#B Ordinary 30 Sunday

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

22nd September >> Fr. Martin's Homilies/Reflections on Today's Mass Readings for The Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) (Inc. Mark 9:30-37): ‘They did not understand what he said’.

Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

Gospel (Except USA) Mark 9:30-37 Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me.

Jesus and his disciples made their way through Galilee; and he did not want anyone to know, because he was instructing his disciples; he was telling them, ‘The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men; they will put him to death; and three days after he has been put to death he will rise again.’ But they did not understand what he said and were afraid to ask him. They came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the road?’ They said nothing because they had been arguing which of them was the greatest. So he sat down, called the Twelve to him and said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.’ He then took a little child, set him in front of them, put his arms round him, and said to them, ‘Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’

Gospel (USA) Mark 9:30–37 The Son of Man is to be handed over.…Whoever wishes to be first will be the servant of all.

Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it. He was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him. They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest. Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” Taking a child, he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”

Homilies (6)

(i) Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

I came across a story some time ago about a student from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley University in California. The name of this particular Jesuit student was Andreé Masse. After leaving Berkeley University, he went on to work as a teacher at Saint Joseph’s College in Tyre, a city on the coast of Lebanon. His ambition was to provide quality education for both Christian and Muslim young people together, as a way of breaking down barriers between them. He was trying to provide children with an alternative to violence. He was welcoming all children, regardless of their religious background. He was doing what Jesus is portrayed as doing in the gospel reading. There, Jesus welcomes a little child. One day, as the school where Andreé taught was closing, two hooded gunmen came into his office and murdered him. Andreé’s way of welcoming children of different faith backgrounds was an affront to the mindset of these gunmen and their response was to kill him. If the mindset of Andreé reflected that of Jesus in the gospel reading, the mindset of those who killed him reflected that of those referred to as the ‘godless’ in the first reading. They say, ‘Let us lie in wait for the virtuous man, since he annoys us and opposes our way of life... Let us condemn him to a shameful death’. The early church saw in that passage from the book of Wisdom a prophecy of Jesus’ own death. It could be said that Jesus was put to death because his way of welcoming people from diverse backgrounds into one community under God was threatening to those who had a vested interested in keeping people segregated.

The conflict between Andreé and his murderers was a conflict between two different kinds of ambition. Andreé’s ambition was in keeping with God’s ambition for humanity, the ambition that is reflected in the teaching of Jesus and more especially in his life and, indeed, his death. According to John’s gospel, the ambition of Jesus was to gather together the scattered children of God. It was this ambition that shaped Jesus’ life, and for which he ultimately died. This godly ambition finds flesh in the lives of all those who work to bring together those who are normally separated from each other and are often hostile to one another. This godly ambition is what James in the second reading calls the wisdom that comes down from above, a wisdom that makes for peace, that is kindly and considerate, that is full of compassion and that shows itself in doing good. James contrasts this wisdom from above with a different kind of ambition that is clearly not from above, that is not of God, but is merely of this world. This is a self-centred ambition. As James say in that reading it is an ambition to indulge your own desires. It can be a very dangerous kind of ambition; indeed, it can be deadly. As James says, ‘you want something (for yourself) and you haven’t got it, so you are prepared to kill’. James declares that this kind of ambition is at the root of all conflict, ‘you have an ambition that you cannot satisfy, so you fight to get your way by force’. It is easy to see that this kind of ambition is often at the root not only of conflict between individuals, but also of conflict between communities and, indeed, global conflict.

Something of this worldly ambition takes hold of the disciples in today’s gospel reading. Jesus was aware that the disciples had been arguing among themselves as to which of them was the greatest. They may have understood the kingdom of God that Jesus was proclaiming in very worldly terms and they were arguing with each other as to which of them would have the highest place in this kingdom. As James says at the beginning of that second reading, where you find ambition of this kind, you find disharmony. We can all be prone to this mindset from time to time. Yet, Jesus was very clear that this was not his mindset. This was not what Paul in his letter to the Philippians calls ‘the mind of Christ’. Actions can speak louder than words and Jesus not only said something in response to this argument among his disciples, but he did something. He took a child and placed the child among them. Children were among the least in that culture. Socially, only slaves were below them. They had no status, no power, no standing; they were needy and had nothing to give in return for what was given to them. It was this symbol of the least with whom Jesus identifies in a very powerful way, declaring ‘whoever welcomes one of these little children welcomes me’. Jesus is saying there that he comes to us above all in the weak, the powerless, the vulnerable, those who seem to need the greatest care. Jesus declares that true greatness, greatness in God’s eyes, consists in welcoming and serving him in all those symbolized by the vulnerable child. The Lord wants this way of living to be our primary ambition that shapes and determines all our other ambitions. Thankfully, we find such greatness in our parish communities, our neighbourhoods and our families. Every day, people are quietly caring for those who struggle to care for themselves.

And/Or

(ii) Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The may be some people who thrive on conflict but I suspect that they are in a minority. Most of us dislike conflict, and try to avoid it. When we are at odds with somebody over something, it bothers us. When we find ourselves in conflict with a friend or family member, it bothers us all the more. Family rows and rows between friends take their toll. When we are in the midst of such a row or conflict, we often long for it to be resolved, without always knowing what steps to take to resolve it. The longer it goes on, the harder it can be to deal with. It often takes someone who is outside of the conflict to help resolve it.

In the gospel reading this morning, we hear of a conflict among the disciples of Jesus, a family row between the members of the new family that Jesus was forming around himself. As someone external to the row, Jesus addressed himself to it, ‘What were you arguing about?’ The disciples were arguing among themselves as to which of them was the greatest. This may seem to us a rather silly argument. Yet, many a row today in families or among friends or between groups centres on that topic of greatness or power. Who is in charge here? Who makes the decisions? Whose will prevails? At the heart of a lot of conflict is the issue of power and control. In the second reading this morning, James recognizes that a certain kind of ambition can lead to great conflict. ‘You have an ambition that you cannot satisfy, so you fight to get your way by force’. In particular, the ambition to be the greater one, the desire to control and dominate, can often lead to what James calls ‘wars and battles’.

Ambition, of course, is not in itself a bad thing. Jesus encourages his disciples to be ambitious, but he wants them to be ambitious to do things God’s way rather than their own way. A little earlier in Mark’s gospel, Jesus had challenged the nature of Peter’s ambition, ‘You are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things’. It seems that Jesus struggled to shape the ambition of his disciples so that it corresponded in some way to God’s ambition. In the gospel reading the disciples display an ambition that is not of God, an ambition for the kind of power that is ultimately self-serving. Shortly after, James and John were looking for the two places of honour in Jesus’ kingdom, one at his right and the other at his left. This is the kind of ambition that, according to the second reading, creates conflict and puts people at odds with each other.

