me from you.

[1-2 minutes of silence]

Freedom:

Jesus, Grant me the grace to have freedom of spirit. Keep me from being bound by desires and actions that are not good for me or others. Cleanse my heart and soul that I may live joyously in your love. Help me to learn from the saints Peter and Paul, who freed themselves fully to follow you

[1-2 minutes of silence]

Consciousness:

Where am I with God? With others in my life? What am I grateful for? Is there something I am sorry for, words or actions that have hurt others, and which I now regret? I take a moment to ask forgiveness of God and of those whom I have hurt. God, I give you thanks for your constant love and care for me. Keep me always aware of your presence in my life.

[2-3 minutes of silence]

Opening Prayer

(from the Mass for Sunday, June 29)

Peter raised up the church from the faithful flock of Israel. Paul brought your call to the nations, and became the teacher of the world. Each in his chosen way gathered into unity the one family of Christ. Both shared a martyr’s death and are praised throughout the world.

Grant, we pray, O Lord our God, that we may be sustained by the intercession of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, that, as through them you gave your Church the foundations of her heavenly office, so through them you may help her to eternal salvation, and through her, we may attain eternal salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit.

Companions for the Journey

Commentary from “Living Space”, a Service of the Irish Jesuits:

On this day we celebrate a special feast of the Church, symbolized by the two great Apostles, Peter and Paul. They were the two men around whom the mission of Jesus to establish the Kingdom was centered, and from whom it grew and spread to every corner of the world. As the preface for today’s Mass puts it: “Peter raised up the church from the faithful flock of Israel. Paul brought your call to the nations, and became the teacher of the world. Each in his chosen way gathered into unity the one family of Christ. Both shared a martyr’s death and are praised throughout the world. Peter and Paul represent two very distinct roles of the Church in its mission to the world. Source of stability: Peter represents that part of the Church which gives it stability. its traditions handed down in an unbroken way from the very beginnings, the structures which help to preserve and conserve those traditions, the structure which also gives consistency and unity to the Church, spread as it is through so many races, cultures, traditions, and geographical diversity. Peter today is represented by the pope, who is the great symbol of unity and continuity. Without his role, we would see the Church break up and disintegrate, which has happened to a large extent with those parts of the Church that broke away from the central body. A number of the mainline non-Catholic Christian churches realize today the importance of that central role of Peter and they are trying to find ways by which we could all become one Church again, ways by which diversity could be recognized, but divisions removed, that all who believe in Christ might find and express that unity (but not uniformity) for which Christ prayed during the Last Supper. Prophetic role: Paul, on the other hand, represents another key role, the prophetic and missionary role. It is that part of the Church which constantly works on the edge, pushing the boundaries of the Church further out, not only in a geographical sense, but also pushing the concerns of the Church into neglected areas of social concern and creatively developing new ways of communicating the Christian message. This is the Church which is semper reformanda, a Church which needs to be constantly renewed. This renewal is spurred on by the Church’s contact with the surrounding world. This world is itself changing and, in our own times, changing with bewildering speed. Not only new technologies, but new knowledge, new ideas and new thinking continue to surface. Our rapidly changing societies call on us to express the core of our faith in new ways. As a theologian once said, “The world writes the agenda for the Church.” That does not mean that the Church is to conform to the ways of the world—quite the contrary. What it does mean is that the Church’s evangelising work has to be in response to where people actually are. It is no good just handing out the same old things in the same old way. If the Church is to remain relevant, if it is to continue speaking in a meaningful way to a rapidly changing world, if it is to keep up with the new knowledge and ideas which change our ways of understanding the world in which we live, it has to renew itself constantly in the way it: expresses its message, structures itself, communicates its message, dialogues with the world. The world may not like what the Church has to say, but it should be able to understand it and be stimulated by it. New challenges: A changing world involves new challenges to our ideas of what is right and wrong. A changing world brings about new social problems, new forms of poverty, of injustice, of exploitation and discrimination, of lack of freedom and the absence of peace. Hence there have to be new ways of preaching and witnessing to the Gospel of truth, of love, of justice, of freedom, of peace. For this we need the prophetic role of the Church, built on the foundations of tradition and continuity. We have to avoid the two tendencies either of digging in and looking only to the past, or of neglecting the traditions and bringing in innovations with no foundations. When faced with difficult situations, Catholics tend either to dig in and become fundamentalist, or to throw in the towel completely. Neither is helpful either to the Church or to society. God’s accompanying presence The readings today emphasize the presence of God in the work of his Church. Peter’s faith and acknowledgment of Jesus as the Messiah-Christ and Savior-King are rewarded by his being made the foundation on which Christ will build his Church. Through Peter, Jesus gives his Church a guarantee of never-ending protection. And he gives to Peter, as his representative, the powers which he himself had received from the Father, the “keys of the Kingdom”. Through the centuries, the Church has been battered and countless efforts made to wipe it out, but it continues to benefit from Christ’s promise to grow in numbers. And as long as it remains faithful to the principles it received from Christ, principles which are of the very nature of God, and consonant with the deepest longings of human nature, it cannot fail. Truth and love cannot be suppressed. Peter: doing the only thing possible: We see this constancy of the Church in the First Reading, where Peter is thrown into jail for preaching the message of Christ and the Kingdom. As Paul, who was himself in prison more than once, will say later, the word of God cannot be bound. Peter finds release and then goes back to the only thing he can do—proclaiming the message of his beloved Master. The miraculous release from prison symbolizes that protection over his Church which Jesus had promised in the Gospel. It is significant too that Peter’s imprisonment occurred during Passover week, the same week in which Jesus himself was arrested and suffered. Paul: a well-spent life Paul in the Second Reading speaks first with gratitude of how his life has been spent in the service of his Lord:  I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. May we be able to say the same as we approach the end of our life.  Paul also speaks of how God continued to protect him through all kinds of trials and persecutions: …the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the gentiles might hear it. He too knows that the Lord will continue to protect him, but he also knows that when his time comes, he is ready to go. Paul’s love for Jesus is so intense that he finds it difficult to choose between staying alive and working for the Kingdom, or dying and being reunited with Jesus, his beloved Lord. As he said once in a memorable phrase: For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. (Phil 1:21) In either case, he is with his beloved Lord. Ever old, ever new: As we celebrate this feast today, let us both remain faithful to the traditions which have come down to us over 2,000 years ago, and at the same time, be ever ready to make the necessary changes and adaptations by which the message of Christ can be effectively communicated to all those who still have a hunger for that truth and love which over the centuries never changes. Let us pray today: for the whole Church all over the world, for our pope as the focus of unity for Christians everywhere, for those who, while remaining faithful to the core traditions, are creatively finding new ways to proclaim the message of the Kingdom to people everywhere, for those places where the Church is working under great difficulties, for our own parish community, that it may truly be loyal to the faith of our fathers, to have a true missionary spirit, effectively to proclaim Christ to all those among whom we live. In other words, what agenda is our local society writing for our local church?

