Weekly Reflections
15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 13, 2025
How can I be a better neighbor. and who exactly, is my neighbor?
Gospel: Luke 10: 25–37
Go and do likewise
How can I be a better neighbor. and who exactly, is my neighbor?
Luke 10: 1–12, 17–20
There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said,
"Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law?
How do you read it?"
He said in reply,
"You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your being,
with all your strength,
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself."
He replied to him, "You have answered correctly;
do this and you will live."
But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus,
"And who is my neighbor?"
Jesus replied,
"A man fell victim to robbers
as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.
A priest happened to be going down that road,
but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
Likewise a Levite came to the place,
and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him
was moved with compassion at the sight.
He approached the victim,
poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.
Then he lifted him up on his own animal,
took him to an inn, and cared for him.
The next day he took out two silver coins
and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,
'Take care of him.
If you spend more than what I have given you,
I shall repay you on my way back.'
Which of these three, in your opinion,
was neighbor to the robbers' victim?"
He answered, "The one who treated him with mercy."
Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
Music Meditations
You've Got a Friend—Judy Collins
The Summons
Love Goes On-- Bernadete Farrell
Whatsoever You Do
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
Open my eyes, Lord, to the needs of those around me, to a world that is broken and in which the ‘unimportant” suffer. Give me courage to go beyond my discomfort and my fears to make someone’s life a little better, even if there is a cost. Give me compassion to see those with whom I disagree or whom I dislike as your children, beloved by you and hurting. Teach me to love my neighbor, in whatever guise I find “neighbor”.
Companions for the Journey
From a homily delivered at Memorial Church 2010:
Jesus' parable is not about the result, it's about human motivation and love. Which brings us to several questions we all face when confronted by the needs of others:
What is going to happen to me if I get involved?
To be honest, we learn early on is that being a "neighbor" might carry some risk. Risk of failure, risk of being misjudged, and worse, risk of being harmed. What's the payoff? Will I feel good for having done this? Will I be thanked, or even rewarded? Often we are prudent to the point of paralysis. The safest course of action is never to venture into the unknown, especially when it is to help someone who might be an unknown quantity. The gang member in the gutter could have been a decoy. The wounded man could have been lying in wait to rob a traveler who stopped to help We build walls between us: in our homes, neighborhoods, nation and in the world. Huge walls, whether physical, emotional, or simply metaphorical seem to be there to protect us, but in reality, they lock US into a world where our growth will be stunted and our generous impulses squelched, and our fear magnified.
Jesus wants to dismantle those walls, stone by stone. That's not an easy thing to do in a suspicious and selfish world.
What will happen to this person if I do not get involved
The reason the Samaritan stopped and helped is because he asked a totally different question: "What is going to happen to HIM if I DON"T get involved?".
What will happen to him if I don't get involved makes us realize that loving my neighbor is not optional. We are called to be neighbor to anyone who needs our help, whether they deserve it or not. (What exactly do we mean by the term "deserving poor?") Whether they were born here or not. Whether they are grateful or not. When another has need, Jesus teaches, then we are neighbors. There are no reserve clauses. The categories of family friend, stranger, enemy blur together when people are in need and I have the ability to respond. We don't even have to like the people who need our help, or agree with what they stand for. But what we can't do is turn our backs, ignore their desperation. Almost all of Jesus' actions of healing were responses to need, not rewards for good behavior. The first letter of John asks: "How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?"
Eli Weisel, the great Jewish writer said: "In the face of suffering, one has no right to turn away, not to see. In the face of injustice, one may not look the other way. When someone suffers, and it is not you, he comes first. His very suffering gives him priority".
What, possibly, can my involvement do to help?
When we talk about sin, we usually focus on bad things we have done, but the fact is that we commit way more sins of omission (inaction) than commission. There is nothing we can do to help, because the problem is so big. Overcoming hopelessness which leads to inertia is a big challenge. I am going to suggest that we can follow Blessed Teresa of Calcutta who said "If you can't feed a hundred hungry people, feed just one". We need to stop finding excuses for inaction, and pick something, anything, however small, and do it with great love: whether it is sending money to doctors without Borders working in Ukraine, campaigning for a candidate who is working for racial justice or for refugees, or the undocumented in this country. Anyone can do something.
And finally: Should I care?
Unfortunately, we have domesticated this parable into a pius platitude: "Love your neighbor," ignoring the real challenge Jesus puts to us: Just who is my neighbor, anyway? If the violence and anger that were on display this week is an indication of where we are as a country, we aren't feeling very "neighborly" right now. And that angry, judgmental feeling flies in the face of the hard message of this parable. Our neighbor is not just some who looks like us, speaks the same language, holds the same political opinions and prays in the same way we do. Our neighbor is often “the other": Our neighbors are refugees, immigrants, homeless people, people who are angry over the way those and others who look like them are treated, people who are in prison and people who put them there. Our neighbors are denizens of Main Street and denizens of Wall Street, citizens of this country and citizens of a country we are fighting with.
The major message of Jesus is hard to take: we cannot decide that certain people merit our concern and certain people are outside the pale. We have seen this week what comes of fear and hatred of "the other"--the "not-our-neighbor".
Who, exactly, is my neighbor?
Would not the Christian life look different if we spontaneously and unquestioningly heard "Save your soul" as "Save your neighbor"?
Christ has no body now but ours, so we are required to save one another in this lifeboat we call planet earth.
Who needs me to BE neighbor?
What will it cost me to make his life change for the better?
What will it cost her if I do nothing?
Weekly Memorization
Taken from the gospel for today's session….
Go and do likewise
Living the Good News
Reflection Questions:
From Sacred Space:
Who is my neighbor? Jesus seems to suggest that it is the person whom I view with suspicion and don't like, or who views me with suspicion and doesn't like me.