In the gospel reading, Jesus puts before his disciples a different kind of ambition, the ambition to serve. ‘Anyone who wants to be first will make himself a servant of all’. This is the ambition that dominated the life of Jesus. He stated once, ‘I came not to do my own will, but the will of the one who sent me’, and the will of the one who sent him was that he give himself in loving service to all, even unto death. The ambition to serve will often express itself in welcoming the least, those without status or influence in our world. That is why Jesus took a child and set the child before the disciples, calling on them to welcome the likes of a child. In the culture of the time, children were not highly regarded; they had no power or prestige or status. Jesus was calling on his worldly disciples to welcome and receive those who had nothing to give them, those who had no means to help them up the ladder of fame, fortune and honour.

It is only God who can give us the kind of ambition that Jesus is talking about. Only God can enable us to have something of God’s ambition. We need to pray for this kind of ambition. James in the second reading speaks about the need to pray and to pray properly. He acknowledges that not all prayer is true prayer, such as when we pray for something to ‘indulge our own desires’, as he puts it. True prayer is the prayer for whatever indulges God’s desires. We pray for what God wants. We pray that God’s ambition for our lives and our world would be realized. This is the prayer we make in the Our Father, ‘thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven’. If our ambitions are to be shaped by God’s ambition we need to keep on praying in this way.

Those who try to live their lives out of God’s ambition, those who try to do what God wants, will often find themselves in conflict with others. Jesus, who was the perfect embodiment of God’s ambition, ended up on a cross. This is acceptable conflict in God’s eyes. It is the inevitable conflict that comes to those who work for the realization of God’s ambition in a world that often finds God’s desires threatening. The first reading paints a picture of this kind of hostility to God’s ambition. A group declares: ‘Let us lie in wait for the virtuous person, since he annoys us and opposes our way of life… Let us test him with cruelty and torture’. The long litany of those who have been put to death in the cause of justice and truth bears eloquent witness to the hostility that God’s ambition can evoke. All the more reason why we need to pray, not only for the wisdom to know God’s will, God’s ambition, but also for the courage to give expression to it in our daily lives.

And/Or

(iii) Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Arguments and disagreements are part and parcel of life. Different people can see the same issue very differently, and each person will always be ready to argue in favour of their point of view. Some arguments and disagreements can be healthy. As long as people are open to seeing the truth in the perspective of the other person, disagreements can be a stepping stone on the way to some kind of shared vision and shared endeavour. There are some issues that are worth arguing over until we get as much clarity as possible. There are other issues that are not worth arguing about. We can easily find ourselves getting into unnecessary arguments that serve very little useful purpose.

No doubt, Jesus considered that the argument the disciples were having in today’s gospel reading was not one that was serving any great purpose. They were arguing about which of them should be considered the greatest. Unlike Jesus who was ambitious for the coming of God’s kingdom, his disciples had the wrong kind of ambition. Instead of being ambitious for God’s kingdom, they were, in a sense, ambitious for their own little kingdom. This is the kind of flawed ambition that James talks about in today’s second reading, the ambition to get one’s own way. This type of ambition, James says, results in wars and battles that can be destructive of others, the kind of battle that the disciples were engaged in at Capernaum.

It can be tempting to be rather dismissive of the disciples as they are portrayed in today’s gospel reading, and, yet, if we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit that there can often be something of their attitude in all of us. Of all of the evangelists, Mark is the one who presents the disciples of Jesus in the most negative light. One of the reasons he did that may have been to hold them up as a kind of a mirror to those who would be reading and listening to his gospel. He wanted his hearers and his readers to recognize something of themselves in Jesus’ first disciples and to hear Jesus’ words to his disciples as addressed also to them. The kind of competitiveness that the disciples display in the gospel reading is still very much alive and well today. The mindset of the disciples was that there could only be one winner and for any one of them to win everyone else had to loose; the race was on between them to be that winner. In many ways, this is quite a contemporary mindset that we are all prone too, and yet it is a mindset that is very far removed from that of Jesus whom we claim to follow.

In response to the human tendency to seek greatness for oneself, often at the expense of others, Jesus in today’s gospel reading puts before his disciples and before all of us the value of recognising and welcoming greatness in others. There is a world of difference between seeking greatness for oneself and welcoming greatness in others, between seeking honour for oneself and giving honour to others, between a life that is self-serving and one that is at the service of others.

Jesus was aware that true greatness can often be found where it is least expected. To make this point to his argumentative disciples, he took a little child into their midst. In the culture of Jesus’ time, the child was considered of little consequence, a symbol of powerlessness, weakness and vulnerability, totally lacking in honour and prestige. Yet, Jesus goes on to identify himself fully with the child, and indeed to identify the child with God his Father: ‘Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcome me, welcomes… the one who sent me’. Jesus was saying to his disciples, this child whom you consider to be of no significance represents me and the one who sent me. What you think of as greatness is worth nothing in God’s eyes, what you think as of no value is great in God’s eyes.

Jesus is reminding us that he himself and the God who sent him come to us in the most ordinary and the simple of guises. Our primary ambition as the Lord’s followers should be to recognize and to welcome the Lord in others, especially in the weakness and vulnerability of others. Our calling is to honour others as we would honour the Lord, to relate to all people as we would relate to the Lord, because the Lord comes to us through those who cross our path, especially through those who would not be considered great by the standards of this world. If our ambition is to recognize and welcome the greatness of others, the Lord in others, then the kind of ambition that prevails among the disciples will not take hold of us.

There is at least one other person in the gospels who exemplifies the kind of ambition that Jesus was trying to promote and that is John the Baptist. Even though Jesus came to him for baptism, John recognized and welcomed the greatness of Jesus, declaring, ‘he (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease’. That is a good motto for all of us who are trying to follow the Lord. We are to live in such a way that the honour always goes to the Lord and not to ourselves.

And/Or

(iv) Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The may be some people who thrive on conflict but I suspect that they are in a minority. Most of us dislike conflict, and try to avoid it. When we are at odds with somebody over something, it bothers us. When we find ourselves in conflict with a friend or family member, it bothers us all the more.

In the gospel reading this morning, we hear of a conflict among the disciples of Jesus, a family row between the members of the new family that Jesus was forming around himself. The disciples were arguing among themselves as to which of them was the greatest. This may seem to us a rather silly argument. Yet, many a row today in families or between groups centres on that topic of greatness or power. Who is in charge here? Whose will prevails? At the heart of a lot of conflict is the desire, the ambition, to be in control of others. In the second reading this morning, James recognizes that a certain kind of ambition can lead to great conflict. ‘You have an ambition that you cannot satisfy, so you fight to get your way by force’.