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah.

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

Who, exactly, do I think Jesus is? What does that mean for me? Does my everyday life give witness to my faith in Jesus? In the Matthean account, Peter recognizes Jesus as the anointed one, “Son of God”. In the old testament, this title did not refer to divinity, but to someone who had a special relationship with God. How often do we let later trinitarian theology influence our reading of this passage? What exactly, do I think Peter meant? Did Peter’s conviction ever falter while Jesus was alive? How did Jesus react? How would I react if someone denied knowing me, when she at one time had declared that she knew me very intimately? Would I ever trust him again? Would I entrust her with my memory and legacy? Peter was impulsive, quick to anger, often clueless, and when it counted, was a coward. What did Jesus see in Peter that let Him feel comfortable entrusting His mission to him? What stories of Peter’s courage, guidance, maturity and wisdom show up after Jesus’s return to the Father? What, particularly, do I admire about Peter? Does it surprise you that Peter was never called “Pope” in his lifetime? Paul’s stubbornness, his self-promotion and his need to prove that he was ultimately right shows up in the New Testament. His good qualities of courage, a gifts for preaching, concern for his “people” come through as well. Why do I think God chose Paul for this extensive missionary and conversion mission? What qualities do I admire about Paul? Peter and Paul both suffered for their religious convictions and activities. Who, in history, have suffered at the hands of authorities for their religious beliefs? Who, in our own time, are suffering for their religious beliefs? From “Faith Book”, a service of the Southern Dominican Province: Who or what have most challenged my faith in Jesus? What response did I make to that challenge? Was I aware of the presence of God helping me make that response? Have I ever felt discriminated against because of what I professed to believe? How did I react? Paul changed the Church by preaching to and welcoming Gentiles to become believers. Was this a good idea? How open are we as Church to welcome those whose religious ideas and customs may differ from ours? The early Church had a hard time changing the rules to accommodate changes in the demographics of their followers. Has our Church ever changed its rules to adapt to the times in which it operated? How do I feel about changes in some Church rules—are they too fast, or too slow in responding to the needs of the people? Both men were very different at the end of their lives than they were as younger men. Do I see the possibility for moral and spiritual growth in my own life? How can I be sure that I am on the right trajectory? Do have to be perfect in order to live out my mission in life?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

This feast is not just about martyrdom; it is about the growth that took place in these men that gave them the strength and resolve to face martyrdom, knowing that they had grown into their mission gradually throughout their lives. We met Peter in the gospels, and he seemed to be brash, impulsive, clueless, sometimes arrogant and boastful, and even cowardly. He even denied he knew Jesus at the end of Jesus’ life. What did Jesus even see in this man? What he saw was love, and potential for leading a fledgling community into becoming Church. Paul was not on the scene, as far as we know, during Jesus’ lifetime. We met him in Acts of the Apostles where, as Saul, he participated in the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, and participated in scenes where he persecuted and tried to obliterate some of those early Christian communities. We also got to know Paul through his letters to the communities he had founded and nurtured. Sometimes there is a disconnect between the two sources of Paul’s life, but there is no doubt that his conviction about right and wrong at first led him to some very unkind and sometimes cruel acts. It would appear that he was not always the easiest person to get along with—sometimes demanding, sometimes judgmental, always difficult, always argumentative. Yet he was responsible for the opening of Christianity to non-Jews, and to the relaxing of the very rules he had campaigned to uphold in his earlier life. He travelled tirelessly throughout Turkey, Greece, and other Roman territories, living simply, preaching effectively, enduring prison and other punishment in order to spread the message of Christianity to those far and near. We would not be the Church we are today without the steadfastness and wisdom of Peter and the vision and fearlessness of Paul. As we each assess where we are in our faith journey we need to ask ourselves what the arc of that journey looks like. What is my vision? Where have I failed? Where have I succeeded? How can I do better? What will help me to grow in these qualities that are needed to build up the kingdom? I take these questions and their answers to Jesus.

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship:

My departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith….. The Lord stood by me and gave me strength… the Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to His heavenly kingdom. Amen. When my husband was coming to the end of his life, he chose the readings for his own Memorial Mass. The second reading was the same as the one we read this Sunday, and through this choice he expressed how he had dealt with the diagnosis of a terminal brain tumor, and how he had wanted to make of his days here on earth a testimony to his faith in God, to the presence of God in giving him strength throughout his 16-month illness. He was at peace knowing that he did the very best he could in living out his final mission, which was to show others how to face death with joy, dignity, and belief in the goodness of God. Read the entire passage from 2 Timothy 4:6-8. 17-18, written from Rome when Paul had no hope of rescue and was facing the end of his mission and his life. It is obvious that this is not the brash, confident and assertive Paul we witnessed throughout much of his life. His life was a trajectory of growth in humility, wisdom and trust, and Paul was a very different man as he faced martyrdom than the Paul we met as Saul in Acts of the Apostles. This is not just a reading for those at the end of our lives. It is good reminder that we do not know exactly where we are in this journey of life. Where are you in your life’s journey? Transpose the words of this reading to the second person (you), as if you were speaking to Jesus Himself. Speak to God about your spiritual journey, sharing with God your moments of joy, of failure, of redemption and growth. Use this prayer you have composed as reminded that God is not done with you yet.

Poetic Reflection:

This is a wise "final analysis" perspective on life, relayed from Kent Keith to us by Mother Teresa. This poem hangs on the Wall of one of her orphanages in India:   DO IT ANYWAY People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies. Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you. Be honest and frank anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight. Build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give the best you've got anyway. You see,  in the final analysis it is between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway.

