Reflections on Our Faith

TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION

For centuries, the only Eucharistic Prayer we heard as Western Catholics was the old Roman Canon, usually recited in a low voice by the priest, in Latin. By the 1940s, many Catholics were learning to follow along with the actions of the priest by means of a bilingual missal, with Latin on one side and English on the other. Drawings of the priest’s position at the altar, moving from one side to the other, or bowing or standing with uplifted hands at the center, helped the readers stay on track.

The Roman Canon is a long prayer, and since it was done every day for every occasion, priests had a way of galloping through it. Even though long, its structure is fairly simple, with the consecration and sacrifice clearly marked out. Sadly, this surviving prayer had triumphed over many treasures of our tradition that emphasized other dimensions of Eucharist. The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy in 1963 did not call directly for new Eucharistic Prayers, but that direction was inevitable. Discussion began almost immediately, and by 1967 the Vatican approved three new Eucharistic Prayers. In 1974, the Congregation for Worship unveiled the experiment of two Eucharistic Prayers for Masses of Reconciliation, and three for Masses with Children. At last, a period of creativity and enrichment had begun.

Take Five for Faith

Invest just five minutes a day, and your faith will deepen and grow - a day at a time. Look up the daily passages from the New American Bible online at www.usccb.org/nab/bible/index.html. Download Take Five for Faith by clicking on the date below: Week starting Sunday, July 20, 2008 Sunday now available in Spanish! DOMINGO, 20 DE JULIO DE 2008 Invierte sólo cinco minutos al día, y tu fe se intensificará y crecerá-un día a la vez.

SUNDAY, JULY 20, 2008
INTERNATIONAL WORLD YOUTH DAY ENDS

Tomorrow’s leaders in seed form

Jesus may not get an A on his botany quiz (certain orchids have the smallest seeds, not the mustard seed he claims), but his point is clear enough: God is at work even (especially) in the small and powerless. During this week young people from around the world have been in Sydney with the pope. Why should the pope, like his predecessor, regularly spend time with the young rather than with the world’s power-wielders? Like the Holy Father, we must see in our children not only those who need our care and protection for their happiness; we must see them as members of Christ’s body in their own right. “Let no one look down on you because of your youth,” Paul wrote to Timothy. No one is too young to carry the seed of faith, nor too old to bear fruit.

TODAY'S READINGS: Wisdom 12:13, 16-19; Romans 8:26-27; Matthew 13:24-43

"A mustard seed is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs."

EN ESPAÑOL

DOMINGO, 20 DE JULIO DE 2008
TERMINA EL DÍA INTERNACIONAL DE LA JUVENTUD

Los líderes del mañana en forma de semilla

Puede que Jesús no tenga un 10 en su cuestionario de botánica (ciertas orquídeas tienen las semillas más pequeñas, no las semillas de mostaza él dice), pero este punto es lo suficientemente claro: Dios está trabajando aún (especialmente) en lo pequeño e ineficaz. Durante esta semana la gente jóven de todo el mundo ha estado en Sidney con el papa. ¿Por qué debería el papa, como su antecesor, regularmente pasar tiempo con los jóvenes en vez de estar con los poderosos del mundo? Como el Santo Padre, debemos ver en nuestros hijos no solo aquellos que necesitan nuestro cuidado y protección para su felicidad; debemos verlos como miembros del cuerpo de Cristo en su propio derecho. “No dejes que nadie te vea hacia abajo debido a tu juventud,” Pablo escribió a Timoteo. Nadie es demasiado jóven para llevar la semilla de la fe, ni demasiado viejo para dar fruto.

LECTURAS DE HOY: : Sabiduría 12:13, 16-19; Romanos 8:26-27; Mateo 13:24-43

"Y les contó muchas cosas en parábolas, diciendo, '¡Escúchen! Un sembrador salió a sembrar.'"

MONDAY, JULY 21
FEAST OF LAWRENCE OF BRINDISI, PRIEST, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH

The gift of a broken heart

In his Personal Narrative, the early American sermon writer Edward Fitzgerald reveals something important about love when he says, “I have greatly longed of late for a broken heart, and to lie low before God.” It is unlikely any of us long for a broken heart. But to consider a broken heart a gift, Fitzgerald must have seen something akin to what Saint Lawrence of Brindisi approached when he wrote, “Love stirs itself from sorrow; and love itself is in equal measure lanced with sorrow.” The lower we lie in sorrow, the further we can experience God’s sacrificial love that comes down to us. Moreover, the pureness of our emotions when we are steeped in sorrow allows us to offer up to God a supple material for his grace. Instead of fearing your brokenness, offer it up.

TODAY'S READINGS: Micah 6:1-4, 6-8; Matthew 12:38-42

"What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"

TUESDAY, JULY 22
FEAST OF MARY MAGDALENE

Jesus is for everybody

Mary Magdalene was the first person in history to encounter the risen Jesus. That’s pretty amazing when you consider that she was perhaps the lowliest of the disciples, mistrusted by the others. Why not the apostles Peter or John? They were also at the tomb that morning, had seen it empty, and had gone to tell the others. Jesus chose Mary precisely so that the possibility of such an encounter could be realized by everyone. Lowliness does not disqualify a person from discovering Christ. Ponder the empty tomb and you, too, can see the Lord.

TODAY'S READINGS: Micah 7:14-15, 18-20; John 20:1-2, 11-18

"Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, 'I have seen the Lord.' "

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23
FEAST OF BRIDGET OF SWEDEN, RELIGIOUS

See and hear God more clearly

In one of her many visions, Saint Bridget, the great Swedish mystic and patron of Europe, received instruction from the Virgin Mary about God: “Think on his justice and judgment in such a way that you do not forget his mercy, for he does not work justice without mercy or mercy without justice. The cloak is faith. Just as the cloak covers everything and everything is enclosed in it, human nature can likewise comprehend and attain everything through faith.” Duly inspired, Bridget worked tirelessly in defense of her faith and in support of the poor. Wrap yourself securely in the cloak of faith and come to understand God’s justice and mercy more fully.

TODAY'S READINGS: Jeremiah 1:1, 4-10; Matthew 13:1-9

"Whoever has ears ought to hear."

THURSDAY, JULY 24
FEAST OF SHARBEL MAKHLUF, PRIEST

Inspiration from a hermit

The child of a mule driver, the Lebanese monk Saint Sharbel (1828-1898) ran away from home to join a monastery when he was in his early 20s. While a monk, he longed to live like the ancient desert fathers and in 1875 became a hermit, which he remained for the rest of his life. His poverty and prayer gained for him a reputation for holiness, and people sought him out for advice and blessings. His tomb still attracts pilgrims of all faiths. You may not want or need to head to the hills to find God, but you probably have ways you can simplify your life and make more room for prayer.

TODAY'S READINGS: Jeremiah 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13; Matthew 13:10-17

"Thus says the Lord: I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride."

FRIDAY, JULY 25
FEAST OF JAMES, APOSTLE

You send me

What makes the apostle James different from the many other “Jameses” in the New Testament? The word apostle comes from the Greek apostolos, “someone sent out.” The more general meaning of the word is translated into Latin as missio, from which we get missionary. But it is also used in a more specific sense to refer to the first 12 disciples whom Jesus chose, named, and “sent out” to the world. While we honor James in name today as one of those 12, we can honor him and the other apostles much more by carrying on their work in the world. Ready for your send-off?

TODAY'S READINGS: 1 Corinthians 4:7-15; Matthew 20:20-28

"Whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant."

SATURDAY, JULY 26
FEAST OF JOACHIM AND ANNE

A grand legacy

Joachim and Anne, the parents of Mary, are not mentioned in scripture, but legend says they were childless and thus rejected by society until they experienced simultaneous annunciations that God had other plans. They are often depicted in art as a couple kissing at Jerusalem’s Golden Gate where their separate angels had sent them to announce their mutual good news to each other: Not only would they have a child, but she will be a queen. While Grandparents Day was established in 1979 “to help children become aware of strength, information, and guidance older people can offer,” this memorial of Jesus’ grandparents emphasizes handing on the treasure of faith. The affinity that the old and the very young often have for each other in our families is an opportunity to leave our grandchildren much more than our signed wills.

TODAY'S READINGS: Jeremiah 7:1-11; Matthew 13:24-30

"The Kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field."

Contributors: Father Paul Boudreau, Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Father Larry Janowski, Ann O'Connor, Sean Reynolds, Joel Schorn, and Patrice J. Tuohy

©2008 by TrueQuest Communications, L.L.C. PHONE: 800-942-2811; E-MAIL: mail@takefiveforfaith.com; WEBSITE: www.takefiveforfaith.com. Licensed for noncommercial use. All rights reserved. Scripture quotes come from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.

Reflections on Our Faith

TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION

Two centuries ago, Archbishop John Carroll worried that Americans would not appreciate the linguistic veil over our worship, and asked that the liturgy in the new United States be in English, not Latin. How did our liturgy come to be in Latin in the first place? In the first century, the dominant language in the regions where the church first flourished was Greek. Today in much of the world, almost everyone speaks at least a bit of English. Last year, the European Union even considered making English its official language, a curious proposal since only one English-speaking country, Ireland, is a member.

Just as English is a unifying language today, it was hard to function in the ancient world without a smattering of Greek. Even the word “Eucharist” comes from the Greek for “thanksgiving.” For a long time, Greek was the language of worship, even in Rome. Slowly, society in the west shifted to a bias for Latin and against Greek. Latin first appeared in public prayer at the end of the second century, in the colonial outposts of North Africa. Soon, Latin became the language of culture, and so as fixed prayer forms were written, they were transmitted in Latin. From Rome and Africa, over the next four centuries, the new liturgical language of Latin spread north to Gaul and Britain.

THE WORD SHALL DO MY WILL

The word of God is caught up in metaphors and parables. The image of seed that falls on different kinds of ground helps us understand how to listen creatively.

Jesus, the Word, bears fruit in all of creation, but best in our lives and hearts. When you hear this parable of the sower and the seed, do you wonder which you are? Sometimes it seems that we are one, and sometimes another. Like all metaphors, this parable must be understood intuitively, “with the heart,” in order for it to work God’s healing grace in us.

Jesus is careful to say that we see with our eyes and hear with our ears, but we understand, not with our head, but with our heart.