Ambition, of course, is not in itself a bad thing. Jesus encourages his disciples to be ambitious, but he wants them to have an ambition that is shaped by God’s perspective on things. In the gospel reading, Jesus puts before his disciples a different kind of ambition to the one that resulted in their arguing among themselves; he encourages them to be ambitious to serve. ‘Anyone who wants to be first will make himself a servant of all’. This is the ambition that shaped the life of Jesus. He stated once, ‘the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many’ The ambition to serve will often express itself in welcoming the least, those without status or influence in our world. That is why Jesus took a child and set the child before the disciples, calling on them to welcome such children. In the culture of the time, children were not highly regarded; they had no power, prestige or status. Jesus was calling on his disciples to welcome and receive those who had nothing to give them, who had no means to help them up the ladder of fame, fortune and honour.

Crosscare is the Diocesan Social Service Agency. Its ambition is to serve those in greatest need, those who are most vulnerable, those who have little voice or influence. The work this Diocesan agency does is being done on behalf of the whole catholic community here in the Diocese. In the past year they have seen an increased demand on their services with more and more people affected by the economic slump. To address this emerging need they have extended many of their services where possible, but this has been made difficult with cuts to the state funding they receive. This is why their annual collection which takes place throughout the Diocese today is so important. Last year Crosscare provided a whole range of services (see sheet).

Crosscare is trying to give expression to God’s ambition for our world. Those who work for the coming to pass of God’s ambition for our world will often find themselves in conflict with others. Jesus, who was the perfect embodiment of God’s ambition, declares in today’s gospel reading that he would up on a cross. Jesus knew that he would experience the inevitable conflict that comes to those who work for the realization of God’s ambition in a world that is often opposed to what God wants. The first reading paints a picture of this kind of hostility to God’s ambition. A group declares: ‘Let us lie in wait for the virtuous person, since he annoys us and opposes our way of life… Let us test him with cruelty and torture’. The long litany of those who have been put to death in the cause of justice and truth bears eloquent witness to the hostility that serving God’s ambition can evoke. James in the second reading speaks of the need to pray properly, rather than praying to indulge our own desires. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us to pray for the coming to pass of God’s ambition for our world, ‘your kingdom come, your will be done’. In praying for what God desires for our world, we are also called to work for it, as Jesus himself did.

And/Or

(v) Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

We can all struggle at times to listen to someone. It can be especially difficult to listen to people when they are sharing something with us that we find difficult to hear. They may be sharing some painful experience with us that we find troubling and disturbing. We struggle to listen to their story because it arouses painful emotions in us. It could happen that someone might be trying to tell us something about ourselves that we find difficult to hear. We struggle to face the truth about ourselves that is being put to us; we tune it out. We can also find ourselves reading something that forces us to question some of our convictions and beliefs. Again we can easily find ourselves tuning out, putting the book down. In all sorts of ways we can be tempted to keep at bay whatever we find unsettling or disturbing.

That very human tendency is reflected in the behaviour of the disciples in this morning’s gospel reading. Jesus had something very important to say about what was about to happen to him. In the words of the gospel reading, he was telling them that he would be delivered into the hands of others and that they would put him to death. This was something that the disciples found very hard to here. There was a truth here that they were not able to take on board. According to the gospel reading, ‘they did not understand what he said and they were afraid to ask him’. This was the second time in Mark’s gospel that Jesus told his disciples what was likely to happen to him. They were no more open to hearing it the second time than they were the first. They did not understand what he said and they were reluctant to question him because they were afraid. They were afraid that they might not be able to live with the answers he would give them. In some ways that is a very human reaction. We often find ourselves not willing to ask questions because we suspect that we would struggle to live with the answers to our questions.

Yet, in our heart of hearts, we often recognize that there are certain realities we have to face, even if they are painful to face. There are certain illusions we may have to let go of, even if we have come to cherish them. In the second part of this morning’s gospel reading Jesus worked to disillusion his disciples, in that good sense. He needed to prise them away from the illusions of greatest that they harboured. They seemed to have thought that being part of Jesus’ circle would bring them privilege and status. No sooner had Jesus spoken of himself as someone who would end up as one of the least than the disciples began to argue among themselves as to which of them was the greatest. They wanted power and, it seems, that they wanted power for its own sake. This is the kind of self-centred ambition that James talks about in the second reading when he says, ‘you have an ambition that you cannot satisfy, so you fight to get your way by force’. In place of that very worldly ambition, Jesus places before his disciples a very different kind of ambition, an ambition that has the quality of what James in that reading refers to as ‘the wisdom that comes down from above’. This is God’s ambition for their lives and for all our lives. It is the ambition to serve, as Jesus says in the gospel reading, ‘those who want to be first must make themselves last of all and servant of all’. This ambition to serve, again in the words of James in that second reading, is something that ‘makes for peace and is kindly and considerate; it is full of compassion and shows itself by doing good’.

Jesus implies that this is to be our primary ambition as his followers. All our other ambitions have to be subservient to that God-inspired ambition. In his teaching of his disciples and of us all, Jesus elaborates on his teaching by performing a very significant action. He takes a little child and sets the child in front of his disciples, puts his arms around the child and declares that whoever welcomes one such child, welcomes him and not only him but God the Father who sent him. Jesus was saying by that action that the ambition to serve must give priority to the most vulnerable members of society, symbolized by the child who is completely dependent on adults for his or her well being. Our ambition is to serve those who, for one reason or another, are not in a position to serve themselves. Jesus goes, assuring his disciples and us that in serving the most vulnerable we are in fact serving him. In the presence of the disciples who seemed consumed with an ambition for power for its own sake Jesus identifies himself with the powerless, those who are most dependent on our care. Over against the ambition of the disciples to serve themselves, Jesus puts the ambition to serve him as he comes to us in and through the weakest members of society. In our gospel reading Jesus is putting before us what his family of disciples, what the church, is really about.

And/Or

(vi) Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

We can all struggle at times to listen to someone. It can be especially difficult to listen to people when they are sharing something with us that we find difficult to hear. They may be sharing some painful experience with us that we find troubling or disturbing. We struggle to listen to their story because it arouses painful emotions in us. It could also happen that someone might be trying to tell us something about ourselves that we find difficult to hear. We get very defensive and tune it out. In all sorts of ways we can be tempted to keep at bay whatever message we find unsettling or disturbing.