Poetic Reflection:

“The Cloud of Unknowing”, by John of the Cross, draws on the mystical tradition of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, which focuses on the via negativa road to discovering God as a pure entity, beyond any capacity of mental conception and so without any definitive image or form. This tradition has reputedly inspired generations of mystical searchers from John Scotus Erigena, through Book of Taliesin, Nicholas of Cusa and St. John of the Cross to Teilhard de Chardin (the latter two of whom may have been influenced by "The Cloud" itself). The practical prayer advice contained in The Cloud of Unknowing forms a primary basis for the contemporary practice of centering prayer, a form of Christian meditation developed by Trappist monks William Meninger, Basil Pennington and Thomas Keating in the 1970s. For today, it can also reflect the spiritual journey of Saints Peter and Paul. The Cloud of Unknowing I came into the unknown and stayed there unknowing rising beyond all science. I did not know the door but when I found the way, unknowing where I was, I learned enormous things, but what I felt I cannot say, for I remained unknowing, rising beyond all science. It was the perfect realm of holiness and peace. In deepest solitude I found the narrow way: a secret giving such release that I was stunned and stammering, rising beyond all science. I was so far inside, so dazed and far away my senses were released from feelings of my own. My mind had found a surer way: a knowledge of unknowing, rising beyond all science. And he who does arrive collapses as in sleep, for all he knew before now seems a lowly thing, and so his knowledge grows so deep that he remains unknowing, rising beyond all science. The higher he ascends the darker is the wood; it is the shadowy cloud that clarified the night, and so the one who understood remains always unknowing, rising beyond all science. This knowledge by unknowing is such a soaring force that scholars argue long but never leave the ground. Their knowledge always fails the source: to understand unknowing, rising beyond all science. This knowledge is supreme crossing a blazing height; though formal reason tries it crumbles in the dark, but one who would control the night by knowledge of unknowing will rise beyond all science. And if you wish to hear: the highest science leads to an ecstatic feeling of the most holy Being; and from his mercy comes his deed: to let us stay unknowing, rising beyond all science. —John of the Cross

Poetic Reflection:

Read the following poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson about Ulysses, reflecting on his life’s journey. Where are you in your life journey? Ulysses  It little profits that an idle king,  By this still hearth, among these barren crags,  Match'd with an aged wife, I mete and dole  Unequal laws unto a savage race,  That hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me.  I cannot rest from travel: I will drink  Life to the lees: All times I have enjoy'd  Greatly, have suffer'd greatly, both with those  That loved me, and alone, on shore, and when  Thro' scudding drifts the rainy Hyades  Vext the dim sea: I am become a name;  For always roaming with a hungry heart  Much have I seen and known; cities of men  And manners, climates, councils, governments,  Myself not least, but honour'd of them all;  And drunk delight of battle with my peers,  Far on the ringing plains of windy Troy.  I am a part of all that I have met;  Yet all experience is an arch wherethro'  Gleams that untravell'd world whose margin fades  For ever and forever when I move.  How dull it is to pause, to make an end,  To rust unburnish'd, not to shine in use!  As tho' to breathe were life! Life piled on life  Were all too little, and of one to me  Little remains: but every hour is saved  From that eternal silence, something more,  A bringer of new things; and vile it were  For some three suns to store and hoard myself,  And this gray spirit yearning in desire  To follow knowledge like a sinking star,  Beyond the utmost bound of human thought.    This is my son, mine own Telemachus,  To whom I leave the sceptre and the isle,—  Well-loved of me, discerning to fulfil  This labour, by slow prudence to make mild  A rugged people, and thro' soft degrees  Subdue them to the useful and the good.  Most blameless is he, centred in the sphere  Of common duties, decent not to fail  In offices of tenderness, and pay  Meet adoration to my household gods,  When I am gone. He works his work, I mine.    There lies the port; the vessel puffs her sail:  There gloom the dark, broad seas. My mariners,  Souls that have toil'd, and wrought, and thought with me—  That ever with a frolic welcome took  The thunder and the sunshine, and opposed  Free hearts, free foreheads—you and I are old;  Old age hath yet his honour and his toil;  Death closes all: but something ere the end,  Some work of noble note, may yet be done,  Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.  The lights begin to twinkle from the rocks:  The long day wanes: the slow moon climbs: the deep  Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends,  'T is not too late to seek a newer world.  Push off, and sitting well in order smite  The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds  To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths  Of all the western stars, until I die.  It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:  It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,  And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.  Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho'  We are not now that strength which in old days  Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;  One equal temper of heroic hearts,  Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will  To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

Closing Prayer

Litany Teach me to go to this country beyond words and beyond names. Teach me to pray on this side of the frontier, here where these woods are. I need to be led by you. I need my heart to be moved by you. I need my soul to be made clean by your prayer. I need my will to be made strong by you. I need the world to be saved and changed by you. I need you for all those who suffer, who are in prison, in danger, in sorrow. I need you for all the crazy people. I need your healing hand to work always in my life. I need you to make me, as you made your Son, a healer, a comforter, a savior. I need you to name the dead. I need you to help the dying cross their particular rivers. I need you for myself whether I live or die. It is necessary. Amen.

From Thomas Merton, A Book of Hours (p. 67). Ave Maria Press – A.

The Body and Blood of Christ, June 22, 2025

God, through Jesus, feeds us and sustains us

Luke 9:11b–17

Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God, and he healed those who needed to be cured. As the day was drawing to a close, the Twelve approached him and said, “Dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms and find lodging and provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.”

He said to them, “Give them some food yourselves.” They replied, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people.” Now the men there numbered about five thousand. Then he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty.” They did so and made them all sit down.

Then taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. They all ate and were satisfied. And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets.

Music Meditations

• I Am the Bread of Life—John Michael Talbot
• In the Breaking of the Bread—Kitty Cleveland
• Ave Verum Corpus—Andrea Bocelli
• Table of Plenty—Dan Schutte
• You Satisfy the Hungry Heart—Richard Proulx and the Cathedral Singers

Preparation / Centering

If done in a group setting, the prompts are read aloud by the leader; otherwise a silent meditation.

Adapted from Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2025

Presence of God:

Jesus, As I come to you today, fill my heart, my whole being, with the wonder of your incarnation. Help me to become more aware of your real presence in my life, and more receptive to that presence. I desire to love others as you love me. May nothing ever separate me from you.

[1-2 minutes of silence]

Freedom:

Jesus, Grant me the grace to have freedom of spirit. Keep me from being bound by desires and actions that are not good for me or others. Cleanse my heart and soul that I may live joyously in your love.

[1-2 minutes of silence]

Consciousness:

Where am I with God? With others in my life? What am I grateful for? Is there something I am sorry for, words or actions that have hurt others, and which I now regret? I take a moment to ask forgiveness of God and of those whom I have hurt. God, I give you thanks for your constant love and care for me. Help me to be your body for others in my life.

[2-3 minutes of silence]

Opening Prayer

Lord, you are always watching out for us, caring for us, feeding us. Help us to see your generosity in our lives, and help us to be thankful and generous.

Companions for the Journey

This reflection is from Fr. Jude Siciiano. O.P., in “First Impressions”, a service of the Southern Dominican Province:

After preaching in parishes during Lent and the post-Easter weeks, I have noticed a continuation of the eucharistic devotion I remember from my childhood. On this feast (”Corpus Christi”), in my boyhood parish in Brooklyn, we had a procession with the host carried in a gold monstrance around the church building and then taken to the altar, where it was reverenced in silent adoration and then with benediction and Latin hymns. Several parishes I visited in recent months still have similar silent adoration for some period during the week.