CREATION AWAITS

It is easy to get discouraged. It is easy to be distracted by difficulties and duties in our daily lives. It is possible for the word to be snatched away, even as we struggle to understand. Distractions of every kind prevent the word from being heard. But Isaiah and Paul underline the important point that the word of God is effective in all of creation, including us. Just as the rain waters the earth and will not return to the heavens until it does its intended work, the earth yields its rich harvest and rejoices. Our sufferings, distractions, and wearying work will not prevent us from hearing the word of God and doing God’s work if we see with our eyes the beauty of creation, hear with our ears the music of the universe, and understand with our heart that God has made all of this to help us. God heals every ill, calls us back from distraction, protects us from evil, and gives us the grace to hear the word with joy.

It is God’s grace that prepares the ground for the seed, watering it, breaking up the clods, making even untilled ground fruitful. When we understand with our heart that this is God’s work in us, then even without understanding with our head, we can receive the word of God with the same joyful song of creation in bloom.

TODAY'S READINGS: Isaiah 55:10–11; Psalm 65:10–14; Romans 8:18–23; Matthew 13:1–23 [1–9]

Take Five for Faith

Invest just five minutes a day, and your faith will deepen and grow - a day at a time. Look up the daily passages from the New American Bible online at www.usccb.org/nab/bible/index.html. Download Take Five for Faith by clicking on the date below: Week starting Sunday, July 13, 2008 Sunday now available in Spanish! DOMINGO, 13 DE JULIO DE 2008 Invierte sólo cinco minutos al día, y tu fe se intensificará y crecerá-un día a la vez.

SUNDAY, JULY 13, 2008
FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Sowing the parables

More than parables themselves, the reason for Christ’s use of them perplexed his disciples. Jesus had a message so beautiful and so important for his audience that it frustrated them to see it clouded in dense analogies. But Christ reminds them that because so many have become hardened, not everyone can receive beauty in a direct way. It is interesting that in Jesus’ first parable in Matthew’s gospel, Christ uses the imagery of a sower. Though the sower witnesses immediate direct results from the seeds sown on shallow soil, the seed that takes its time to germinate and develop roots ultimately bears fruit. So, too, when we do not understand words immediately, but patiently let them sit in us as baffling seeds, our understanding of Christ’s message becomes deeper and richer.

TODAY'S READINGS: Isaiah 55:10-11; Romans 8:18-23; Matthew 13:1-23

"And he told them many things in parables, saying: 'Listen! A sower went out to sow.' "

EN ESPAÑOL

DOMINGO, 13 DE JULIO DE 2008
DECIMOQUINTO DOMINGO EN TIEMPO ORDINARIO

Sembrando las parábolas

Más que parábolas en sí mismas, la razón por la que Cristo las usaba desconcertaba a sus discípulos. Jesús tenía un mensaje tan hermoso y tan importante para su público que les frustraba verlo embrollado en densas analogías. Pero Cristo les recuerda que debido a que muchos se han vuelto insensibles, no todos pueden recibir la belleza en una manera directa. Es interesante que en la primera parábola de Jesús en el evangelio de Mateo, Cristo usa las imágenes de un sembrador. Aunque el sembrador atestigua resultados directos inmediatos de las semillas sembradas en tierra llana, la semilla que toma su tiempo en germinar y echar raíces al final da fruto. Así, también, cuando no entendemos las palabras inmediatamente, pero pacientemente las dejamos quedarse en nosotros como semillas desconcertantes, nuestro entendimiento del mensaje de Cristo llega a ser más profundo y más rico.

LECTURAS DE HOY: Isaías 55:10-11; Romanos 8:18-23; Mateo 13:1-23

"Y les contó muchas cosas en parábolas, diciendo, '¡Escúchen! Un sembrador salió a sembrar.'"

MONDAY, JULY 14
INTERNATIONAL WORLD YOUTH DAY; FEAST OF BLESSED KATERI TEKAKWITHA, VIRGIN

Finding a life worth living

Doing anything this week? How about heading for Sydney, Australia, where thousands of young people from all over the world are gathering with Pope Benedict to celebrate International World Youth Day? It is the largest event ever held in Australia. All these kids are offering their precious summer vacation for one thing: to celebrate their faith. Blessed Kateri is a great model for them. She offered her young life in service to those in need, despite her own poverty. She practiced love of her people’s enemies in a climate of mistrust and animosity. What a needful lesson for a new generation of Catholics to learn. Her prayers and ours will help them to find the life that is truly worth living.

TODAY'S READINGS: Isaiah 1:10-17; Matthew 10:34-11:1

"Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it."

TUESDAY, JULY 15
FEAST OF BONAVENTURE, BISHOP, DOCTOR

Words read out loud

“Every creature,” wrote Saint Bonaventure, “because it speaks God, is a divine word.” This great 13th-century Franciscan scholar and leader thought God’s love overflowed in creation, particularly in people. We usually think of the “Word of God” as Jesus or scripture. But it’s also us: We, too, are signs of God’s love—we “speak God.” Both in who we are and in what we do, we communicate God in the world. How can you speak God today?

TODAY'S READINGS: Isaiah 7:1-9; Matthew 11:20-24

"If you do not stand firm in faith, you shall not stand at all."

WEDNESDAY, JULY 16
INTERNATIONAL WORLD YOUTH DAY CONTINUES; OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL

When in drought, look to the cloud

On a mountaintop the prophet Elijah had a wonderful vision during a terrible drought. His vision was simple: a cloud full of rain. For most of us, the rainbow upstages the cloud as a pledge of God’s faithfulness, yet the cloud of Carmel was quite as much a sign of hope. Mary of Nazareth is called Our Lady of Mt. Carmel because theologians saw her as the one who ended the spiritual drought of human history. The monks of Carmel were dedicated to her for that reason. Our Lady of Mount Carmel, watch over our young people and give them hope.

TODAY'S READINGS: Isaiah 10:5-7, 13b-16; Matthew 11:25-27

"All things have been handed over to me by my Father."

THURSDAY, JULY 17
INTERNATIONAL WORLD YOUTH DAY CONTINUES

The strong arms of Jesus

Young people face many challenges, from the extremes of poverty and abusive families, to a lack of self-esteem and self-awareness, to the cultural pressure to overvalue material wealth and physical pleasure. Although they aren’t easily sheltered from these toxic influences, they do have defenses—namely their own faith and inner strength. As adults, our challenge is to make certain our children know these tools are readily available so that they are able to respond to their burdens in healthy ways. The first thing they should know is that there is someone they can turn to for comfort and rest.

TODAY'S READINGS: Isaiah 26:7-9, 12, 16-19; Matthew 11:28-30

"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."

FRIDAY, JULY 18
FEAST OF CAMILLUS DE LELLIS, PRIEST

Worth gambling on

It takes a pretty extraordinary life to end up as the patron saint of both gamblers and nurses. That is the kind of life Saint Camillus (1515-1614) lived. In the midst of the church’s celebration of International World Youth Day in Sydney, he serves as a great role model for neglected youth who fall on hard times. Camillus’ mother died when he was young, and his father was a journeyman soldier. Left to his own (de)vices, Camillus grew into a rebellious and aggressive youth with a serious gambling problem. After a stint in the army and a leg injury, the desperate Camillus, unemployed and penniless, went to the Capuchins Franciscans. They helped him turn his life around, and he devoted himself to caring for the ill and wounded. Later he founded his own congregation dedicated to the same cause. Reach out to a troubled youth today—you may be helping form a future saint!

TODAY'S READINGS: Isaiah 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8; Matthew 12:1-8

"Thus says the Lord: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears."

SATURDAY, JULY 19
INTERNATIONAL WORLD YOUTH DAY CONTINUES

Burning love

Today is the second to last day of International World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, where 225,000 young people from around the world have spent the past week learning and praying, listening to music, viewing films and performances of all kinds, participating in workshops and inspiring one another. Beginning at 5:30 this morning, they are making a “pilgrimage walk” around the city, which will be followed by an evening prayer vigil with the pope and a “sleep-out” under the stars.

Today let’s pray for young people all over the world, that the Holy Spirit might set their hearts on fire with love and the desire to serve the Lord

TODAY'S READINGS: Micah 2:1-5; Matthew 12:14-21

"Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased."

Contributors: Father Paul Boudreau, Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Father Larry Janowski, Ann O'Connor, Sean Reynolds, Joel Schorn, and Patrice J. Tuohy

©2008 by TrueQuest Communications, L.L.C. PHONE: 800-942-2811; E-MAIL: mail@takefiveforfaith.com; WEBSITE: www.takefiveforfaith.com. Licensed for noncommercial use. All rights reserved. Scripture quotes come from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.

Reflections on Our Faith

TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION

It’s Independence Day weekend, and we are in the middle of a series on the Eucharistic Prayer. There is a link worth tracing between the Declaration of Independence and the language of liturgy. One of the signers of the Declaration on that July 4 long ago was Charles Carroll, probably the wealthiest man in the colonies and one of the few Catholics on the political scene. As a flourish to his signature, he sought to distinguish himself from other prominent citizens bearing the same name by penning “Charles Carroll of Carrolltown”—a defiant “come and get me if you dare” postscript aimed at the British.

Carroll’s brother John was a priest and patriot who in 1789 was given the task of organizing the Catholic Church in this country. By 1791 he had assembled a synod, or assembly of delegates, to launch that task formally. Archbishop Carroll wanted to gain acceptance of our faith by American people who mistrusted our customs and could not comprehend our liturgy. He made the amazing proposal to Rome that our liturgy should be prayed not in Latin, but in the vernacular, English. His wish was denied, but one hundred sixty years later, his deep desire helped the American bishops and scholars at the Second Vatican Council to win the vote in favor of the vernacular not just for the United States, but for the Church throughout the world.

Reflections on Our Faith

Invest just five minutes a day, and your faith will deepen and grow - a day at a time. Look up the daily passages from the New American Bible online at www.usccb.org/nab/bible/index.html. Download Take Five for Faith by clicking on the date below: Week starting Sunday, July 6, 2008 Sunday now available in Spanish! DOMINGO, 6 DE JULIO DE 2008 Invierte sólo cinco minutos al día, y tu fe se intensificará y crecerá-un día a la vez.

SUNDAY, JULY 6, 2008
FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Full circle

When it comes to learning, there is a definite circular pattern to our lives. During the earliest years of childhood, almost everything we know comes from our lived experience. As we grow older and learn to read and think in abstractions, we obtain more and more of our knowledge from books and other “experts”—and as a result, we trust ourselves less and less. Eventually in our later years we realize that our truth has been within all along and we begin trusting our own experience again. Perhaps this pattern is what the artist Pablo Picasso was thinking about when he said, “It takes a long time to become young.” Where are you on the circle?