That very human tendency is reflected in the behaviour of the disciples in today’s gospel reading. Jesus was repeating what he had already said to them a little earlier, that, as a result of his mission, he would be delivered into the hands of his enemies who would put him to death. He was identifying with that figure of the virtuous person in today’s first reading who arouses the deadly hatred of others. This was something that the disciples found very hard to hear. According to the gospel reading, ‘they did not understand what he said and they were afraid to ask him’. They were afraid to ask Jesus for clarification lest they might not be able to live with the answer. It is a very human reaction. We often find ourselves unwilling to ask questions because we suspect that we would struggle to live with the answers to our questions.

Having been reluctant to question Jesus about what he said, the disciples were equally reluctant to answer Jesus’ subsequent question to them. He asked them what they had been discussing along the way. Their silence revealed their embarrassment. In the aftermath of Jesus speaking of himself as someone who would end up as one of the least, the disciples had been arguing among themselves as to which of them was the greatest. They were competing for status and position within God’s kingdom, whose presence Jesus proclaimed was at hand. This is the kind of self-centred, worldly, ambition that James talks about in today’s second reading when he says, ‘you have an ambition that you cannot satisfy, so you fight to get your way by force’. In place of that very worldly ambition, Jesus places before his disciples a very different kind of ambition. It is the ambition to serve. This was God’s ambition for their lives and for all our lives. As Jesus says in the gospel reading, ‘those who want to be first must make themselves last of all and servant of all’. This kind of ambition has the quality of what James in the second reading calls ‘the wisdom that comes down from above’. Whereas worldly ambition often leads to conflict, the ambition to serve is an ambition that, in the words of that reading, ‘makes for peace and is kindly and considerate… full of compassion and shows itself by doing good’.

Jesus declares that this is to be our primary ambition as his followers. Any other ambition we might have needs to be shaped by that primary ambition to serve others. This ambition was the core of Jesus’ ministry. As he would say later in this gospel, ‘the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many’. Having spoken of the need to become the servant of all, Jesus demonstrated what he means by performing a very significant action. He sets a little child in front of his disciples, puts his arms around the child and calls on his disciples to welcome such children, to serve them by putting them at the centre of the community. Jesus was declaring that our service must give priority to the most vulnerable members of society, symbolized by the child who is completely dependent on adults for his or her well being. The characteristic feature of children in the time of Jesus was their lack of status and legal rights; they were symbols of powerlessness and vulnerability. Jesus wants us to be ambitious to serve those who, for one reason or another, are not in a position to serve themselves or to give us back anything in return for our service. Jesus further declares us that in serving the most vulnerable, like the child, we are serving him directly and serving God his Father who sent him. In the presence of the disciples who had been so preoccupied with status and position, Jesus identifies himself with those without any status in that culture.

In our gospel reading Jesus is putting before us what his family of disciples, the church, is really about, the service of the Lord in and through the service of the most vulnerable. This, for Jesus, is what constitutes greatness in the eyes of God. We can see evidence of that kind of such greatness in our parish communities, our neighbourhoods, our families. I can see it all around me, and I am sure you can too. People are caring in various ways for those who struggle to care for themselves. So much of that caring work is below the radar and those engaged in it would never consider themselves great, but today’s gospel reading assures us that the Lord certainly considers them great.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

22nd September >> Mass Readings (USA)

Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

(Liturgical Colour: Green. Year: B(II))

First Reading Wisdom 2:12, 17–20 Let us condemn him to a shameful death.

The wicked say: Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings, reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training. Let us see whether his words be true; let us find out what will happen to him. For if the just one be the son of God, God will defend him and deliver him from the hand of his foes. With revilement and torture let us put the just one to the test that we may have proof of his gentleness and try his patience. Let us condemn him to a shameful death; for according to his own words, God will take care of him.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 54:3–4, 5, 6–8

R/ The Lord upholds my life.

O God, by your name save me, and by your might defend my cause. O God, hear my prayer; hearken to the words of my mouth.

R/ The Lord upholds my life.

For the haughty have risen up against me, the ruthless seek my life; they set not God before their eyes.

R/ The Lord upholds my life.

Behold, God is my helper; the Lord sustains my life. Freely will I offer you sacrifice; I will praise your name, O LORD, for its goodness.

R/ The Lord upholds my life.

Second Reading James 3:16—4:3 The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.

Beloved: Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace. Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? Is it not from your passions that make war within your members? You covet but do not possess. You kill and envy but you cannot obtain; you fight and wage war. You do not possess because you do not ask. You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:14

Alleluia, alleluia. God has called us through the Gospel to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mark 9:30–37 The Son of Man is to be handed over.…Whoever wishes to be first will be the servant of all.

Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it. He was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him. They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest. Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” Taking a child, he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[ongolecharles]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 Group, Sun July 21st, 2024 ... The Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Reading 1

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Jer 23:1-6

Woe to the shepherds

who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture,

says the LORD.

Therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of Israel,

against the shepherds who shepherd my people:

You have scattered my sheep and driven them away.

You have not cared for them,

but I will take care to punish your evil deeds.

I myself will gather the remnant of my flock

from all the lands to which I have driven them

and bring them back to their meadow;

there they shall increase and multiply.

I will appoint shepherds for them who will shepherd them

so that they need no longer fear and tremble;

and none shall be missing, says the LORD.

Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD,

when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David;

as king he shall reign and govern wisely,

he shall do what is just and right in the land.

In his days Judah shall be saved,

Israel shall dwell in security.

This is the name they give him:

"The LORD our justice."

Responsorial Psalm

---------------

Ps 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6

R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

In verdant pastures he gives me repose;

beside restful waters he leads me;

he refreshes my soul.

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

He guides me in right paths

for his name's sake.

Even though I walk in the dark valley

I fear no evil; for you are at my side

with your rod and your staff

that give me courage.

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

You spread the table before me

in the sight of my foes;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Only goodness and kindness follow me

all the days of my life;

and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD

for years to come.

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Reading 2

---------

Eph 2:13-18

Brothers and sisters:

In Christ Jesus you who once were far off

have become near by the blood of Christ.

For he is our peace, he who made both one

and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh,

abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims,

that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two,

thus establishing peace,

and might reconcile both with God,

in one body, through the cross,

putting that enmity to death by it.

He came and preached peace to you who were far off

and peace to those who were near,

for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

Alleluia

--------

Jn 10:27

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;

I know them, and they follow me.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

----------

Mk 6:30-34

The apostles gathered together with Jesus

and reported all they had done and taught.

He said to them,

“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”

People were coming and going in great numbers,

and they had no opportunity even to eat.