One parish had “perpetual adoration” in a side chapel open 24 hours to the public. Worshipers signed up to be present in shifts throughout the day and night. A benefit of this eucharistic adoration in those busy city parishes was the opportunity for the faithful to drop in and spend some precious moments of silence with the Lord, away from the hustle and bustle of their lives. Such eucharistic piety goes back way beyond my childhood to over 1000 years ago when there was an intense increase in eucharistic devotion – specifically focused on Christ’s presence in the Eucharist.

Since Vatican II, we have broadened our awareness to emphasize Christ’s true presence in the gathered assembly. (At a dinner table in one parish recently one priest said he thought people found it harder to accept Christ’s presence in the baptized than in the bread in the monstrance, or the cup of wine and bread on the altar.)

Today’s feast isn’t a way of returning to a former day of only silent reverence and genuflections before the consecrated host. Rather, this feast invites us to broaden our faith vision to include a deeper awareness of our common priesthood; especially in the diverse ministries included in and derived from our eucharistic celebration: the proclamation of the Word; the role of Eucharistic ministers and those sent to take communion to the sick; the music ministry etc. The laity also have a larger role now in the planning of our liturgies. While we want to reclaim our sense of reverence and contemplative silence for the sacred species, we also are graced with current practices that celebrate Christ’s presence in our ministerial and worshiping community.

We also recall today Christ’s true presence in the world--a presence that began with his human body, real flesh and blood like ours. He was subject to human emotions of joy, love, yearning, and pain-- just as we are. We also celebrate our own human bodies – the sign, beginning at our baptism, of God’s presence in the world. Because of Jesus, our physical presence in the world is also a sign of God’s saving love and power present through us, who are nourished today by the Body and Blood of Christ. Our bodies reflect God’s love for others and God’s compassionate presence to those whose bodies and spirits are used, afflicted, abused, distraught, etc.

Today, our presider will invoke the Holy Spirit and say over the bread, “This is my body which will be given up for you...,” and over the wine, “This is the cup of my blood....” These words are also said over us, for we are the body of Christ “given” and the “blood” offered to the world. Jesus gave his entire life, body and blood, for us and our communion with him enables us to give our lives in sacrificial love for the world as he did. Our lives, like that of Jesus, are given by God to be instruments of God’s reconciliation, love and justice for the world

In the gospel today, Jesus sees the hungers of those around him. He directs his disciples, “Give them some food yourselves.” They claim their inadequacy to address the challenge he gave them. “Five loaves and two fish are all we have....” They are right, the hungers of the world are too much to address on our own. But we are not on our own. The miracle of the multiplication symbolizes what we celebrate at our Eucharist: Jesus gave himself to feed the hungers of the world. We celebrate today that Jesus is giving himself to us and calling us to imitate his love whenever we encounter the many hungers around us. “Give them some food yourselves.” Today we are concretely reminded in the bread and wine, the Body and Blood of Christ, that we can feed the world’s hungers because we have been fed by the Lord in whatever deserted place we have found ourselves.

Further reflection:

• Corpus Christi—Living Space >>

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

“Give them some food yourselves.”

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

• Adapted from Jude Siciliano O.P., 2022:
  As we note Jesus’ hospitality, how welcoming and generous are we at our celebrations?
  As Jesus says a blessing, are we aware of the blessing that food is?
  And the gift we enjoy when we eat?
  Do we treat food as something precious?
  We note how simple meals can satisfy in a community, and how all eat the same food and are nourished. God has more than enough (they had “leftovers”) to satisfy our hungers at this meal. What kind of examples are we setting for our children in regard to simple life styles, care for others, frugality, etc.?
  We read : “…they followed his instructions” …the hungry must be fed. We have his instructions. Do we live them?
• Are there people in our current society who are “gathered in a lonely place”? Who are they?
• ”Give them some food yourselves”. In what way are you personally called to feed God’s people?
• What is my feeling about the Eucharist? Do I connect it with the story of the Loaves and fishes?
  Loaves and Fishes = Eucharist = Hospitality. Where do I fit into this equation?
• In this story, what criteria did Jesus use in deciding who should be fed?
  What criterial does the Church use in deciding who should be fed?
• What food in my panty could I share with the hungry?
• Do I support, with time or money, parish or community programs that feed the hungry?
• What hungers do I see around me in my daily life?
  How do I respond to those hungers?
• by Daniel J Harrington. S.J.:
  Which aspects of the Eucharist do you find most meaningful?
  What are the concrete ways in which the Eucharist shapes your life as a Christian?
• What Is there a disconnect between my prayer life, my “church” life and the everyday life I lead? Why or why not?
• According to Father Ronald Rolheiser in The Holy Longing, when Jesus talks about eating his flesh, he uses a term for the body in all its messiness and ugliness, not some glorified or intellectual notion of body. (Sarx is the Greek word used, one that refers to the body in its messiness and ugliness, its illness and dysfunction)
  Are we messy, dysfunctional? Are we beautiful? How do we know this?
  Is the Church messy, dysfunctional? How?
  Is the Church holy, graced and beautiful? How?
  Do you expect the Church to be perfect? Better than it is? Why or why not?
• Have I ever had an experience of being ‘fed’ by God’s word?
• Jesus made the crowds welcome! Have I a sense of being made welcome by Jesus and all that that being ‘made welcome’ can mean for me?
• From “Sacred Space”, a ministry of the Irish Jesuits:
  The text does not take into account the number of women and children.!
  What is that like for me to read this?
  Will I read this text differently depending on my gender?
• From Stephen Cole, online commentary:
  Since there are so many needs in the world, how do we know where to devote our time, effort, and money?
  When is it right to say “no” to the needs and demands of people?
  Are there areas of service you should not refuse just because you think that you are not so gifted?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

This gospel is as much about the Apostles as it is about a miracle performed by Jesus. Or maybe the miracle is that Jesus saw in the few loaves and fishes possessed by his disciples food and sustenance for a large number of needy people. When Jesus said: “You feed them yourselves”, he was teaching them self-reliance, initiative and most of all, generosity. The apostles had to give something away, not know what plans Jesus had for their meager gifts. So the questions we might have for ourselves about the message and challenges of this gospel section are several: Do I believe that God actually gives us each day the sustenance we need? Can I differentiate between what I want and what I actually need? Do I see myself as an agent of Jesus bringing “food”, comfort, safety to those in our world who might need it, or do I expect a miracle?