TODAY'S READINGS: Zechariah 9:9-10; Romans 8:9, 11-13; Matthew 11:25-30

"You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants."

EN ESPAÑOL

DOMINGO, 6 DE JULIO DE 2008
DECIMOCUARTO DOMINGO EN TIEMPO ORDINARIO

Círculo completo

Cuando se trata de aprender, hay un patrón circular definitivo para nuestras vidas. Durante los primeros años de la niñez, casi todo lo que sabemos viene de nuestra experiencia vivida. Mientras crecemos y aprendemos a leer y pensar en abstracciones, obtenemos más y más de nuestro conocimiento de libros y otros “expertos”—y como resultado, confiamos en nosotros menos y menos. Finalmente en nuestros años posteriores nos damos cuenta de que nuestra verdad ha estado dentro de nosotros por siempre y comenzamos a confiar nuestra propia experiencia una vez más. Tal vez este patrón es lo que el artista Pablo Picasso estaba pensando cuando dijo, “Toma mucho tiempo llegar a ser jóven.” ¿Dónde estás en el círculo?

LECTURAS DE HOY: Zacarías 9:9-10; Romanos 8:9, 11-13; Mateo 11:25-30

"Han escondido éstas cosas de los sabios e inteligentes y las han revelado a los infantes."

MONDAY, JULY 7

Your life as scripture

Sometimes we forget that all the holy stories in the world aren’t contained in the pages of the Bible. Our lives, too, are like sacred texts unfolding. That can seem a strange idea when you consider the contents of an ordinary day: busyness, tedium, chaos, headaches, and conflicts. Remember Hosea, the “performance prophet,” whose troubled marriage became the source of one of the most memorable books of prophecy. In the heartache between Hosea and his wife Gomer, he understood something wonderful about the love of God. If you viewed today as a page of scripture, what lesson would it hold?

TODAY'S READINGS: Hosea 2:16, 17b-18, 21-22; Matthew 9:18-26

"I will bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her."

TUESDAY, JULY 8

The devil on your tongue

What keeps us from praising God all day long? Oh, probably a lot of things. Bad moods. Rushing around. People who drive us nuts. Distractions besiege us that make praise the farthest thing from our minds. But as the simplest form of prayer, praise could be the easiest way to find more time for spiritual growth. Try offering a few silent words of praise every hour. As you drive: What wonderful trees! As you look at your children: How creative, Lord! As you cook: Food smells so good! Keep the devil off your tongue with a mouthful of praise.

TODAY'S READINGS: Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13; Matthew 9:32-38

"And when the demon had been cast out, the one who had been mute spoke."

WEDNESDAY, JULY 9
FEAST OF AUGUSTINE ZHAO RONG, PRIEST AND COMPANIONS, MARTYRS

Mixed blessing

With the summer Olympics approaching, religious toleration in China has been in the news. Christianity has a long and sometimes contentious history in China. While many of the foreign missionaries among the 120 martyrs we remember today distanced themselves from politics, Chinese authorities still saw them as foreign agents. Errors were made on all sides, which in 2001 led Pope John Paul II to say, after praising the martyrs for their courage and good works: “History, however, reminds us of the unfortunate fact that the work of members of the church in China was not always without error . . . . I feel deep sadness for these errors and limits of the past. . . .” Imitate Catholic missionaries today who are careful to respect local sensibilities as they go about sharing the Good News.

TODAY'S READINGS: Hosea 10:1-3, 7-8, 12; Matthew 10:1-7

"As you go, proclaim the good news: 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' "

THURSDAY, JULY 10

Love me tender

Anyone who dismisses the God of the Old Testament as mostly vengeful needs to spend time with Hosea the prophet whose own personal life revealed the passionate love of God for God’s people. Who can resist the image of a God who lifts a child to his cheek, who stoops to feed her, who sweeps into his arms the wandering, teetering one? When Jesus asks if a parent could be so cold as to give a hungry child a stone instead of bread, he could easily have had Hosea’s words in mind. And when Jesus sends out his own disciples, it is not with threats but with good news of healing and peace freely received and freely given. Yet this is more than tenderness: “The Holy One is present among you; I will not let the flames consume you.”

TODAY'S READINGS: Hosea 11:1-4, 8c-9; Matthew 10:7-15

"I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love."

FRIDAY, JULY 11
FEAST OF BENEDICT, ABBOT

Prayer work

Many people think the motto of the Benedictine order is ora et labora—“prayer and work.” In fact it’s not, nor will you find this phrase in the Rule of St. Benedict, the work today’s saint wrote to guide his monks. But these words do summarize nicely a holy way of life and also challenge us to see our work as prayer and our prayer as a work. Anything you do with an awareness of the presence of God is prayer, or at least prayer-ful, and that includes work. And it helps your prayer to see it as work—not in the sense of a chore or drudgery but as something worthy of concentrated effort. Can you find God in your work? Can you work more to find God in prayer?

TODAY'S READINGS: Hosea 14:2-10; Matthew 10:16-23

"Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God . . . . Take words with you and return to the Lord."

SATURDAY, JULY 12
FEAST OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Body language

Pope John Paul II did a lot of things one doesn’t expect from one’s pope. One was to give a startling series of 129 Wednesday audiences on the theme, “theology of the body.” One might ask: What does theology have to do with our bodies? Consider the doctrines of Creation, Incarnation, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension, and Assumption! When you get right down to it, it’s hard to talk about Christian belief without recognizing that the fate of the body is very important to God. Our Lady reminds us that discipleship starts in the flesh. Religion can’t be only a “spiritual” matter.

TODAY'S READINGS: Isaiah 6:1-8; Matthew 10:24-33

"Fear him who can destroy both soul and body."

Contributors: Father Paul Boudreau, Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Father Larry Janowski, Ann O'Connor, Sean Reynolds, Joel Schorn, and Patrice J. Tuohy

©2008 by TrueQuest Communications, L.L.C. PHONE: 800-942-2811; E-MAIL: mail@takefiveforfaith.com; WEBSITE: www.takefiveforfaith.com. Licensed for noncommercial use. All rights reserved. Scripture quotes come from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.

Reflections on Our Faith

TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION

Today is an exceptional event on our calendar: the Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time is eclipsed by a solemnity honoring two saints who didn’t spend much time together in their earthly ministry, and who have distinct feasts so they probably don’t mind sharing this one. Yet each suffered a similar fate in the same city, Rome, during the persecution of the Emperor Nero. Nero probably ordered the destruction of many of the residential neighborhoods in service to his building projects, and when the homeless began to look for someone to blame for the fires, Nero targeted the Christians. Soon, Peter was crucified, upside down, on the Vatican hill. Excavations (called scavi) under the Vatican basilica have proven the authenticity of his burial place near the place of his death. Paul, a Roman citizen, was later granted a swifter execution by sword, and is remembered at a vast basilica on the city’s outskirts.

Peter and Paul were just about polar opposites. Peter rough and ready, Paul poetic and polished. Peter carried a burden of regret for his denials, Paul had his own issues with which he struggled. Peter leapt over barriers to go to the Gentiles, Paul strove with and surrendered to the same call. True, they spent very little time together in this life, but the same Spirit filled their hearts and by their witness changed the face of the earth.

Reflections on Our Faith

Invest just five minutes a day, and your faith will deepen and grow - a day at a time. Look up the daily passages from the New American Bible online at www.usccb.org/nab/bible/index.html. Download Take Five for Faith by clicking on the date below: Week starting Sunday, June 29, 2008 Sunday now available in Spanish! DOMINGO, 29 DE JUNIO DE 2008 Invierte sólo cinco minutos al día, y tu fe se intensificará y crecerá-un día a la vez.

SUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2008
SOLEMNITY OF PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES

Passion in action

Today we remember and celebrate the lives of two very different men who nevertheless had one important characteristic in common: passion. Their passionate love for Jesus found divergent outlets and took different forms, but this quality above all is what makes their words and deeds so compelling, even 2,000 years later. To be passionate about an idea, a cause, our faith is a great gift. But passion requires action. Today is a good day to pause and consider what our passions are. Then ask, “Does my life reflect my passions?”

TODAY'S READINGS: Acts 12:1-11; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18; Matthew 16:13-19

"Who do you say that I am?"

EN ESPAÑOL

DOMINGO, 29 DE JUNIO DE 2008
SOLEMNIDAD DE PEDRO Y PABLO, APÓSTOLES

Pasión en acción

Hoy recordamos y celebramos las vidas de dos hombres muy diferentes que no obstante tenían una importante característica en común: pasión. Su amor apasionado por Jesús encontró salidas divergentes y tomó diferentes formas, pero esta cualidad sobre todo es lo que hace que sus palabras y hazañas sean tan convincentes, aún 2,000 años después. Para ser apasionado sobre una idea, una causa, nuestra fe es un gran regalo. Pero la pasión requiere acción. Hoy es un buen día para pausar y considerar lo que son nuestras pasiones. Entonces preguntar, “¿Mi vida refleja mis pasiones?”

LECTURAS DE HOY: Hechos 12:1-11; 2 Timoteo 4:6-8, 17-18; Mateo 16:13-19

"¿Quién dices que soy?"

MONDAY, JUNE 30
FIRST HOLY MARTYRS OF THE HOLY ROMAN CHURCH

Wanted: Dead or alive

Jesus made startling statements about family—that his true kin were those who did the will of God, and, perhaps most shocking, that a would-be disciple forgo burying his dead father and follow him. His point—made with a large helping of biblical exaggeration—is that being a disciple should be job number 1; everything else falls into place behind that task.

But look at the church, and the dead are everywhere among us, commended to God at funerals, laid to rest in cemeteries, prayed to in the communion of saints. We remember some anonymous but important dead today, the first Christians to die from persecution in Rome in A.D. 64. We do not, however, leave these early ancestors in our family of faith unburied but let them lead us by example to follow Christ, even to the cross.

TODAY'S READINGS: Amos 2:6-10, 13-16; Matthew 8:18-22

"Jesus said to him, 'Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.' "

TUESDAY, JULY 1
FEAST OF JUNÍPERO SERRA, PRIEST

If today you hear his voice

A coworker’s favorite rhetorical question, “Is the pope Catholic?”, is intended to provoke an obvious assent, much as the prophet Amos’ questions indicate absolutely no doubt that punishment will follow abandoning God’s covenant. With that same kind of zeal and confidence the Franciscan Junípero Serra undertook his mission in California and Mexico, undeterred by illness, politicians, or soldiers. Such single-minded individuals can be faulted for their one-track minds, even for excesses in fulfilling what they perceive as their mission. While compromise is a valuable and necessary skill in human relations, the prophet, the saint, holds to the rock of faith. “Always forward, never back,” was Serra’s motto, and hundreds of years later, thousands of people around the world are the beneficiaries of missionaries like him.