So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place.

People saw them leaving and many came to know about it.

They hastened there on foot from all the towns

and arrived at the place before them.

When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,

his heart was moved with pity for them,

for they were like sheep without a shepherd;

and he began to teach them many things.

***

FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD

Perhaps you’ve had this experience: You’re feeling exhausted and burnt out. So, you’re looking forward to some rest during your annual vacation. But when you arrive to your favorite vacation spot, one of the kids falls ill. And now you must play nurse for the week. Or your boss calls with an emergency at work. And now you must take time to work remotely. Or the car breaks down and you need to take it in for repairs. You must postpone your much needed rest out of necessity.

Something similar happens to Jesus and his disciples in our Gospel reading. The disciples return from their missionary journeys, reporting to Jesus all they had done. Jesus perceives their need for some rest and so they set off in a boat to a deserted place. Unfortunately, the people figured out where they were going and arrived there first. Instead of dismissing the crowd, Jesus’ heart is moved with pity “for they were like sheep without a shepherd.”

This shepherd imagery echoes our first reading in which Jeremiah reminds us how the kings in the royal line of David failed as shepherds for the flock of Israel. And so, because Israel belongs to God, the divine shepherd steps forward to care for the flock. God does not rest. Instead, God continually cares for us. Likewise, Jesus does not cancel his “vacation” and continues to teach the crowd who are hungry for spiritual food.

We are not God or Jesus. We do need rest. But we also need to allow our hearts to be moved with pity. In Jesus’ time, shepherds worked 24/7 with little time for rest, always on the lookout for a lost or sick sheep or for a threatening predator. Balancing our own needs against the needs of our neighbors requires careful discernment. It also requires trust in Christ who, as our second reading reminds us, is the source of our peace. Jesus provides us the life and energy to serve others. Jesus gives us the strength to cancel our “vacation” when the need arises. And it is in Jesus where we can find true rest.

***

【Build your Faith in Christ Jesus on #dailyscripturereadingsgroup 📚: +256 751 540 524 .. Whatsapp】

[yr-obedt-cicero]

I honestly didn't know the Hamiltons took in John Bradstreet's son! Are there any reports of his stay at their place?

Not much is known about Philip Bradstreet Schuyler, or about his time at the Hamilton's.

Philip B. Schuyler was born on the 26, of October, 1788. When his father, John Bradstreet Schuyler (The seventh child and eldest surviving son of Philip and Catharine Schuyler), died August 19, 1795; Philip B. was just shy of his 8th birthday. His grandfather, Philip Schuyler, was appointed his guardian, but he was taken in by the Hamilton's. Yet it seems like he was sorta co-parented by the Hamilton's and P. Schuyler.

Philip B. stayed with the Hamilton's for an unspecified amount of time, Allan McLane says that he; “spent most of his early life with them.”

That summer, when the Hamilton's moved back into New York, Philip B. - alongside the rest of the Hamilton boys (Philip H., Alexander Jr, and James) - was taught on Staten Island, at Bishop Moore's school;

“John Bradstreet, the eldest son, to whom the estate of Saratoga was given, had married Elizabeth Van Rensselaer, the sister of the Patroon Stephen, the husband of Margaret Schuyler. His married life was brief. He died a few years after, leaving a boy, Philip, to be the representative of the name. This boy was sent to the Hamiltons', and with young Cortland Schuyler and the Hamilton boys went to Bishop Moore's school for boys on Staten Island, returning to New York Friday evenings to spend Sundays with the Hamiltons.”

(source — Catherine Schuyler, by Mary Gay Humphreys)

His grandfather kept a close eye on his studies;

“I am persuaded my Philip will acquit himself well, I have remarked with great pleasure when at New York, that his judgement was already sound, and that he promised to be a good scholar.”

(source — Philip Schuyler to Elizabeth Hamilton, [August 10, 1800])

“What arrangements can be made for your nephew Philip I wish him to be at his ordinary studies until he entres college pray consider of, and write me on the subject.”

(source — Philip Schuyler to Elizabeth Hamilton, [April 30, 1802])

Philip B. remained dependent on the Hamiltons even during college;

“During his collegiate course he lived in New York, and for part of the time in the family of his talented uncle, Alexander Hamilton; a rare privilege, that, for a young man in the formative period of his life.”

(source — The Story of Old Saratoga: The Burgoyne Campaign, to which is Added New York's Share in the Revolution, by John Henry Brandow)

Being an only child, Philip B. inherited most of his grandfather's and father's famed estate in Old Saratoga, New York (Schuylerville). Philip B. married Grace Hunter - sister of John Hunter of Hunter's Island - in New York, September 12th, 1811.

Philip B. Schuyler, 19th Century Resident of Pelham.

[frcanicenjoku]

Homily for the 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B

God’s Word and Wisdom Enriches Our Heart Readings: 1st: Wis 7, 7-11; Ps 89; 2nd: Heb 4, 12-13; Gos: Mk 10, 17-30 This brief reflection was written by Fr. Njoku Canice Chukwuemeka, C.S.Sp. He is a Catholic Priest and a member of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans). He is a missionary in Puerto Rico. He is the Parish Priest of Parroquia la Resurrección del Senor, Canóvanas, and the…

[catholicdailyreflections]

The Faith of Jairus

June 30, 2024 - Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) - First Martyrs of the Church of Rome - Catholic Daily Reflections from My Catholic Life! Read the full article

[friarmusings]

A Next Step

This coming Sunday is the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Lectionary Cycle B.  From the beginning of Mark, chapter 4, we have seen Jesus teaching via some very memorable parables about the Kingdom of God: Parable of the Sower (vv.1-9) Purpose of the Parables (vv.10-20) Parable of the Lamp (vv.21-25) Parable of the Seed that Grows Itself (vv.26-29) Parable of the Mustard Seed (vv.30-34) Continue…

[fathersoc]

WE PLANTED THE WEEDS

Gospel Reflection by Archbishop Socrates B; Villgas for the Archdiocese of Lingayen Dagupan for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 23, 2023 on the Drag Singing of the Ama Namin My dear brothers and sisters in the Church of Lingayen Dagupan: Wheat and weeds sprouted together putting the wheat at risk (Mt 13:24 to 30). Before they sprung and grew together in the same field, both wheat and…

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“‘WILFULLY DESIGNED FORGERY' BRINGS MAN TWO-YEAR TERM,” Toronto Star. April 30, 1942. Page 2. --- "Victims Can Ill-Aford to Stand Losses, George Smith Is Told ---- "YOUR RECORD BAD" ---- "A" Police Court as the City Hall Magistrate Gullen Magistrate Gullen today sentenced George Smith, 24, to two years penitentiary, en six charges of forgery and six of uttering. [TOP PHOTO]

"Your crime was designed - you gathered consider able equipment to enable you to forge these cheques," the bench told the prisoner. "Your victims can ill afford to stand the losses, and for a man of your age, you have a bad record.” Detective Sgt. Fred Skinner said Smith obtained rubber stamps of various firms and the name of the manager, and then filled out six cheques totaling $427.41, cashing them in banks. 