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Imagination:

Imagine that you are one of the crowd following Jesus that day. What do you have with you as provisions for the day away from home? Are you hungry? Thirsty? What do you so when you hear the apostles telling you to sit down? Do you expect to be fed? How? Imagine the scene as people begin to sit on the ground. Do you sit with people you already know, or is everyone a stranger? When Jesus has blessed the food and passes it out, do you share also what you have brought with you? Do others? What is the miracle here?

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:

“They all ate and were satisfied.” (—Luke 9:17)

The prayer which we repeat at every Mass: “Give us this day our daily bread,” obliges us to do everything possible, in cooperation with international, state and private institutions to end or at least reduce the scandal of hunger and malnutrition afflicting so many millions of people in our world, especially in developing countries. In a particular way, the Christian laity, formed at the school of the Eucharist, are called to assume their specific political and social responsibilities. To do so, they need to be adequately prepared through practical education in charity and justice. To this end it is necessary for Dioceses and Christian communities to teach and promote the Church’s social doctrine. (—Sacramentum Caritatis, Pope Benedict XVI, 2007)

Did you know?

1. An estimated 854 million people across the world are hungry.
2. Every year, 15 million children die from hunger-related causes—one child every five seconds.
3. 35.1 million people in the US—including 12.4 million children—live in households that experience hunger or the risk of hunger. This represents more than one in ten households in the United States (11.0 percent).
4. Nearly one in four people, 1.3 billion—a majority of humanity—live on less than $1 per day, while the world’s 358 billionaires have assets exceeding the combined annual incomes of countries with 45 percent of the world’s people.
5. Infant mortality rate is closely linked to inadequate nutrition among pregnant women. The U.S. ranks 23rd among industrial nations in infant mortality.
6. To satisfy the world’s sanitation and food requirements would cost US$13 billion—what the people of the U.S. and the European Union spend on perfume each year.

What Can I do?

1. Don’t take your “daily bread” for granted.
2. Fast for a day to better understand the experience of hunger and to be in solidarity with the hungry of the world. Donate the money you would have spent on food to a hunger program, local or global.
3. Learn about issues of hunger and how you can make a difference.
4. Join one of your parish or community ministries which address issues of hunger. Do something!

Poetic Reflection:

This is a beautiful meditation on the real meaning of Corpus Christi:

"Gather the People"

What return can we make
for all the Lord has done in our lives?
We bring bread, wine, our clay dishes
and our clay feet
to this altar
and we pray that we may here
make a beginning—
that somehow in our days
we can begin to see the promises
the Lord has made us.

The promises do not always
glow with obvious light, or
overwhelm us by their obvious truth.
No matter what anyone says,
it is difficult to understand an invisible God
and belief is not always
the easy way out.

So we gather the people
and we tell the story again
and we break the bread
and in the memory of the one
who saves us,
we eat and drink
and we pray and we believe.

We gather, we pray, we eat.
These things are for human beings.
God has no need of them.
Yet he himself gathered the people,
prayed, broke bread
and gave it to his friends.

And so the invisible God became
visible
and lives with us.

—Ed Ingebretzen, S.J., from Psalms of the Still Country

Poetic Reflection:

Commenting on her poem, Mary Oliver wrote words of wisdom for theologians: “Centuries ago theologians claimed they had parsed with precision how God acted on the bread and wine during the celebration of the Eucharist. This wasn’t helpful. Their lust for certitude bruised a mystery which was best left alone. It eventually birthed theological wars about the nature of a meal that was ironically intended to mend, not tear apart. I don’t need to know what happens to the bread and wine to experience the oceanic love of God that I feel when I receive it, any more than a newborn needs to know the mother’s name and address to see and feel the adoration in her gaze. To which I wish all God’s people might say, ‘Amen’”.

“The Vast Ocean Begins Just Outside Our Church: The Eucharist”

Something has happened
To the bread
And the wine.

They have been blessed.
What now?
The body leans forward

To receive the gift
From the priest’s hand,
Then the chalice.

They are something else now
From what they were
Before this began.

I want
To see Jesus,
Maybe in the clouds

Or on the shore,
Just walking,
Beautiful man

And clearly
Someone else
Besides.

On the hard days
I ask myself
If I ever will.

Also there are times
My body whispers to me
That I have.

—Mary Oliver, from Thirst

Closing Prayer

God of Abundance, give us the generosity to see that we are the body of Christ in this world. Help us to feed the hungry and care for those in need, and provide charity based on relationship, not pity. Give us the insight to realize that the meaning of true success may not be measured in money or power, but in serving others. Help us to recognize the joy of the Eucharist and to proclaim Christ in our daily lives…

Trinity, June 15, 2025

What is the Spirit wisdom, the Spirit of Truth, trying to say to me today?

John 16:12–15

Jesus said, ‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.’

Music Meditations

• Holy God, We Praise Thy Name attributed to Ignatz Franz (1774)
• All thing Bright and Beautiful by John Rutter
• Veni, Sancti Spiritus--Taize
• Hymn to the Holy Spirit

Preparation / Centering

If done in a group setting, the prompts are read aloud by the leader; otherwise a silent meditation.

Adapted from Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2025

Presence of God:

God, you are present to me every day, through the love of your Son and the guidance of your Spirit. Help me to become more aware of your presence in my life, and more receptive to that presence. I desire to love you as you love me. May nothing ever separate me from you.

[1-2 minutes of silence]

Freedom:

Author of freedom, grant me the grace to have your freedom of spirit. Keep me from being bound by desires and actions that are not good for me or others. Cleanse my heart and soul that I may live joyously in your love.

[1-2 minutes of silence]

Consciousness:

Where am I with, you, God? With others in my life? What am I grateful for? Is there something I am sorry for, words or actions that have hurt others, and which I now regret? I take a moment to ask your forgiveness and forgiveness of those whom I have hurt. God, I give you thanks for your constant love and care for me. Keep me always aware of your presence in my life.

[2-3 minutes of silence]

Opening Prayer

MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore, will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

— Thomas Merton

Companions for the Journey

From “First Impressions” 2022, a Service of the Southern Dominican Province:

The doctrine of the Trinity was first formulated against heresies in the fourth and fifth centuries. Today, at first blush, we seem to be celebrating a dogma of our faith. But we don’t come to church to celebrate dogmas. Today we celebrate the mystery of the Trinity and how the divine Persons have influenced and continue to influence our lives. God is Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier – named for us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit – and in our worship and prayer we are invited into the mystery of God. God is beyond our human capacity to know, but even before we reached out to God, God had already decided to redeem the world. God has taken the initiative, offered us grace in Jesus Christ and through the Spirit enables us to enter into relationship with God.