TODAY'S READINGS: Amos 3:1-8; 4:11-12; Matthew 8:23-27

"Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?"

WEDNESDAY, JULY 2

A silk purse from a sow’s ear?

If you don’t think there’s humor in the Bible, think again. It’s subtle sometimes and a little hard to get, but it’s there. Take for example the story of Jesus driving the demons out of two people and into a nearby herd of swine, who then proceed to drown themselves. First, from the Jewish perspective there’s uncleanness all over the place: the possessed were living among the tombs—and therefore the dead—not to mention the presence of the pigs. When the demons go into the swine and with them into the sea, Jesus’ audience would have laughed; they already knew the devil was in the pigs. Of course the purpose of the story is to show Jesus’ power over demons. But can’t healing and deliverance from affliction be a moment of lighthearted joy?

TODAY'S READINGS: Amos 5:14-15, 21-24; Matthew 8:28-34

"The demons came out and entered the swine; and suddenly, the whole herd rushed into the sea and perished."

THURSDAY, JULY 3
FEAST OF THOMAS, APOSTLE

But now he’s a believer

OK, so Thomas was a little incredulous at first. Wouldn’t you be, too, if you were told that someone you know who was dead had been seen alive? Thomas didn’t have the advantage of 2,000 years of faith. But you do. Christ comes to you today in the poor, the lowly, the weak, and the vulnerable who need your help. He speaks to you through the proclamation of the gospel that calls you to faith. He pleads with you in the voice of the hungry and the rejected of the world. Blessed are you even if you don’t see him yet still believe.

TODAY'S READINGS: Ephesians 2:19-22; John 20:24-29

"Jesus said to Thomas, 'Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.' "

FRIDAY, JULY 4
FEAST OF ELIZABETH OF PORTUGAL

From pain to gain

“What a life of bitterness I am leading,” said Saint Elizabeth of Portugal (1271-1336). “On whom but God can I depend?” These anguished words came from a woman who was married to the king of Portugal at 12, endured his philandering, watched their son lead an armed revolt against his own father, and was banished for a time by her husband.

How did she deal with all these problems? By turning to prayer and works of mercy, including founding a hospital, a house for reformed prostitutes, an orphanage, and a pilgrim hostel. She also defused the father-son conflict, lived to see the king repent of his sins before his death, and even conducted some diplomacy by preventing a war. As a widow she lived the rest of her life in a convent of Poor Clare sisters. Elizabeth’s example counsels us not to endure abusive situations but to turn our pain into healing, both for others and ourselves.

TODAY'S READINGS: Amos 8:4-6, 9-12; Matthew 9:9-13

"Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' "

SATURDAY, JULY 5
FEAST OF ANTHONY MARY ZACCARIA, PRIEST

Someone’s calling

Pope Benedict XVI’s recent trip to the U.S. brought media coverage to the growing number of people who are entering religious life as a second career. Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria (1502-1539) can serve as a model. After learning medicine and practicing as a physician for three years, he studied and was ordained to the priesthood. He worked in hospitals that served the poor and founded no less than three religious orders—one each for men and women religious, plus a lay congregation for married people. Wondering if you or someone you know is heading toward religious life? A visit to VocationMatch.com might offer some leads.

TODAY'S READINGS: Amos 9:11-15; Matthew 9:14-17

"New wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved."

Contributors: Father Paul Boudreau, Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Father Larry Janowski, Ann O'Connor, Sean Reynolds, Joel Schorn, and Patrice J. Tuohy

©2008 by TrueQuest Communications, L.L.C. PHONE: 800-942-2811; E-MAIL: mail@takefiveforfaith.com; WEBSITE: www.takefiveforfaith.com. Licensed for noncommercial use. All rights reserved. Scripture quotes come from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.

Reflections on Our Faith

Invest just five minutes a day, and your faith will deepen and grow - a day at a time. Look up the daily passages from the New American Bible online at www.usccb.org/nab/bible/index.html. Download Take Five for Faith by clicking on the date below: Week starting Sunday, June 22, 2008 Sunday now available in Spanish! DOMINGO, 22 DE JUNIO DE 2008 Invierte sólo cinco minutos al día, y tu fe se intensificará y crecerá-un día a la vez.

SUNDAY, JUNE 22, 2008
TWELFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Bird watching

God’s ability to count the hairs on our heads may be easier in some cases than others! But for those who sometimes feel God is too busy to care about them (funny how we attribute our limitations to God), Jesus’ assurance about God’s attention to the lowly sparrow should provide good news. Yet Jesus offers more than comfort. Three times he says, “Do not be afraid,” because his disciples are threatened with extinction by the enemies of the gospel. Like conservationists who trace the actual number of birds in an endangered species, God sustains and protects each of us, especially when we feel trapped and in danger. As the psalmist says, “We escaped like a bird . . . broken was the snare and we were freed.”

TODAY'S READINGS: Jeremiah 20:10-13; Romans 5:12-15; Matthew 10:26-33

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father."

EN ESPAÑOL

DOMINGO, 22 DE JUNIO DE 2008
DUODÉCIMO DOMINGO EN TIEMPO ORDINARIO

Observando a los pájaros

¡La habilidad de Dios para contar los cabellos en nuestras cabezas puede ser más fácil en algunos casos que en otros! Pero para aquellos que a veces sienten que Dios está demasiado ocupado para preocuparse por ellos (gracioso cómo atribuimos nuestras limitaciones a Dios), la garantía de Jesús sobre la atención de Dios para los gorriones modestos debería proveer las buenas nuevas. Sin embargo Jesús ofrece más que consuelo.Tres veces él dice, “No temas,” porque sus discípulos son amenazados con la extinción por los enemigos del evangelio. Como conservacionistas que rastrean el número real de pájaros en una especie en peligro de extinción, Dios nos sostiene y nos protege, a cada uno de nosotros, especialmente cuando nos sentimos atrapados y en peligro. Como dice el salmista, “Escapamos como un pájaro . . . rota fue la trampa y fuimos liberados.”

LECTURAS DE HOY: Jeremías 20:10-13; Romanos 5:12-15; Mateo 10:26-33

"¿No se venden dos gorriones por un penique? Sin embargo ni uno de ellos caerá a la tierra sin que lo permita el Padre."

MONDAY, JUNE 23

Beneath the surface

Why is it so much easier to notice the flaws and weaknesses in others than in ourselves? Part of the answer is that the essential part of each person is invisible to the eye. Our hopes and expectations, worries and fears, reasons and intentions make up our inner world, and they are as real to us as our hands and feet. Unfortunately we often forget this fact when we are scrutinizing another’s actions. We see only the act itself, not the worry or fear (or possibly the good intention!) behind it. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote that if we could read the secret history of others, we would find in each person’s life suffering enough to disarm all hostility. Today, remember that everyone has a “secret history.”

TODAY'S READINGS: 2 Kings 17:5-8, 13-15a, 18; Matthew 7:1-5

"Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?"

TUESDAY, JUNE 24
NATIVITY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST

What’s in a name?

Most folks would agree that good parents put the best interest of their children first. Parents who don’t or who live out their lives in their children or try to produce clones of themselves usually end up with families that run the risk of an invitation from Dr. Phil. At the time of John the Baptist, whose birth we remember today, people would have expected him to get the name of his priest dad and follow in his shoes. Though it took some dramatics—the appearance of an angel, the striking dumb of John’s father—Elizabeth and Zechariah did give their son the name God had commanded and so set him on his mission to point the way to Jesus. We often expect our children to be just like us, but sometimes God has very different plans for them.

TODAY'S READINGS: Isaiah 49:1-6; Acts 13:22-26; Luke 1:57-66, 80

"They were going to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, 'No; he is to be called John.' "

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25

Inside out

One of Christ’s new teachings was the importance of starting with what is inside of people and going outward, not the other way around. Sharply critical of those who went through the pious motions but on the inside were faithless, of hypocrites, of those who thought that what one did—rather than who one was—made one holy, Jesus stressed the importance of having your inner life in order and maintaining consistency between inner disposition and outer behavior. He asks you today to reflect on your inward relationship to him, and to let your actions flow from that precious source.

TODAY'S READINGS: 2 Kings 22:8-13; 23:1-3; Matthew 7:15-20

"Every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit."

THURSDAY, JUNE 26

Take practical measures

In Jesus’ day, as in our own, many self-styled spiritual leaders talked a good talk but did not practice what they preached. Authentic spirituality, Jesus suggests, all comes down to the practice. Practice doesn’t require perfection, or anything close to it, but it does suggest continued, consistent, sincere effort. When we make spiritual practices a priority, we are laying a strong foundation that will see us through the rough patches. We’re building on rock, not sand. Whether it’s spiritual reading, meditation, prayer, worship, or another time-honored tradition, get in a little practice today, and every day.

TODAY'S READINGS: 2 Kings 14:8-17; Matthew 7:21-29

"Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father."

FRIDAY, JUNE 27

Cleaning up

No one quite knows where the expression “cleanliness is next to godliness” comes from. It may be an ancient Hebrew saying. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, used it in a homily in 1791 as if it were common wisdom. It had a practical value, because being clean helped combat disease. Religions have made cleanliness a sign of God’s favor—not only the absence of dirt but also a way of saying one is in the right way with the divine. In his healing ministry, Jesus, though almost constantly “unclean” because of his contact with “undesirables,” also made people clean, restoring them to health and the community. To whom can you reach out a healing and welcoming hand?

TODAY'S READINGS:2 Kings 25:1-12; Matthew 8:1-4

"There was a leper who knelt before him, saying, 'Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.' "

SATURDAY, JUNE 28
FEAST OF IRENAEUS, BISHOP, MARTYR

The gospel truth

Irenaeus, who lived 150 years after Jesus, was the first theologian and early church leader to declare that all four gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—were valid, “canonical” scripture. At the time Christians differed widely on the question. The Gospel of Matthew was the most popular overall, but a number of competing “gospels” were floating around. The idea of four gospels being of equal value and validity was a novelty. Thanks in part to Irenaeus’ inclusive approach, we have a richness of gospel texts to draw on today.

TODAY'S READINGS: Lamentations 2:2, 10-14, 18-19; Matthew 8:5-17

"But only speak the word, and my servant will be healed."