The officer said he found in. Smith's room a number of rubber stamps and also several cheques filled out ready to cash. 

"He told me that he used the money to support himself," said the witness. 

"It was a deliberate campaign to defraud," declared Crown Attorney Hope. Michael Marks was sentenced to six months for breaking into a garage on Dundas east, at 5 am, April 14.

Edward Mitchell was sentenced to 40 days in jail for stealing two bells from a Wellesley St. home. 

"He walked into the house, took the bells: when he was arrested he was trying to sell them," related Det-Sgt. Ewing. 

“I would not have done it, had I not been drinking." said Mitchell/

"You were here a few weeks ago on a charge of stealing a bicycle and I gave you a chance," Magistrale. Gullen recalled, 

‘RECEIVING' CHARGED ---- Police Court B at City Hall, Magistrate Brown. Albert Cawan was committed for trial on charges of receiving an electric razor, three shirts, four ties and a number of gasoline rationing coupons. Margaret Baldwin, similarly charged, was discharged. 

Mickey Tudor, complainant, told the crown he and Cowan were carrying on a bootlegging establishment. He said that while he was under arrest, charged with breach of the Liquor Control Act, his apartment was ransacked. He said the stolen articles were found in a room occupied by Cowan and Mrs. Baidwin.

 Tudor admitted to Louis Herman, defence counsel, that he left Cowan the keys of his car .

"And it would be of no use without gasoline?” counsel asked. 

Witness agreed but stated no car could use the gasoline the coupon taken would buy.

GETS THREE YEARS ---- Police Court at City Hall, Magistrale McNish Mike Maciokas charged with a serious offence was sentenced to three years on evidence previously heard. [BOTTOM PHOTO]

Duigmond Fillipps, Kathleen Swanson and Amoorce Sequin, charged with keeping disorderly house, were convicted today after pleading not guilty. Fillips was sentenced to 6 months in jail and the two women were fined $25 or 30 days each.

SOLD LIQUOR, JAILED --- Police Court "D" at City Hall Magistrate Prentice Michael Gagliardi pleaded guilty of selling liquor and was sentenced to two months. The liquor was confiscated and the premises were declared a public place.

"Early on Sunday, April 12," testified PC. William Baker. “I went to this man's home.” He added that he found P.C. Johnston, who was acting as an operative, siting with accused drinking from a bottle of ale. 

“P.C. Johnston told me he had bought it from accused." 

Dymietro Bolychuk, convicted at manufacturing spirits, was given the minimum, $100 or 3 months.

"On March 28 at 3 pm,” stated Corporal W. Heyward RCMP. “I searched the premises of accused on Robinson St. and found in three bottles 50 ounces of spirits. The bottles were hot, and the accused told me he had made the wine that day. I asked him to produce the distilling apparatus, which he did, showing me his method of distillation, which was crudely done in an ordinary kettle. From analysis, we found the alcoholic content was 4.24%, I had warned him previously not to engage in the distilling business" 

"The wine was for myself." stated the accused. “I made only two little bottles of it. I thought I was entitled to do that."

[AL: Smith was 24, a dairy farmer apparently, but unemployed at the time, from Grand Valley, Ontario. He had three previous terms in the reformatory. At Kingston Penitentiary, he was convict #6921 and worked on the prison farm. He was transferred after 100 days to the low security Collin’s Bay Penitentiary (in August 1942) and was released from there in October 1943.

Maciokas was 30, unemployed, with a record of three previous jail terms for various ‘improper’ sexual activities. He was sentenced for sodomy in this case, being caught having sex with another man. He was convict #6922 at Kingston and worked in the laundry. He was released by parole in September 1943.]

[chrancecriber]

Radio SunLounge Romania (April 05, 2023)