In Jesus, God has entered into human history; joined us in our pain and joy and has become one with us in all things, but sin. In him the fullness of divinity dwelt, yet he shared our death and reveals to us God’s victory over sin and death – God’s power to heal what is broken and unite what is fragmented. Jesus returned to the One he called “Father,” but did not leave us on our own; he gave us the presence and power of the divine in his Spirit of love and life. Through the Spirit we can know the living presence of the risen Christ. In the Spirit we have the new life Jesus promised us, made possible by his life, death and resurrection. The yearning and hunger that draw us to worship today has been planted in us by our God, who desires that we come to grow in our knowledge and love of God. Ours is a God of relationship.

Nothing, not even the divine, exists alone and separate. The relationship that exists among the divine Persons suggests to us that we can know God through our relationships – not only in our relationship with God, but to all the created world. The Trinity then, is the origin and foundation of all our personal relationships. One way we are in the image and likeness of God is that we too are created in relationship -- to God, to one another and to the created world in which we live.

Jesus promised the “Spirit of truth” would come to us. The Spirit of truth will help us put aside the untruths and false gods our world worships: the god of power and domination; the god of privilege and exclusion; the god of the rich and prosperous; the god of control; the god of technology, etc. In Jesus, God came among us and in words and actions, announced God’s saving presence to the world. We identify with Jesus’ life, attend to his words, are guided by his actions and attitudes, share in his death and experience new life in his resurrection. In him we come to trust that God is with us now and will remain with us until the end of time. The Spirit is God’s divine life present to us, enabling us to share in the intimate love that exists between the Father and the Son. The Spirit’s gift of that love enables us to be free from a mere religion of laws and regimentation and to respond to God’s life in us by a free and spontaneous creative exercise of our faith; put into practice by a love of self, neighbor and the created world around us. Thus, when we celebrate the feast of the Trinity, we are not celebrating just a private relationship that exists among the divine persons, are we? We are not merely onlookers at some supernatural heavenly mystery we profess belief in, but don’t really see its daily connection to our lives. If the doctrine of the Trinity were dropped, would it make much difference in our faith practices, religious education, homilies, etc.? Of course it would! The Trinity isn’t just a mystery we ascent to each Sunday when we profess our faith in the Creed. Instead, it expresses how God relates to us and how we, in response, are to relate to God, ourselves and the world around us.

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you to all truth.

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

When I think of God, do I think of the Trinity or one of the “persona” in the Trinity? What is my mental image of God? When I pray to God, to which member of the Trinity do I pray? Why? Do we get the message of Jesus given to us all at once, so we are never in doubt, or do we “learn by going where we have to go”? (quote from Theodore Roethke, “The Waking”) Is it hard to me to assimilate all of Jesus’ message all at once? Do I think Jesus speaks to me when He knows I am ready to hear what He has to say, and not before? Is that the ongoing role of the Spirit? Trinity Sunday teaches us that we need a center; we need to get in touch with that God who anchors our lives and gives it meaning. What anchors exist to give my life meaning? Is the message of love that the Trinity embodies one of my anchors? Why or why not? When I know something scary is coming, I need to hold onto my source of security and wisdom. What is mine? Has there ever been a time in my life when I felt guided by a power greater than myself? Are there any decisions I am wrestling with right now which might need the guidance of the Spirit? Is there any truth in my life that I am in denial about because I cannot bear to face it? What might Jesus be saying to me now that might be ”too much for me to bear”? What might Jesus be saying to be right now that I need to hear? What might Jesus be saying to us as a Church that we might need to hear? What might the Spirt have in store for me? What good things might the spirit have in store for our Church? How do I know whether what I want and what the Spirit wants for me are the same thing? What if they are not? Can I listen? What the Trinity teaches us is that it is in a loving relationship that God's identity is revealed. We, too, are happiest and more complete when we are in relationship with others. With what persons am I in relationship of any kind? What does reflecting on the relationship among the member of the Trinity tell me about my relationships? We are less happy out of relationship. From whom am I estranged? What relationships do I need to work on to mend them or make them even better? Has St Augustine said: “If you see charity, you see the Trinity”. What are the implications of that statement for me and my relationships? Someone said that relationship is about “ sharing”. How is this true or untrue? What can I learn about my own self- knowledge and my own knowledge of God by contemplating a “mystery” like the Trinity? Do I ever pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance in my life and in the life of the church? Do I think of the Holy Spirit as your advocate? How do I discern whether something is from the Holy Spirit? From Daniel Harrington, S.J.: What developments in Church life over the years have most surprised you? Do you regard them as from the Holy Spirit? Why? How do you discern if something is really from the Spirit? What are some of the ways in which the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Jesus which he left us) is at work in the world and in my individual life? Do I really believe and live as though the Spirit of God is among us?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

Let's look at the first great commandment: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." Love for the things of God, for the people of God, for God Three in One--love is not an abstraction. Love is what God the Father did in shaping your every limb, lending you a mind to know and a heart to love. Love is what God the Son did in nailing your sins to a cross in his own bruised and battered flesh. Love is what the Holy Spirit does in transforming you into a loving image of the risen Christ. And so love must be what you do: living all ten of the commandments, not five or even nine; embracing the whole Christian Gospel, not only the peace it brings, but the struggles as well; following not only the appealing Christ of Bethlehem but the offensive Christ of Calvary (from Walter Burghardt, S.J in Dare to be Christ) Questions for each of us include: Do I think of God as my Father/Mother? As my brother in flesh? As my sustainer who guides and inspires me to follow God more nearly? What do I need to do in order to love others around me with the same kind of forgiveness and tolerance God has extended to me? Are there crosses in my life, large or small, that I am called to bear? Can I call on the Spirit of truth to help me see realities about myself, about life or about our culture of "me first" that I would prefer to ignore? Finally, compose your own prayer, asking for a loving heart, a spirit of forgiveness, and a willingness to go where God is calling you, even getting your hands dirty with the messiness of life…..

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship:

Read Psalm 12. Then write your own answer to this psalm, imagining that God is responding directly to you about the times when you have risked being honest and have been hurt.

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking questions:

But when he comes, the Spirit of Truth, he will guide you to all truth. (John 16:13)

Reflect on all the ways that honesty is perverted in our society. Think of specific times someone has been hurt or exploited by another playing fast and loose with the truth. When am I inclined to be less than truthful? What form does my untruthfulness take? Do I embellish the truth to make myself seem successful or important in the eyes of others? Do I let others take the blame for things that go wrong because I am insecure in my work or relationships? Do I say different things to different people, to curry favor with each? Do I live a lie? I share with the Spirit of Truth my weaknesses in this area, and make a resolution to take a small step in the direction of honesty.