Contributors: Father Paul Boudreau, Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Father Larry Janowski, Ann O'Connor, Sean Reynolds, Joel Schorn, and Patrice J. Tuohy

©2008 by TrueQuest Communications, L.L.C. PHONE: 800-942-2811; E-MAIL: mail@takefiveforfaith.com; WEBSITE: www.takefiveforfaith.com. Licensed for noncommercial use. All rights reserved. Scripture quotes come from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.

Reflections on Our Faith

TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION

If you could somehow transport a third-century Christian into your twenty-first-century Sunday Mass, once the initial shock wore off he or she would be more or less at home with the structure of the first part of the liturgy, the Word. The second part might be more difficult to comprehend. The stumbling block would be the book. We have a book, a missal or sacramentary, that is set down on the altar with a very precisely prescribed set of words for the priest to say and the people to sing at the Eucharistic Prayer. In the early days of the church, there were no set “formulas” for this prayer.

The ancients would have raised eyebrows at our “bookishness” since they preferred to let the prayers roll forth from a gifted leader of prayer. There was a basic shape to the prayer of thanksgiving, and almost general agreement that the words of Christ at the Last Supper ought to be included.

By the second century, Justin Martyr wrote that the presider “gives thanks at some length . . . and when he has finished the prayers and the thanksgiving, all the people present give their assent by saying ‘Amen.’ ” In the world before books, people could memorize long passages of prose and poetry, and so it is easy to see how particular phrases or expressions passed from church to church.

Invest just five minutes a day, and your faith will deepen and grow - a day at a time. Look up the daily passages from the New American Bible online at www.usccb.org/nab/bible/index.html. Download Take Five for Faith by clicking on the date below: Week starting Sunday, June 15, 2008 Sunday now available in Spanish! DOMINGO, 15 DE JUNIO DE 2008 Invierte sólo cinco minutos al día, y tu fe se intensificará y crecerá-un día a la vez.

SUNDAY, JUNE 15, 2008
ELEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Looking for laborers

Fathers, wouldn’t it be great for your children or grandchildren to land the best job in the world? What a great Father’s Day present that would be. How about encouraging them to become a different kind of father—or a sister or brother? A recent survey listed “clergy” as the career choice offering the most job satisfaction. Despite the scandals that have rocked the church, Catholic priests are still among the happiest people on earth, and religious brothers and sisters also have unusually high job satisfaction. Jesus told his disciples to pray for vocations to the ministry of the harvest. Combine your prayers with words of encouragement and some literature from vocation directors or diocesan vocations offices. A lifetime of happiness is all that we could wish for our children.

TODAY'S READINGS: Exodus 19:2-6a; Romans 5:6-11; Matthew 9:36-10:8

"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest."

EN ESPAÑOL

DOMINGO, 15 DE JUNIO DE 2008
ONCEAVO DOMINGO EN TIEMPO ORDINARIO

Buscando trabajadores

Padres, ¿no sería magnífico para sus hijos o nietos conseguir el mejor trabajo del mundo? Qué gran regalo del Día del Padre sería ese. ¿Qué hay de animarlos a convertirse en una clase diferente de padre—o una hermana o un hermano? Una encuesta reciente enlistó al “clero” como la elección de carrera que ofrece la mayor satisfacción laboral. A pesar de los escándalos que han conmovido a la iglesia, los sacerdotes católicos están todavía entre la gente más feliz sobre la tierra, y los hermanos y hermanas religiosas también tienen una satisfacción laboral altamente excepcional. Jesús les dijo a sus discípulos que oraran por vocaciones para el ministerio de la cosecha. Combina tus oraciones con palabras de ánimo y alguna literatura de los directores de vocación u oficinas de vocaciones diocesanas. Una vida entera de felicidad es todo lo que podríamos desear para nuestros niños.

LECTURAS DE HOY: Éxodo 19:2-6a; Romanos 5:6-11; Mateo 9:36-10:8

"La cosecha es abundante pero los trabajadores son pocos; así que pide al dueño de la cosecha que envíe trabajadores para su cosecha."

MONDAY, JUNE 16

Bottomless pockets

People often seek guidance about how to respond to the “spare change” people who camp out on city streets. They also want to know what to do with the mountains of solicitations they receive in the mail. Obviously, if we gave every single time we’re approached, some of us would be asking for spare change ourselves before long. But the secret truth we don’t like to acknowledge is that most of us could give far more than we do. The best advice I’ve received is: Give till it scares you. That’s the threshold where the faith walk begins.

TODAY'S READINGS: 1 Kings 21:1-16; Matthew 5:38-42

"Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you."

TUESDAY, JUNE 17

Breaking even

The love to which Christ calls us is not a zero-sum game. But we often treat it that way. We are polite to the coworkers who are polite to us. We send birthday gifts to those who remembered ours. Perhaps we only give that amount of affection to our spouses that we can be sure he or she will reciprocate. When we treat people according to the way they treat us, our love is a slave to the wills of others. It can never flow freely. We seek to break even in our love, when all we do is allow the other party to dictate its limits. This attitude is so contrary to the love of Christ, who loves each according to his own will, his own grace. Pray today that your love will flow through the freedom Christ has given us.

TODAY'S READINGS: 1 Kings 21:17-29; Matthew 5:43-48

"For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?"

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18

Left holding the bag—or the mantle

Elijah’s farewell is less about a prophet’s grand exit in an F-4 tornado and more about what remains of him. Like Elisha, the friend and disciple left behind, we may feel the absence of Jesus and overwhelmed by the task he has left us. But Elisha is left with more than memories and a ministry. He has his master’s mantle, and a “double share” of his spirit. In our turn on the planet, we, too, may feel our Master has left us on our own, but Jesus assures us that here on earth we will do the same things he did “and greater besides”—not walking on water or changing water to wine but “righteous deeds,” acts of compassion, justice, and forgiveness.

TODAY'S READINGS: 2 Kings 2:1, 6-14; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

"As Elijah and Elisha continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven."

THURSDAY, JUNE 19
FEAST OF ROMUALD, ABBOT

Note to myself: Become a saint

Sometimes the life of a saint can seem so far beyond our ability to model that we feel defeated before we start. How many of us have thought, “I could get close to God, too—if I didn’t have this demanding job, or these children to care for, or this household to manage. Anyone can pray in a monastery!” Saint Romuald, who spent his life in pursuit of solitude, silence, and contemplation, understands our dilemma. He wrote, “The fact that we cannot duplicate their [the saints’] lives does not change the call to us to be totally open to God in our particular circumstances.” Yes, we are busy. But God is calling us “in our particular circumstances.” How can we be open to God today?

TODAY'S READINGS: Sirach 48:1-14; Matthew 6:7-15

"In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words."

FRIDAY, JUNE 20

Eyes on the prize

Perhaps you have heard of a monastic discipline called “custody of the eyes,” which originally was promoted as an aid to chaste living. In our age of total media exposure and graphic representations of sex and violence, we would do well to exercise a measure of this discipline in our own lives. If the eyes are the window to the soul, there might indeed be good reasons to keep the blinds half drawn much of the time. Overexposed eyes can lead to a washed-out soul. Focus on your higher calling and exercise discipline as to where you let your eye wander, for there your heart may soon follow.

TODAY'S READINGS: 2 Kings 11:1-4, 9-18, 20; Matthew 6:19-23

"The eye is the lamp of the body. If the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!"

SATURDAY, JUNE 21

As you sow, so shall you reap

“If we are rushed for time, sow time and we will reap time,” Dorothy Day wrote in her memoir The Long Loneliness. “Go to church and spend a quiet hour in prayer. You will have more time than ever and your work will get done. Sow time with the poor. Sit and listen to them, give your time lavishly. You will reap time a hundredfold. Sow kindness and you will reap kindness. Sow love, you will reap love.” How many of us would try to cope with our busy schedules by actually taking time for something not on our to-do lists? Yet if we trust, God will multiply the time we invest in prayer, love, and generosity into a great harvest.

TODAY'S READINGS: 2 Chronicles 24:17-25; Matthew 6:24-34

"Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Contributors: Father Paul Boudreau, Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Father Larry Janowski, Ann O'Connor, Sean Reynolds, Joel Schorn, and Patrice J. Tuohy

©2008 by TrueQuest Communications, L.L.C. PHONE: 800-942-2811; E-MAIL: mail@takefiveforfaith.com; WEBSITE: www.takefiveforfaith.com. Licensed for noncommercial use. All rights reserved. Scripture quotes come from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.

Reflections on Our Faith

TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION

Last week’s Treasure considered our posture of genuflection, which is virtually unknown in Jewish prayer, although scripture does describe Jesus kneeling in heartfelt prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. The custom of genuflection is not found everywhere in the Catholic Church. In fact, it is a bit of breach of etiquette to genuflect in most Eastern Catholic Churches. If you’re visiting an Eastern Catholic or an Orthodox church, the “when in Rome” rule should be adopted. Watch what the home team is doing! Usually, Eastern Catholics and Orthodox reserve a small portion of the eucharistic bread for the dying in a cupboard or eucharistic dove, but it is not a center of attention or devotion. The rule is to make a profound bow, called a “metasis,” toward the altar—bowing deeply while making the sign of the cross.

East and West split years before we Westerners began to reserve the Blessed Sacrament prominently in our churches. Thus, the East never changed the original custom of bowing toward the altar. Increasingly, as tabernacles became more widespread in the West and moved into prominent placement within churches, we replaced the bow toward the altar with a genuflection toward the Blessed Sacrament when its place of reservation is visible.

In a church where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved in a special chapel or off the main axis of the building, normally you should bow toward the altar when you enter your pew, because the eucharistic table is the principal sign of Christ’s presence in the church building. If you have ever participated in the liturgy of Dedication of a Church and Altar, there is no mistaking the altar’s significance: it is first slathered with chrism and then adorned with a brazier billowing clouds of incense that fill the whole church as a sign of prayer and presence!

Invest just five minutes a day, and your faith will deepen and grow - a day at a time. Look up the daily passages from the New American Bible online at www.usccb.org/nab/bible/index.html. Download Take Five for Faith by clicking on the date below: Week starting Sunday, June 8, 2008 Sunday now available in Spanish! DOMINGO, 8 DE JUNIO DE 2008 Invierte sólo cinco minutos al día, y tu fe se intensificará y crecerá-un día a la vez.