Do I have any neighbors in this challenging sense of the word?
What is Jesus trying to say to me?
Who is the modern day equivalent of a Samaritan for me—someone from a different country or culture, someone from a different religion, someone with political views I find repellent, someone from the wrong neighborhood?
Do I mistrust them?
Dislike them?
Do I care what happens to them?
Do I think they care what happens to me?
Is there a “pecking order” of obligations, starting with family and only reaching those not in my “circle” when—“oops!”-- my funds and compassion are depleted?
Has God ever put someone in my path whom I would prefer to avoid?
When has loving someone else been inconvenient, costly, or difficult?
Were my efforts appreciated?
What are my expectations when I go out of my way to help someone else?
What happens when these expectations are not met?
How do I define mercy
To whom do I own mercy?
After praying with this parable, do I see that there are any changes in my schedule or financial priorities that I need to make?
Specifically, where do the poor and the marginalized fit in?
How am I like the injured man?
Am I willing to admit that I need help?
Has Jesus been a source of that help for me?
Has another, maybe even someone I do not know or admire, been a source of that help to me?
What does : moved with pity” say to me?
Have I ever been ‘moved with pity “ for someone and did it affect my behavior towards that person?
Meditations
A Meditation in the Dominican Style: Asking Questions:
Father Patrick LaBelle, O.P. our first Dominican Campus Mininstry Chaplain, loved to preach on this parable. He said that the main lesson from this parable is that a lot of us, when faced with a need that is inconvenient, costly, or even dangerous, ask themselves the WRONG question. Our first question is very likely to be: “What will happen to me if I help this person?”. Father Patrick suggested that the question the Samaritan asked himself was the one we need to make our question: ”What will happen to this person or this situation if I do NOT intervene?” That is a difficult question to be asking ourselves sometimes and one we often fail to ask because the answer is not one we want to consider. Have you ever been in a situation where you were faced with someone else’s crisis and need to respond? What was your first question? Why is it sometimes a difficult thing to ask what might happen to this person if I do not help?
A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Imagination:
Set this scene in today’s Gaza. Who is the sick or wounded person needing your help? Imagine the situation more fully. Where is this person? where are you? What else is going on? Is it night or day? What kind of help might this person need? Who would be the equivalent of the priest in this story? The Levite ( someone charged with caring for holy places or perhaps places sacred to one group or another) Why do you think they pass this person by? Noe it is your turn. What if this person is a decoy and the whole situation is a trap? Is this person from a group you have been known to fear? What, exactly do you think is wrong with him? How might you be able to help? What if it is a woman in a culture tht has strict rules about touching someone you are not married to? What can you do? What will you do? What do you think Jesus asks you to do?
A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:
This parable makes us realize that loving our neighbor is not optional. We are called to be neighbor to anyone who needs our help, whether they deserve it or not. Whether they were born here or not. Whether we admire them or not. Whether they are grateful or not. Almost all of Jesus' actions of healing were responses to need, not rewards for good behavior
When another has need, Jesus teaches, then we are neighbors.
Jesus' command is very clear: "Go and do likewise".
This is the bottom line of this gospel.
We can't let ourselves off the hook.
You and I are to go and do likewise.
You and I are to go and do likewise
Go, and do likewise!
Poetic Reflection:
IN THE EVENING WE SHALL BE EXAMINED ON LOVE
-St. John Of the Cross
And it won't be multiple choice,
though some of us would prefer it that way.
Neither will it be essay, which tempts us to run on
when we should be sticking to the point, if not together.
In the evening there shall be implications
our fear will turn to complications. No cheating,
we'll be told and we'll try to figure the cost of being true
to ourselves. In the evening when the sky has turned
that certain blue, blue of exam books, blue of no more
daily evasions, we shall climb the hill as the light empties
and park our tired bodies on a bench above the city
and try to fill in the blanks. And we won't be tested
like defendants on trial, cross-examined
till one of us breaks down, guilty as charged. No,
in the evening, after the day has refused to testify,
we shall be examined on love like students
who don't even recall signing up for the course
and now must take their orals, forced to speak for once
from the heart and not off the top of their heads.
And when the evening is over and it's late,
the student body asleep, even the great teachers
retired for the night, we shall stay up
and run back over the questions, each in our own way:
what's true, what's false, what unknown quantity
will balance the equation, what it would mean years from now
to look back and know
we did not fail.
from Lights & Mysteries, by Thomas Centollela
Closing Prayer
Jesus, you have shown us how to live and how to love. Why do we sometimes find it so hard? Open our hearts, strengthen our resolve and give us your mercy. Accompany us on our journey ….
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 6, 2025
What might a call from Jesus to go out and preach the gospel look like?
Gospel: Luke 10: 1–12, 17–20
The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few
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:
A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:
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
Gospel: Matthew 16: 13–19
Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah.
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:
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
Meditations
A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:
A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship:
Poetic Reflection:
Poetic Reflection:
Poetic Reflection:
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
Gospel: Luke 9: 11b–17
“Give them some food yourselves.”
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:
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?
- An estimated 854 million people across the world are hungry.
- Every year, 15 million children die from hunger-related causes—one child every five seconds.
- 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).
- 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.
- Infant mortality rate is closely linked to inadequate nutrition among pregnant women. The U.S. ranks 23rd among industrial nations in infant mortality.
- 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?
- Don’t take your “daily bread” for granted.
- 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.
- Learn about issues of hunger and how you can make a difference.
- 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 forwardTo 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 cloudsOr on the shore,
Just walking,
Beautiful manAnd 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?
Gospel: John 16: 12–15
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you to all truth.
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
Meditations
A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:
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