Closing Prayer

Jesus, give me the patience to wait for what you have in store for me. Give me the grace to accept what comes my way, knowing that you are with me always. Give all of us in the church the wisdom to believe that your Spirit will lead us where she will. Help us to keep our sticky fingers off your plans and learn to trust you implicitly and completely. Your will be done. Amen

Pentecost, June 8, 2025

The Spirit of God, which Jesus sent, will teach us, lead us, support us

John 14:15–16, 23–26

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you.

*

“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.

“Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me.

“I have told you this while I am with you.

“The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name—he will teach you everything and remind you of all that [I] told you.”

John 14:17–22

* (This is the part of the passage which was excerpted from today’s gospel, but it is so comforting and beautiful that it is included here in its original context, which is Jesus’ farewell to his disciples before his death:)

“I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

“In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live.

“On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you.

“Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”

Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him, “Master, what has happened that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?”

Music Meditations

• Veni Sancte Spiritus--Taize
• Hymn to the Holy Spirit
• Every Time I Hear the Spirit Moving in My Heart (Traditional Black Spiritual) Nat King Cole
• Holy Spirit --Francesca Battistelli (Contemporary Christian music)

Preparation / Centering

If done in a group setting, the prompts are read aloud by the leader; otherwise a silent meditation.

Presence of God:

Spirit of Life, fill my heart with your holy presence. Create in me an awareness of your sustaining presence in my life. Help me to be more open and more receptive to your presence, wherever that leads.

[1-2 minutes of silence]

Freedom:

Spirit of grace and freedom, grant me the grace to have true freedom of spirit. Keep me from being bound by desires and actions that are not good for me or others. Cleanse my heart and soul that I may live joyously in your love.

[1-2 minutes of silence]

Consciousness:

Where am I with the spirit of God in my life? With others in my life? What am I grateful for? Is there something I am sorry for, words or actions that have hurt others, and which I now regret? I take a moment to ask forgiveness of God’s Holy Spirit and of those whom I have hurt. Spirit of God, I give you thanks for your constant love and care for me. Keep me always aware of your presence in my life.

[2-3 minutes of silence]

Opening Prayer

Lord, I often feel my life is shapeless and going nowhere. Thank you for the gift of the great Spirit of God who is by my side, defending me, consoling me and teaching me the ways of love. This is how you work with me Lord. The Holy Spirit does not whisper new tidings in my ear, but rather, reminds me of you, of your life and your words, so that gradually I put on Christ. Help me to learn again what I already know—your love, and how to be love.

Companions for the Journey

From “Living Space”, a service of the Irish Jesuits 2022

Jesus continues his farewell message to his disciples at the Last Supper. Those who really love him are those who carry out the teachings he has given them.

Words alone will not be enough. Where there is real love from the disciple, Jesus will return that love and reveal himself to his disciple. He will do this by coming with his Father to dwell in that person.

Now it is Jude’s turn to ask a question. Jude is called “son of James” and listed among the Twelve in Luke 6:16. He appears again in a list in Acts 1:13 (also by Luke). He is believed to be the ‘Thaddaeus’ of Matthew 10:3 and Mark 3:18.

He wants to know why Jesus only reveals himself to his disciples and not to the world. Jesus is rather elliptical in his reply but basically he is saying that anyone who responds to Jesus with love will certainly experience the love of Jesus (which is always there). The ‘world’ by definition in John’s gospel consists of those who turn their back on Jesus, his message and his love. “He who does not love me does not keep my words.”

Again, Jesus reminds his disciples that everything he passes on to them comes ultimately from the Father and not from him alone. He is the mediator, he is the Way, he is the Word of God. And later, after he has gone, this role will be taken over by the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.

The word ‘paraclete’ (parakletes) has many meanings. It can mean a defense lawyer in a court of law, who stands beside the defendant and supports him in making his case. It means any person who stands by you and gives you support and comfort. (See 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 where, in one brief paragraph, the word parakletes in various forms is used 7 or 8 times in the sense of ‘comfort’ and ‘support’). The Spirit will play that role in the Church after Jesus has returned to his Father. And he continues in that role still.

His role is to help the disciples keep in mind all that Jesus has told them. He is the inner voice of God who will lead those who listen to the fullness of truth (something which no one possesses at any given time). He will help them to understand the full meaning of Christ for them and for the world. The Spirit will show them that Christ is the fulfilment of the Scriptures, will help them understand ever more deeply the meaning of Jesus’ life, his actions, his ‘signs’.

All this the disciples barely understand at this stage and it is a process that continues on into our own day.

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have told you.

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

• How do you feel about fire?
  How do you feel about a mighty wind?
  How are wind and fire both frightening and liberating?
• Has there ever been a time in your life when you felt guided by a power greater than yourself?
• Are there any decisions you are wrestling with right now which might need the guidance of the Spirit?
• What are some of the ways in which the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Jesus which he left us) is at work in the world and in my individual life?
• Do I sense the active Spirit of God in my life?
  Do I see a spark of the Divine in those I meet ?
  Do I really believe and live as though the Spirit of God is among us?
• Do I trust the Spirit (Sophia, Ruach) to blow where she will, or do I have preconceived notions of how the Spirit works in our Church and in our lives?
  In other words, am I willing to entertain another point of view about “being Church”, or am I a little afraid of change?
  Do I worry about members of the Church “going astray”?
  Do worry about any friends or family going astray?
• Are there any current practices (not theology, but disciplines or practices) which I wish the Church would change?
  Which ones are under current debate?
  What do I want to see the Church retain?
• Do I see the Holy Spirit working in our local synodal processes?
  Do I have hope for the Spirit’s influence in the synodal process for the whole Church?
• Do I see diversity in our church or in society as a positive thing or as a threat?
• How do we take the feast of Pentecost from the biblical text to the context of our own lives, of the life of the Church, of the life of the world?
  What concrete actions may I take?
  What attitudinal changes may I make?
• From John Harrington S.J., in America magazine:
  Do you ever pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance in your life and in the life of the church? Do you think of the Holy Spirit as your advocate?
  How do you discern whether something is from the Holy Spirit?
  What developments in church life over the years have most surprised you? Do you regard them as from the Holy Spirit? Why?
• From Jude Siciliano, O.P., in First Impressions 2022:
  The disciples’ history is one of failure and dispersion. But with the gift of the Spirit they will be formed into a church that will leave their confined quarters and go to proclaim the risen Christ they have personally experienced. On this feast of the enlivening and invigorating Spirit we ask ourselves:
  With the new breath of Jesus’ Spirit how are we responding to his mandate to go and be his witnesses?
  Are we forgiving our enemies, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, welcoming the stranger?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:

How do I respond, in concrete actions, to the challenge expressed below? How do I take on the burden of the times? How do I, or can I, make the Spirit matter?