SUNDAY, JUNE 8, 2008
TENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME; SHAVUOT BEGINS AT SUNSET

No wrapping required

What do you give to someone who has everything? Gift-giving can be a hair-yanking episode when most folks we know don’t want for anything. When it comes to God, maker of everything, the problem is compounded. Burnt offerings are out of fashion. Does God get bored with expressions of praise? Jesus recalls that Hosea said God wants love and understanding, just as we do. To this end the Jewish community will hold all-night Bible studies on Shavuot, remembering how Moses taught them the mind of God. We, too, grow closer to God by reading what’s on the divine mind.

TODAY'S READINGS: Hosea 6:3-6; Romans 4:18-25; Matthew 9:9-13

"For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings."

EN ESPAÑOL

DOMINGO, 8 DE JUNIO DE 2008
DÉCIMO DOMINGO EN TIEMPO ORDINARIO; SHAVUOT COMIENZA AL ATARDECER

No se necesita envoltura

¿Qué le das a alguien que lo tiene todo? El dar regalos puede ser un episodio para arrancarse los cabellos cuando la mayoría de la gente que conocemos no necesita nada. Cuando se trata de Dios, el hacedor de todas las cosas, el problema se agrava. El quemar ofrendas ya no está de moda. ¿Dios se aburre con expresiones de alabanza? Jesús recuerda que Oseas dijo que Dios quiere amor y comprensión, así como nosotros. Con este fin la comunidad judía tendrá estudios bíblicos de toda la noche en Shavuot, recordando cómo Moisés les enseñó la inteligencia de Dios. Nosotros, también, nos acercamos más a Dios al leer lo que hay en la mente divina.

LECTURAS DE HOY: Oseas 6:3-6; Romanos 4:18-25; Mateo 9:9-13

"Porque yo deseo amor firme y no sacrificio, el conocimiento de Dios más bien que ofrendas quemadas."

MONDAY, JUNE 9
FEAST OF EPHREM, DEACON, DOCTOR

Verses versus heresy

Born into a city of influential Gnostic sects and an educated Jewish population, Ephrem the Syrian (306-373) apparently had little opportunity to promote the orthodoxy of the recently formed Nicene Creed in his homeland. But the gift that he had been given, which no one could deny, was a proficiency in verse. Ephrem schooled himself in the meters and hymn-forms popular around him and adopted them to promote the Nicene message. Saint Ephrem’s hymns were so skillfully crafted that they gained renown not only in his own city but in many hymn traditions, subsequently spreading the church’s doctrine. What earthly gifts have you been given that you can use to spread the gospel?

TODAY'S READINGS: 1 Kings 17:1-6; Matthew 5:1-12

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

TUESDAY, JUNE 10

Jump to it

Today’s reading from 1 Kings offers a vivid example of the risk involved in trusting God when the evidence may be scant. How many of us, during a time of drought and famine, would have sufficient trust in God to offer a stranger our last morsel of food, solely based on the promise that if we did so, God would provide for our own needs? It takes a good amount of “salt,” as today’s gospel puts it, to take that kind of leap of faith. The woman in 1 Kings had the salt. How about us?

TODAY'S READINGS: 1 Kings 17:7-16; Matthew 5:13-16

"The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth."

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11
FEAST OF BARNABAS, APOSTLE

Help is on the way

Saint Barnabas earned his name—which means “son of encouragement”—because of his work for the early Christian community, taking the recent convert Saint Paul under his wing, representing the original apostles at Antioch, and with Paul going on missions to the Gentiles. Barnabas was willing to do his part, whether leading or supporting others. How can you be a daughter or son of encouragement today?

TODAY'S READINGS: Acts 11:21b-26; 13:1-3; Matthew 5:17-19

"Barnabas . . . was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith."

THURSDAY, JUNE 12

A show of strength

According to the folks at forgiveness.com, 94 percent of Americans surveyed in a nationwide Gallup poll said it was important to forgive. But in the same survey only 48 percent said they usually tried to forgive others. What’s holding us back? The benefits (better physical and mental health) are well-documented, yet somehow we see forgiveness as a sign of weakness—a victory for those who have offended or abused us. In fact, the opposite is true: Forgiveness is a sign of strength. It is how you show your enemies you are not defeated. As Oscar Wilde wisely advised: Always forgive your enemies—nothing annoys them so much! Forgiveness is possible—and for Jesus, it is more important than showing up to church with cash in hand.

TODAY'S READINGS: : 1 Kings 18:41-46; Matthew 5:20-26

"First be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift."

FRIDAY, JUNE 13

Hearing a who

The prophet Elijah had a lot on his plate. Defending the one true God, battling kings and even other prophets, and going through quite a bit of hardship on the process. And when he went to talk with God on God’s own mountain, conditions were not calm. The wind blew strong enough to split rocks. Then an earthquake rolled the ground. Oh, and there was fire, too—did we mention that? But God was not “in” the wind, the quake, or the fire. Rather God was in a “tiny whispering sound.” That was what awed Elijah and led him to cover his face. Sometimes the voice of God isn’t found in spectacular special effects but in the smallest, quietest way. Can you hear it?

TODAY'S READINGS: 1 Kings 19:9a, 11-16; Matthew 5:27-32

"After the fire was a sound of sheer silence."

SATURDAY, JUNE 14
FEAST OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Promises, promises

Jesus can be devastatingly clear, maddeningly simple. In our culture, supporting one’s word of honor with an oath generally happens only in a courtroom and in bad gangster movies in which hoodlums regularly swear on their “mother’s grave.” Jesus envisions a spirit so clear and guileless that oaths are unnecessary, and not even the notion of equivocation is entertained. Mary is a model of one who when she said Yes, meant Yes. As a mother she likely taught Jesus the same simple honesty. Following through on what we’ve promised to God in baptism reflects not only good character but a heart open to the scrutiny of anyone, even the clear light of the Holy Spirit.

TODAY'S READINGS: 1 Kings 19:19-21; Matthew 5:33-37

"Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one."

Contributors: Father Paul Boudreau, Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Father Larry Janowski, Ann O'Connor, Sean Reynolds, Joel Schorn, and Patrice J. Tuohy

©2008 by TrueQuest Communications, L.L.C. PHONE: 800-942-2811; E-MAIL: mail@takefiveforfaith.com; WEBSITE: www.takefiveforfaith.com. Licensed for noncommercial use. All rights reserved. Scripture quotes come from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.

Reflections on Our Faith

TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION

In many parish churches, more rarely in monastery churches and cathedrals, the tabernacle with the Blessed Sacrament is visible from a doorway or aisle in the church. Normally, a person is to give the proper sign of reverence, a genuflection, when passing in proximity to the tabernacle. The word “genuflect” comes from Latin roots meaning bending (or flexing) the knee. A common-sense exception to the rule is for a sacristan who is taking care of the church and can’t be genuflecting every thirty seconds during a vacuum run. Also excepted are persons in procession entrusted with important symbols of the Lord’s presence. So, a crossbearer or a minister carrying the Gospel book, or ministers on their way to their Communion stations do not genuflect. For everyone else, the usual sign of reverence for the Lord’s presence in the Blessed Sacrament is to genuflect on the right knee.

The oldest form of reverence during prayer in our tradition is standing; kneeling or genuflecting is a sign borrowed from old civic practice. The posture of kneeling, even on one knee, is a sign of submission. Servants would take this position before their masters in the ancient world. It said: I’m not running away, I’m yours, I’m here for you. This is what your genuflection says when you enter a Catholic church where the place of reservation of the Blessed Sacrament is visible to you: I’m yours.

Invest just five minutes a day, and your faith will deepen and grow - a day at a time. Look up the daily passages from the New American Bible online at www.usccb.org/nab/bible/index.html. Download Take Five for Faith by clicking on the date below: Week starting Sunday, June 1, 2008 Sunday now available in Spanish! DOMINGO, 1 DE JUNIO DE 2008 Invierte sólo cinco minutos al día, y tu fe se intensificará y crecerá-un día a la vez.

SUNDAY, JUNE 1, 2008
NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Words indeed

To do something well, it helps to believe in what you’re doing. To think what you’re doing is meaningful usually contributes to doing it better. The other side of the coin is acting on what you believe—making what is paramount in your life the center of your actions. This way of going about things applies to the most important task of all, living your faith. Believe in what you do, and do you what you believe, and you will be on solid ground.

TODAY'S READINGS: Deuteronomy 11:18, 26-28, 32; Romans 3:21-25, 28; Matthew 7:21-27

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock."

EN ESPAÑOL

DOMINGO, 1 DE JUNIO DE 2008
NOVENO DOMINGO EN TIEMPO ORDINARIO

Palabras efectivamente

Para hacer algo bien, ayuda el creer en lo que se está haciendo-el pensar que lo que estás haciendo es significativo normalmente contribuye a hacerlo mejor. El otro lado de la moneda es actuar en lo que crees-haciendo lo que es primordial en tu vida el centro de tus acciones. Esta manera de abordar las cosas aplica a la tarea más importante de todas, viviendo tu fe. Cree en lo que haces, y haz lo que crees, y estarás en tierra firme.

LECTURAS DE HOY: Deuteronomio 11:18, 26-28, 32; Romanos 3:21-25, 28; Mateo 7:21-27

"Todos aquellos que escuchen estas palabras mías y actúen en ellas serán como el hombre sabio que construyó su casa sobre roca."

MONDAY, JUNE 2
FEAST OF MARCELLINUS AND PETER, MARTYRS

Built with living stones

As we sit on padded pews in air-conditioned churches, it’s challenging to imagine that faith in Jesus was ever a life-threatening decision. But for the first several centuries, Christianity was both a creed and a death sentence to those who embraced it. So Marcellinus the priest and Peter the exorcist went to their deaths in the year 304 in Rome. Poems were written about them; their relics were preserved; miracles were reported concerning them; and a church was built over their catacombs. The church we belong to today was built with living stones. Share their boldness and their witness!

TODAY'S READINGS: 2 Peter 1:2-7; Mark 12:1-12

" 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.' "

TUESDAY, JUNE 3
FEAST OF CHARLES LWANGA AND COMPANIONS, MARTYRS

Just say no

People in power have been known to overstep their bounds and ask for more than is their rightful due. Such demands rarely turn out well—at least in the short run—for anyone who refuses the unfair request. Case in point: Charles Lwanga and hundreds of other Ugandan teens who were tortured and executed in the 19th century after their chieftain grew jealous of their devotion to Christianity and ordered them to denounce their faith. As the young men burned in a massive pyre, their torturers were assured of their victims’ deaths only when the martyrs stopped praying. Pray for the spiritual gifts of fortitude and piety when you are asked to do something you know would mean giving to others what is rightfully yours—and God’s.

TODAY'S READINGS: 2 Peter 3:12-15a, 17-18; Mark 12:13-17

"Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s."

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4

Imposition of hands

As the early church began the transition from its first generation into the next, the apostles took great care that the “sound words” and actions of the faith would remain continuous and unified. We see this concern for unity in the pastoral letters written in the name of Saint Paul. Paul tells Timothy that his obligation to the true teachings of Christ as well as the grace of God to speak them is the result of the “imposition of my hands.” This special gift of authority, which is given sacramentally by God through the earthly imposition of hands, serves as a guarantee of unity through the successive generations. Authority is not, then, a gift one can give to oneself. Consider all the impositions of hands that have come down through the centuries.

TODAY'S READINGS: 2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12; Mark 12:18-27

"God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline."

THURSDAY, JUNE 5
FEAST OF BONIFACE, BISHOP, MARTYR

Don’t miss God’s bus

Have you ever just missed catching a bus? You don’t have to miss it by much. It gives you an idea of what Jesus meant when he said a scribe was “not far” from the kingdom of God. Imagine yourself ending up “not far” from God’s kingdom. It would be like missing a bus by just a few seconds. In this case, a miss is as good as a mile. Making the kingdom is more than knowing the Bible and getting religion right. It’s knowing Christ and living in his love. Saint Boniface sacrificed everything for the sake of the kingdom. What will you sacrifice today?

TODAY'S READINGS: 2 Timothy 2:8-15; Mark 12:28-34

"When Jesus saw that (he) answered with understanding, he said to him, 'You are not far from the kingdom of God.' "

FRIDAY, JUNE 6

Like it says in the Bible

While all scripture may be useful for teaching, correction, and training, scripture can also be abused if used as a collection of proof-text arrows to aim at whomever one’s antagonist might be. Witness justifying slavery with Exodus 21:20-21, or Leviticus 18:22 to support homophobia. One who merely tosses quotations about has not looked beneath the word surface but uses select (and sometimes mistranslated) texts to justify a prevailing prejudice. Timothy encourages the use of scripture to equip us “for every good work,” not for attack. Our culture is accustomed to headlines and sound bites, but a serious faith requires us to constantly deepen our understanding of both God and our world. We did not learn everything we need to know about our faith in kindergarten, or in CCD.

TODAY'S READINGS: 2 Timothy 3:10-17; Mark 12:35-37

"All scripture is inspired by God and is useful . . . so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work."

SATURDAY, JUNE 7

How to make a fortune with a penny

Alchemy was an ancient practice, part science and part philosophy, which aimed to create gold from lesser metals, discover a universal cure for disease, and, while they were at it, indefinitely prolong life. The fact that it didn’t work never prevented anyone from attempting it. But there is a spiritual alchemy that gains an eternal kingdom for the price of a penny. The widow in the gospel story practiced transformation successfully, according to Jesus. Mary of Nazareth gained the same kingdom at the price of her “yes.” Want a kingdom? One word is all it takes.

TODAY'S READINGS: 2 Timothy 4:1-8; Mark 12:38-44

"A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny."

Contributors: Father Paul Boudreau, Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Father Larry Janowski, Ann O'Connor, Sean Reynolds, Joel Schorn, and Patrice J. Tuohy

©2008 by TrueQuest Communications, L.L.C. PHONE: 800-942-2811; E-MAIL: mail@takefiveforfaith.com; WEBSITE: www.takefiveforfaith.com. Licensed for noncommercial use. All rights reserved. Scripture quotes come from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.

Reflections on Our Faith

TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION

At the heart of today's solemnity is a eucharistic procession, held in many parishes, that calls to mind the procession of Holy Thursday, yet has a purpose different from the somber adoration in the night watch. In the late Middle Ages, a procession through the city with the Blessed Sacrament was an occasion of heartfelt joy and great emotion. In a time when people seldom approached the altar to receive Holy Communion, the procession through the streets, past homes and workplaces, was a vibrant reminder that Christ was with them as a dear companion and guide.

Every year on this day, a joyful procession winds through the streets of Rome from the Lateran cathedral. A few years ago, Pope John Paul II, deeply moved at the sight of the throng accompanying the sacred host, said that we ought to feel profoundly united with the faithful everywhere in the world at such a moment. 'Before our mind's eye all the Churches of the world, from East to West, from North to South, are present.� Originally this feast was on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, but after the calendar reform of 1970, its title was expanded from 'Corpus Christi� to 'The Body and Blood of Christ� and in the United States it was moved to the Sunday after Trinity Sunday. Even though Easter season ended two weeks ago, this beautiful feast is aglow with Easter light.

 

Invest just five minutes a day, and your faith will deepen and grow - a day at a time. Look up the daily passages from the New American Bible online at www.usccb.org/nab/bible/index.html. Download Take Five for Faith by clicking on the date below: Week starting Sunday, May 25, 2008 Sunday now available in Spanish! DOMINGO, 25 DE MAYO DE 2008 Invierte sólo cinco minutos al día, y tu fe se intensificará y crecerá-un día a la vez.

SUNDAY, MAY 25, 2008
SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST

Enjoy a full-bodied feast

The addition of today's feast to the church calendar was primarily the result of the work of 13th-century Augustinian nun Juliana of Liège. She worked in her convent's hospital nursing the sick. During this time she reported having visions of Christ reminding her that there was no feast for the Holy Sacrament. She persuaded Saint Thomas Aquinas to compose a special prayer to honor the Blessed Sacrament, and in 1264 Pope Urban IV made Corpus Christi a feast day. Today is a fitting day to ponder what it might mean for us to give ourselves 'body and soul� to the Good News, as Jesus did.

TODAY'S READINGS: Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; John 6:51-58

"The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ?"

EN ESPAÃ?OL

DOMINGO, 25 DE MAYO DE 2008
SOLEMNIDAD DE EL CUERPO Y LA SANGRE MÁS SAGRADOS DE CRISTO

Disfruta de una fiesta con mucho cuerpo

La suma de la fiesta de hoy al calendario de la iglesia fue ante todo el resultado del trabajo de la monja Agustiniana del siglo XIII Juliana de Liège. Ella trabajó en su hospital de convento cuidando a los enfermos. Durante este tiempo informó tener visiones de Cristo recordándole que no había festividad para el Sagrado Sacramento. Ella persuadió a Santo Tomás de Aquino de redactar una oración especial para honrar el Sagrado Sacramento, y en 1264 al Papa Urbano IV de que hiciera Corpus Christi un día festivo. Hoy es un día adecuado para considerar lo que podría significar para nosotros el entregarnos en “cuerpo y alma” a las Buenas Nuevas, como hizo Jesús.

LECTURAS DE HOY: Deuteronomio 8:2-3, 14b-16a; 1 Corintios 10:16-17; Juan 6:51-58

“La copa de bendición que bendecimos, ¿no es la participación en la sangre de Cristo?”

MONDAY, MAY 26
FEAST OF PHILIP NERI, PRIEST

Conversion by any means

Though God is only and ever one and unchangeable, curiously there are a wide variety of ways by which people may come to God. Few understood this better than Saint Phillip Neri (1515-1595). Known for his unpredictability, Phillip took vastly different approaches to bringing people to a conversion. Once when a man came to his Oratory prayer meeting for the sole purpose of mocking it, Phillip refused to let him be thrown out or reproached. Eventually this man, seeing such patience, became a Dominican. In quite another example, when Phillip encountered a sinner who refused to listen to him or to repent, Phillip seized the man at the neck and threw him to the ground. The startled man pretty quickly consented to repentance! Consider how your small attempts at evangelization might be tailored to each individual.

TODAY'S READINGS: 1 Peter 1:3-9; Mark 10:17-27

"Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

TUESDAY, MAY 27
FEAST OF AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP

A mission of love

In the sixth century Pope Gregory I sent Saint Augustine and 40 other Benedictine monks on a daunting journey to bring the gospel to England. At that time the only missionaries in the West had been monks in Ireland, and Rome had lost touch with the Celtic church. As a missionary, Augustine was sensitive to cultural differences and sought not to coerce the English with the Good News but show them it was for their good, telling the king, Ethelbert, 'Do not see us as coming to force upon an unknown people benefits against their will. Be assured that only a great love constrains us to do this.� In witnessing to what we believe, we should start with where people are at, not where we want them to be, and try to show them the way of faith will enrich their lives.

TODAY'S READINGS: 1 Peter 1:10-16; Mark 10:28-31

"For it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.' "

WEDNESDAY, MAY 28

First serve

All throughout history there have been truths that, once discovered and accepted, have changed everything. That the earth is round is one such truth; that the sun is the center of our solar system is another. The revolution in thought that followed these discoveries is hard to overstate. The same applies to spiritual truths: Once they are known and accepted, the unwieldy, disconnected pieces of our lives tend to fall into place and everything changes for the better.

Jesus' statement, 'I came not to be served, but to serve,� is one such radical, spiritual truth. If we lived our lives from this perspective, conflicts would be transcended and wisdom and compassion would prevail. Just for today, can I approach every task and every person with this attitude in mind?

TODAY'S READINGS: 1 Peter 1:18-25; Mark 10:32-45

"For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve."

THURSDAY, MAY 29

Call forwarding

Mother Teresa'now Blessed Teresa of Calcutta'had a way of packing a lot of insight into statements that on the surface seemed pretty elementary. Take for example the way she described the Missionaries of Charity, the order she founded to care for the destitute dying and other 'unwanted� persons: 'Many people mistake our work for our vocation,� she said. 'Our vocation is the love of Jesus.� Her words can apply to everyone. Whatever you do, put love for Jesus, and others, at the heart, and you will be truly living a vocation and a calling.

TODAY'S READINGS: 1 Peter 2:2-5, 9-12; Mark 10:46-52

"And they called to the blind man, 'Take heart; get up, he is calling you.' "

FRIDAY, MAY 30
SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS

Listen to the beating of Love

The 13th-century mystic Saint Gertrude received a vision of John the Evangelist. Her first question to him concerned the night of the Last Supper when the disciple rested his head on Jesus' chest. She wondered, had he heard Christ's heart beating, and if so, why he had not revealed that to us. But John replied he had withheld this intimate revelation until a time when the world had grown cold.

Meditate on this intimacy, laying your head on the chest of Jesus and feeling his sacred heart beat for you, as sure and constant as the rising and setting sun. As long as it beats, it remains, as the Litany of the Sacred Heart tells us, patient and rich and mercy, the desire of the everlasting hills.