We need to be on fire again, for our hope is no longer an easy hope. We live in a culture of despair within which Pentecost can no longer be taken for granted. Hence we must take upon ourselves the burden of the times and refuse to make the Holy Spirit a piece of private property but a spirit that matters.

—Mary Jo Leddy (Quoted by Ronald Rolheiser in, The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality, page 43.)

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Imagination:

Read Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11.

Imagine that you are one of those disciples in the upper room. How do you react to the noise of a strong wind and then tongues of fire? What are the expressions on the faces of the others there with you? How does it feel to speak in a strange tongue? Do you actually feel the energy of the Spirit entering you? When the people, alerted by the commotion, gather around, do you wish for a little more time to be with this new experience? What actually, are you saying to thee people who gather? What is your purpose? After the excitement has died down and you are once again alone with your fellow disciples, how do you process this experience? Have you ever experienced a time when you were able to reach a group of people and convey an important truth to them? What was the message or insight you were trying to impart? How did it feel to be so empowered? Did you feel exhilaration, pride, humility, fear, or awe? Take some time to pray to the Spirit, not only for yourself, but to ask for gifts and the strength to allow you to make a difference in the world. Exactly what difference would you like to make? What message of Jesus is important enough to you that you would expend the energy and take the risk to share it?

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:

Read Isaiah 61:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. Because he has anointed me To bring good news to the poor He has sent me to bring release to the Captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To let the oppressed go free, To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

Imagine that this is actually you speaking. In what ways have you lived out your promise as one anointed for God’s purposes? What events in your own life or in the world writ large, have interfered with your mission? In what ways have you expected world leaders, church leaders, rich and influential people do the heavy lifting, in fact to do all the lifting? Pick one phrase and during this week, remember and live out just one way you can cooperate with the Spirit of God.

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Imagination:

Read Acts 15:1-2, 22-29

Imagine that you are there in Jerusalem with the various disciples as they meet. Are you against relaxing the rules of Mosaic practice or for retaining them? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each position? As you listed to the outcome of the heated discussion, are you aware of the Spirit’s role in the decision? Are you glad or unhappy about the outcome? If you are glad, how will you implement the new rules without insulting those who followed the old rules? If you are unhappy, how are you going to adjust to the decision? Now “fast forward” to modern times, to Vatican II. Were there decisions taken at that council which changed the Church? Do you think it was for better or worse? How do you deal with adapting to the ever-disciplines within our evolving Church?

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

Psalm 104

Praise the Lord, my soul.

Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.

He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved. You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight; they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them. You set a boundary they cannot cross; never again will they cover the earth.

He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains. They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds of the sky nest by the waters; they sing among the branches. He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work. He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate— bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens human hearts, oil to make their faces shine, and bread that sustains their hearts. The trees of the Lord are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. There the birds make their nests; the stork has its home in the junipers. The high mountains belong to the wild goats; the crags are a refuge for the hyrax.

He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down. You bring darkness, it becomes night, and all the beasts of the forest prowl. The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God. The sun rises, and they steal away; they return and lie down in their dens. Then people go out to their work, to their labor until evening.

How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number— living things both large and small. There the ships go to and fro, and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.

May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works— he who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord. But may sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

Praise the Lord.

I pray Psalm 104, examining more fully what I mean in each line that I pray.

How does my soul bless the Lord? In what ways is God truly great? I name some of God’s works that are wonderful and plentiful. What creatures, in particular, are a manifestation of God’s love and power? Does our very breathing depend on the Spirit? How is the Spirit made manifest in nature? Creation, humanity? In me? In what way would I understand the glory of the Lord? What, in particular would I like the Lord to be glad about? What might the Lord NOT be glad about? How can I please the Lord? Is this my life’s work, or is my life’s work something else entirely?

Literary Reflection:

This glorious Italian sonnet by the poet and mystic Gerard Manley Hopkins. S.J., reveals the closeness of God to all creation, and reaffirms Hopkin’s trust, that despite the attempts of humanity to besmirch its beauty and integrity, creation is sustained by the presence of the Spirit of God:

“God’s Grandeur”

The world is charged with the grandeur of God. It will flame out, like shining from shook foil; It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod? Generations have trod, have trod, have trod; And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil; And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

And for all this, nature is never spent; There lives the dearest freshness deep down things; And though the last lights off the black West went Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs— Because the Holy Ghost over the bent World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

Literary Reflection:

It is trust in the Spirit of goodness and love that sustains people in their darkest hours. It is in times of uncertainty, even religious uncertainty that we are called to acknowledge our radical dependence on God, and our belief that Jesus really has send his Spirit to walk in our midst. The following poem reflects the sense that the Spirit of God, Jesus’ Spirit, is with us always:

“In Whom We Live and Move and Have Our Being”

Birds afloat in air’s current, sacred breath? No, not breath of God, it seems, but God the air enveloping the whole globe of being. It’s we who breathe, in, out, in, the sacred, leaves astir, our wings rising, ruffled—but only the saints take flight. We cower in cliff-crevice or edge out gingerly on branches close to the nest. The wind marks the passage of holy ones riding that ocean of air. Slowly their wake reaches us, rocks us. But storm or still numb or poised in attention, we inhale, exhale, inhale encompassed, encompassed.

—Denise Levertov, from Sands of the Well

Literary Reflection:

What does this poem by Denise Levertov say about trust in the Spirit of God?

“The Avowal”

As swimmers dare
to lie face to the sky
and water bears them;
as hawks rest upon air
and air sustains them,
so would I learn to attain
freefall, and float
into Creator Spirit’s deep embrace,
knowing no effort earns
that all-surrounding grace.

Literary Reflection:

This beautiful profound little poem, “Primary Wonder”, by Denise Levertov (1923–1997), reminds us what is important when we get overshadowed by life’s little problems. When she became present to the mystery, experienced that joyful cosmic stillness within, she realized her life, and all of creation was sustained by the Creator. Life’s problems receded, became insignificant when presented with such primary wonder.
—Commentary by Philip Goldberg

“Primary Wonder”

Days pass when I forget the mystery. Problems insoluble and problems offering their own ignored solutions jostle for my attention, they crowd its antechamber along with a host of diversions, my courtiers, wearing their colored clothes; caps and bells. And then once more the quiet mystery is present to me, the throng’s clamor recedes: the mystery that there is anything, anything at all, let alone cosmos, joy, memory, everything, rather than void: and that, 0 Lord, Creator, Hallowed one, You still, hour by hour sustain it.

Closing Prayer

From Jan Berry, A Pentecostal prayer in “Liiving Pulpit”, April-June 2004:

Exuberant Spirit of God Flame Wind Speech. Burn, breathe, speak in us Fill your world with justice and joy.