TODAY'S READINGS: Deuteronomy 7:6-11; 1 John 4:7-16; Matthew 11:25-30

"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."

SATURDAY, MAY 31
VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Let it begin with me

So many events in the Bible would never have occurred if humans had not believed enough to act in spite of their doubts and fears. In story after story we read that people are essential to carrying out God's plan for humanity. From Abraham and Sarah to Mary and Elizabeth, and continuing right down through the centuries to the present day, God inspires us to speak that courageous word, to offer that consoling message, to say 'yes� to what we are asked to do.

You are God's hands and ears and mouth. The next time you feel the prompting of the spirit of God, ask yourself, 'If not me, then who? If not now, when?�

TODAY'S READINGS: Zephaniah 3:14-18a or Romans 12:9-16; Luke 1:39-56

"Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."

Contributors: Father Paul Boudreau, Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Father Larry Janowski, Ann O'Connor, Sean Reynolds, Joel Schorn, and Patrice J. Tuohy

©2008 by TrueQuest Communications, L.L.C. PHONE: 800-942-2811; E-MAIL: mail@takefiveforfaith.com; WEBSITE: www.takefiveforfaith.com. Licensed for noncommercial use. All rights reserved. Scripture quotes come from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.

Reflections on Our Faith

TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION

It is often heard that today’s observance is an “idea feast,” and that it is somewhat difficult to grasp its meaning. Other great solemnities, such as Christmas and Easter, have an easily grasped core. Yet, even though the Trinity is at the heart of our faith, firmly declared in the Creed since the Council of Nicea in 325, we are used to having people shrug and say, “Well, it’s a mystery.”

Perhaps it is more helpful to think of this as a “relationship feast,” since it unveils our deepest identity. Dorothy Day was a great social reformer, pacifist, and ardent lover of the Trinity. When people told her that she would certainly be canonized one day (the process is indeed underway), she protested dismissively by remarking that people were raising a fuss just because she was not afraid to talk about God. She loved the Trinity, and treasured the traditional icon for the feast, also known as “The Hospitality of Abraham,” depicting the three angelic beings seated at a table tilted toward the viewer and laden with bread and wine. For her, the Trinity revealed the heart of the Catholic life, three C’s if you will: community, communication, and communion. That was not an “idea” for her, but what it means to be created in the image of the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Invest just five minutes a day, and your faith will deepen and grow - a day at a time. Look up the daily passages from the New American Bible online at www.usccb.org/nab/bible/index.html. Download Take Five for Faith by clicking on the date below: Week starting Sunday, May 18, 2008 Sunday now available in Spanish! DOMINGO, 18 DE MAYO DE 2008 Invierte sólo cinco minutos al día, y tu fe se intensificará y crecerá—un día a la vez.

SUNDAY, MAY 18, 2008
SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY

A shining example

It’s no accident that Christians have been trying to figure out how to understand the Trinity for as long as they have been thinking about God. On the surface this doctrine has more apparent contradictions than the instructions for your income tax return. How can three be one and one three, different and the same? One God, three “persons”? No wonder people have resorted to metaphors to try to explain it. The first- and second-century African theologian Tertullian, who apparently invented the term Trinity, said it was like the rays of the sun or branches from a root: the same material, different outflows. Perhaps it’s simplest to say that we can think of God in more than one way—as a creator, a human being, an ongoing presence, among others. Or that God is a community of love that draws us into that divine life of love. However you imagine it, immerse yourself in this inexhaustible mystery that tells us so much about who God is.

TODAY’S READINGS: Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13; John 3:16-18

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you."

EN ESPAÑOL

DOMINGO, 18 DE MAYO DE 2008
SOLEMNIDAD DE LA MÁS SAGRADA TRINIDAD

Un ejemplo brillante

No es una casualidad el que los cristianos han estado intentando figurar cómo entender la Trinidad al haber estado pensando en Dios. A primera vista esta doctrina tiene más contradicciones aparentes que las instrucciones para el regreso de los impuestos de tus ingresos. ¿Cómo pueden tres ser uno y uno tres, diferentes y el mismo? ¿Un Dios, tres “personas”? No es de extrañar el que la gente ha recurrido a metáforas para intentar explicarlo.

El teólogo africano del primer y segundo siglo Tertuliano, quien aparentemente inventó el término Trinidad, dijo que era como los rayos del sol o las ramas de una raíz: el mismo material, diferentes flujos. Tal vez es más fácil decir que pensamos en Dios en más de una manera—como un creador, un ser humano, una presencia actual, entre otras. O que Dios es una comunidad de amor que nos acerca hacia esa vida divina de amor. De cualquier manera en que lo imagines, sumérgete en este misterio inagotable que nos dice tanto sobre quién es Dios.

LECTURAS DE HOY: Éxoduo 34:4b-6, 8-9; 2 Corintios 13:11-13; Juan 3:16-18

"Que la gracia del Señor Jesucristo, el amor de Dios, y la comunión del Espíritu Sagrado estén con todos ustedes."

MONDAY, MAY 19

Father knows best what to pray for

Many of us can relate to the worried father in the gospel story who wished his faith was a little—or maybe a lot—stronger. We’d all like to have the kind of faith extolled in the famous hymn “Faith of Our Fathers.” Perhaps more often sung in Protestant churches than Catholic ones today, this hymn ironically was written by an Anglican who converted to Catholicism. The “fathers” author Frederick W. Faber referred to were not the early “Fathers of the Church,” as many assume, but the leaders of the Catholic Church who died during King Henry VIII’s establishment of the Anglican Church in Great Britain. Pray for an extra dose of faith today as you face your own challenges.

TODAY’S READINGS: James 3:13-18; Mark 9:14-29

"Immediately the father of the child cried out, 'I believe; help my unbelief!' "

TUESDAY, MAY 20
FEAST OF BERNARDINE OF SIENA, PRIEST

Up the down staircase

One of things that makes Christianity unique is the fact that the road to glory is frequently a lowly one. Take Saint Bernardine, for example. Born in 1380, he started “down,” becoming a hermit at a young age. Then there was an up, when he joined the Franciscans and was assigned the task of preaching. But wait, he had a throat illness. No problem: He was cured of that. Up again when the Franciscans made him head of the order and down when he resigned this position to devote himself to preaching. He spent the rest of his life on an up note, traveling throughout Italy preaching the name of Jesus. Where can you take a step down in order to step up to your Christian calling?

TODAY’S READINGS: James 4:1-10; Mark 9:30-37

"Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all."

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21

Where did the bad guys go?

In the popular, low-budget westerns of the 1940s and 1950s, the good guys wore white hats and the bad guys dressed in black. In the gospel the disciples rush to Jesus to finger one of the “bad guys” for performing miracles in Jesus’ name without prior clearance. But Jesus had another script in mind, one that does not need to be the director in control of all the good action that comes about because of his inspiration. In the same way, we as individuals and as church communities do well to examine our own need to “be in control.”

TODAY’S READINGS: James 4:13-17; Mark 9:38-40

"For whoever is not against us is for us."

THURSDAY, MAY 22
FEAST OF RITA OF CASCIA, RELIGIOUS

In support of marriage and family

If you knew you would be canonized a saint and could choose your patronage now, for what cause would you cheerfully accept intercessions? Be careful in your selection: Saints become the patrons of causes they know all too well. Rita of Cascia is the patron saint of bad marriages, victims of spousal abuse, and loneliness, among other conditions she endured personally. Unhappily, there are still many who seek her help today. Statistics indicate that spousal abuse occurs as frequently in the best zip codes as in the roughest. Support local programs that assist families in trouble.

TODAY’S READINGS: James 5:1-6; Mark 9:41-50

"Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward."

FRIDAY, MAY 23

Pray for significant others

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that “the relationship between man and woman . . . has always been threatened by discord, a spirit of domination, infidelity, jealousy, and conflicts that can escalate into hatred and separation” (1606).

What to do? If you have ever prayed for someone besides yourself, or if you’ve been told by someone that he or she prayed for you, you know that praying for another person is one of the most unselfish acts we can do for one another. Any day in a marriage is a good day for unselfish acts. Decide to pray open-heartedly for your spouse. If you are not married but would like to be, say a prayer for your spouse-to-be. Or simply say a prayer for someone you love. Then see what changes.

TODAY’S READINGS: James 5:9-12; Mark 10:1-12

"Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate."

SATURDAY, MAY 24

All things to all people

The picture of Jesus embracing children is irresistible and sentimental. This is a Jesus we like and want to be close to, but our affection and welcome of others may not be limited to the cuddly. The Letter to James insists on the relatedness of one Christian to another, brothers and sisters, both those who are “in good spirits” and those “suffering.” In all cases we are to be with one another, forgiving each other, bringing each other to the Lord, and most of all praying for each other. “The prayer of the righteous is very powerful,” especially prayer made concrete in loving kindness that imitates that of the love of Christ.

TODAY’S READINGS: James 5:13-20; Mark 10:13-16

"The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful."

Contributors: Father Paul Boudreau, Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Father Larry Janowski, Ann O'Connor, Sean Reynolds, Joel Schorn, and Patrice J. Tuohy

©2008 by TrueQuest Communications, L.L.C. PHONE: 800-942-2811; E-MAIL: mail@takefiveforfaith.com; WEBSITE: www.takefiveforfaith.com. Licensed for noncommercial use. All rights reserved. Scripture quotes come from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.

Reflections on Our Faith

Invest just five minutes a day, and your faith will deepen and grow - a day at a time. Look up the daily passages from the New American Bible online at www.usccb.org/nab/bible/index.html. Download Take Five for Faith by clicking on the date below: Week starting Sunday, May 11, 2008 Sunday now available in Spanish! DOMINGO, 11 DE MAYO DE 2008 Invierte sólo cinco minutos al día, y tu fe se intensificará y crecerá—un día a la vez.

SUNDAY MAY 11, 2008
SOLEMNITY OF PENTECOST

Feel the power

When the disciples gathered for the “first” Pentecost, the stage was set for something dramatic to happen. The Jewish feast of Pentecost was a harvest festival but also the celebration of God’s covenants with the Israelites, especially Moses receiving the law at Mt. Sinai. So when the roaring wind of the Spirit swept in, it seemed to be coming all the way from the breath of God that swept over the waters at the creation of the world. And the gift of tongues undid the post-Tower of Babel confusion: now, many languages, but everyone understands. In that first Pentecost God gifted the church with God’s presence, with signs of a new covenant and a renewal of creation that would go out to the whole world. Catch that Spirit today.

TODAY’S R