23:56 York - My Ship 23:51 Messiah Project - Sadeness 23:46 Roberto Sol Feat. Ines - Tu (Original Mix) 23:46 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 23:41 Crystal Theory - (Don't Fear) The Reaper 23:36 Deeparture - Dambes 23:32 L'esperanza - Smile (The Songs Of Innocence) 23:27 Dominik Pointvogl - Malibou Beach (Original Mix) 23:21 Esonic - Chilly Moments 23:13 Cinematic - We Are Alone (After Sunset Mix) 23:10 Zimmer - Bai 23:05 Hessismore - Yes Boss 23:04 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 23:01 Milosh - Another Day 22:57 Ian Pooley Feat. Marcos Valle - Sentimento 22:52 Cafe Americaine - L Amour 22:48 Factory - Livin Trouble 22:47 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 22:42 Airstream - Chillin' Guitar (Trippin' Mix) 22:38 351 Lake Shore Drive - Forever (Feat. Genius Jane) 22:33 Lounge Groove Avenue - Take A Little Time 22:27 Saba Rock - What A Feeling 22:24 Ronin - Just Walking 22:19 Ybu - Soul Magic 22:15 Naoki Kenji - Destination Earth 22:09 Max Waves Feat. Pixieguts - Reflections 22:09 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 22:05 Brass - All I Want Is You 22:00 The Sonic Company - Unexpected Love (Original Mix) 21:58 Robert Manos - With No End 21:54 Velvet Lounge Project - Hidden Treassure 21:54 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 21:47 Noise Boyz - Blue Cabbage 21:44 Phontaine - Monochrome (Remix) 21:39 Peter Pearson - Drifting Along 21:35 Marie Therese - Drive Your Way (Original Mix) 21:34 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 21:29 Moca - Entspanner 21:25 Caitlyn Hessell - Always There (Toby Benson Remix) 21:20 Michael E - Southern Comfort 21:15 Mez - Fuck'n Jazz 21:15 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 21:09 Tilo Klas - Leaves Have Fallen 21:05 Gary B - Without You 21:02 Etro Anime - Let It Go 20:55 Jerome Noak Feat. Sax N House - Early Bird (Bart Vander Zwaan Remix) 20:55 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 20:49 Shakes Seven - Angel 20:45 Five Seasons - Round And Round 20:39 Sol 2 Soul - Miss You 20:34 Crystal - Sex Is In The Air - Psyche Lounge Mix 20:28 Cantoma - Katja 20:25 Glambeats Corp - Hollywood 20:21 Papercut - Here I Am 20:17 Lemongrass - Oiseau De Paradis 20:12 Middle - Sunday's Walk 20:06 Michael E - So Many Colours (Original Mix) 20:02 The Midnight - The Comeback Kid (Isolation Relief Mix) 19:57 Wayang - Beneath These Falling Leaves (Bali Mix) 19:51 Christian Lamper - Lazy Boy (Original Mix) 19:47 Houie D. - Endlesslove 19:43 Jens Buchert - Jens Buchert 19:35 Cinematic - We Are Alone (After Sunset Mix) 19:30 Marc Puig Ft. Maria Collado - To Forget Me (Original Mix) 19:26 Roberto Sol & Florito Feat. Ines Prados - Obsesion 19:21 Polished Chrome - Outside 19:16 Chicane - No Ordinary Morning (Original Mix) 19:11 Eric Driven - Time Passenger (Instrumental) 19:07 Ayla - Time Will Tell 19:02 Mara J Boston - Come Into My Life (Original Mix) 18:56 Ernesto - Rolling Tunes 18:56 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 18:50 Diario Feat. Entelechia Union - Do You Remember Me 18:46 Natalia Clavier - Azul 18:42 Roberto Sol - My Nature (Midnight Lounge Mix) 18:38 Edo - Relaxed Love 18:34 Jane Maximova - Late In The Night (Feat. Dmitry Raschepkin) 18:30 Five Seasons - La Gomera (Lemongrass Gran Rey Remix) 18:24 Jens Buchert - Five Zero 18:18 Mario Gamez - Blackfriars (Original Mix) 18:18 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 18:14 Kool&klean - Reality 18:09 Peter Pearson - Chilled To The Heart 18:06 J Sasz - Soul Me 18:02 Electric Moonlight - Celebrating Love 18:02 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 17:59 Late Night Alumni - White Bear 17:54 Tommy Divine - Easy 17:50 Felipe Gonzalez - No Hablas Espagnol (Original Mix) 17:47 Olivia Broadfield - Eyes Wide Open 17:47 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 17:42 Quantic - Intro The 5th Exotic 17:36 Alexsandro Da Silva - Possible Dreams 17:30 Jimpster - Closer To You (Ft. Samantha James) 17:26 Blue Side - Remains 17:19 Dzihan & Kamien - Homebase 17:13 Midnight Stroll - Nux 17:05 The Sushi Club - Hamaguri 17:00 Rainfairy - Just To Write Songs 16:55 Afterlife - Celluloid 16:52 Dharma - Probedas 16:46 Thierry David - Song Of Freedom 16:40 Cream Soda - Woman 16:36 Paul Hardcastle - Chillstep Echoes (Feat. Maxine Hardcastle) 16:30 Dj Maretimo - Blue Guitars Of Picasso (Lonely Beach Cut) 16:23 Manyus Joan Eta - Spacelife 16:18 Ray Clarke - Other Nature (Phunky In Space Mix) 16:18 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 16:13 Bella Vita - The Hardest Part (Hot Beach Guitar Mix) 16:08 Adani & Wolf - Nuages (Feat. Suzette Moncrief) 16:03 Keep Shelly In Athens - Flyway 15:58 J Boogie's Dubtronic Science - Golden Nectar 15:57 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 15:54 Minty's Style - See The Light 15:49 J.r. Haim - Lejos 15:45 Mathieu & Florzinho - Primavera (Dub Mix 2010) 15:39 Blank & Jones - El Bajo 15:38 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 15:35 Bondax - All I Want (Pyxis Remix) 15:31 S.w. - Within A Dream 15:28 Artenovum - When You Fall Asleep (Slow Coach Mix) 15:23 Mr. Moods - A Certain Smile 15:19 Flunk - Blue Monday 15:13 Diego Clamente - Gypsy 15:08 Boozoo Bajou Feat. Joe Dukie & U-brown - Take It Slow 15:02 Afterlife - Makes Me Feel 14:56 Velvet Dreamer - Mystic Traveller (Eskadet Remix) 14:52 Mishel Gineras - One Night In The Desert (Original Mix) 14:46 Rivera Rotation - Waterdrops 14:42 Orbitell - Liquid Sunshine (Ibiza Chillout Mix) 14:39 Luigi Seviroli - Smoke & Mirrors 14:35 Tafubar - The Man Who Had Bad Dreams (Lemongrass Woolgathering Mix) 14:31 Sphere - Is It Sun 14:27 Ryan Kp & Anthony Hicks Feat. Melody - Chase The Sunshine (Chillout Remix) 14:22 Bulb - Impossible (Original Mix) 14:18 Ielo - Beautiful Flower 14:12 Lea Perry - Dubby Sunset Sky At Cafe Del Mar (Ibiza Beach Mix) 14:09 Avalounge Feat. Katia Shostak - Sunny Dreams (Relaxation Dub) 14:04 Club Salinero - Shade In The Sun (Ibiza Chillout Mix) 14:01 Birocratic - Shakedown (Original Mix) 13:57 Sebastian Davidson - Freefallin' (Tariq Pijning On Sax Mix) 13:52 Morcheeba Ft. Stereophonics - Enjoy The Ride 13:49 Deeper Sublime - Buddha Cafe 13:46 Namzzo, Alkylees - When Summer Comes 13:41 Marga Sol - My Dream 13:37 Mo' Horizons - Dance Naked Under Palmtrees 13:33 Artemis - Subterranean 13:29 Naoki Kenji - Ongaku 13:24 Wookie & Blossom - Night In The Jungle (Original Mix) 13:19 Zzouro - Rescue Remedy 13:15 Melorman - Ten 13:10 Lux - Indica 13:06 Nitin Sawhney - Sunset 13:02 Anthony Hicks, Melody. - Chase The Sunshine (Feat. Melody) 12:56 Simon Bareilles - The Sound Of Silence - Guitar Lounge Mix 12:53 Ihf Feat. Jenni Potts - Senseless (Original Mix) 12:47 Frank Borell - Angels And Angels (In Heaven Mix) 12:41 S.w. - Terokh Jeruth 12:41 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 12:36 Chillbirds - Breaking Out 12:32 Donna De Lory - The Unchanging (Atom Smith Chill Yoga Flow Remix) 12:25 Eddy Chrome - In Love (Lounge Remix) 12:20 Shakes Seven - Castles In The Sky 12:20 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 12:15 Steen Thottrup - Waterdrops 12:10 Albo - Superstrings (Part I) 12:04 The Man Behind C. - What Can U Do 11:59 Cocktail Groovers - The Fire In Your Heart (Ibiza Jazz Terrace Mix) 11:59 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 11:54 Dmtunes - After The Storm 11:50 Lazygrooves - Secrets 11:45 Pablo Nouvelle - You Don-'t Understand (Feat. Alx) 11:41 Living Room - Aqua 11:36 Club Salinero - Shade In The Sun (Ibiza Chillout Mix) 11:31 Hacienda - Data Love 11:22 Boot Cut Rockers - Blue Beach 11:18 Weathertunes - Beach Taxi (Original Mix) 11:11 A Guy Called Gerald - Fever (Black Dog Mix) 11:07 Tojami Sessions - The Next Ten Years 11:03 Derail - Freedom - Deep Mix 11:00 Polymyth - Lost 10:55 Daytripper Feat. Patricia Chaviano - Until The Sunrise (Chillout Mix) 10:49 Sunpeople - Lost (Born This Way Mix) 10:45 Kasseo Ft. Cordelia O'Driscoll - In Your Eyes 10:44 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 10:39 Nux - Feel The Vibe 10:35 Omar Akram - Free Spirit 10:30 Heiko - Miles Away 10:26 Goloka - Compromise 10:25 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 10:22 Weekend Players - Angel 10:15 Players - Around The World 10:11 Pnfa - Temple Monkey 10:08 Aiemo - Dreaming Eyes (Vocal Mix) 10:07 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 10:04 Luis Hermandez - Soulwalking 10:00 Laleh - Live Tomorrow 09:56 Weathertunes, Eskadet - Night On Earth 09:50 Cafe Americaine - Shanghai Superflight (Ethnojazz Cut) 09:48 Peter Pearson - Still On My Mind 09:43 Nikolas Miyakis - Melrose Avenue 09:38 Akmusique - Ocean Drive 707 09:33 Brilliant Star - Pink Blue Hotel (Balearic Chill Guitar Mix) 09:28 Brainstorm - Maybe (The Equalizers Nuclear Bomb Remix) 09:24 Marco Sandero - Winter Piano 09:19 Velvet Dreamer - Mystic Traveler 09:14 Mazelo Nostra - Dreams From Venedig 09:14 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 09:08 Noise Boyz - Where Do You (Ambient Mix) 09:03 Caitlyn Hessell - Always There (Toby Benson Remix) 09:00 Yonderboi - Pabadam 08:55 Brook Sapphire - My Name In The Sand (Original Mix) 08:51 Living Room - Brasil Soul (Original Mix) 08:46 Vargo - The Flow (Aural Float Mix) 08:42 Funkorama - Funkachild 08:38 Triangle Sun - Tonight 08:37 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 08:34 Beacon - It Won-'t Be Long 08:31 Curly Brown - Serenity 08:26 Reunited - En Ukendt Glaede (Feat. Anne Dorte Michelsen) (Shazz Man Remix) 08:22 Ladder & Rachel Rubinger - Your Mind 08:17 Vibraphile - Open Your Mind (Instrumental Mix) 08:12 Saba Rock - What A Feeling 08:06 Lazy Hammock - Summer Chill 08:01 Jean Honeymoon - Bang Bang (Pianochocolate Remix) 07:55 Lemongrass - Blue Moon 07:52 Dt8 Project - Hold Me Till The End (Lounge Edit) 07:45 Fobee - Samsara 07:40 Urban Species - Blanket 07:36 Capa - People & Places 07:28 Lorenzo - I Need You, I Want You 07:25 Night Cruzer - Timeless 07:20 Imada - Sonhos 07:16 Pochill - Violet Theme (Nick Version) 07:12 Jazzamor - Ain't No Sunshine 07:06 Bliss - Desert Sun 07:01 Hior Chronik - Still Foggy (Cosmonaut Grechko Version) 06:55 Spooky - Shelter 06:52 Pnfa - Second Sunrise (Original Mix) 06:47 Uschi - Out Of My Life (Vinil Q Mix) 06:42 El Rio De La Vida - Sevillo 06:37 Blank & Jones - Sun Goes Down (Feat. Laura Serra) 06:33 Roberto Sol - Nube De Agua 06:29 Gabin Feat. Peggy Lee - Fever (Gabin Remix) 06:21 Djibooti - Shadows And Voices (Tom Tom Mix) 06:15 Dalminjo - And She Said (Ex-girlfriend Mix) 06:10 Napalm - My Love (Tenderheart Remix) 06:05 Frank Borell - Alema (Step By Step Mix) 06:01 Comatrixx - Champagne & Lobster 05:55 The Sushi Club - Niku-jaga (Beef And Potato Stew) 05:52 Pat Appleton - Ageless 05:48 Amberland - Take Air (Original Mix) 05:39 Eguana - Flying Water 05:39 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 05:33 Dadamnphreaknoizphunk - Powerless (Feat Virag) 05:29 Gary B - Stronger Love 05:23 Dj Maretimo - Mare Mystico (Flow Da Waves Cut) 05:18 Xemplify - Naughty Secret 05:12 Krystian Shek - Samarkand 05:07 Climatic - Boarding 05:02 Chicane Present - No Ordinary Morning (Original Mix) 04:58 Nightcruzer - Lazy Day 04:57 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 04:54 D. Batistatos, Evita Saloustrou - In The End (Vocal Version) 04:51 Cafe Royale - Huelva 04:47 Charly'n Black - Today 04:44 Lasteden - Hot City Walk (Original Mix) 04:44 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 04:39 Aqua Mundi - Simple Ou Double 04:36 Benatural - Dancefloor Red (Original Mix) 04:30 Tim Angrave - Dream Escape 04:25 Lafoliedamour - You 04:19 Frank Borell - Icarus (Electric Slide Mix) 04:16 Michael De Kooker - My Sweet Dani (Original Mix) 04:13 Sebastian Davidson - Yugen (Original Mix) 04:08 Black Mighty Orchestra - Ocean Beach (Cybophonia Cinematic Remix) 04:08 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 04:03 Chillwalker - Balearic Angels (True Waves Mix) 03:59 Michel Petit - Rhode Island 03:54 Noise Boyz - With My Own Eyes (Keys Of Da Sea Mix) 03:49 Eddie Silverton - Cooling Aims 03:44 Zelonka - Destination Moon (Elektrohandel Remix) 03:38 Aquanote - Nowhere (Speakeasy Remix) 03:34 Mark Mars - Ship's Lounge (Downtown Slow Mix) 03:30 Arnold T - What I Miss About You (Katie Melua) 03:27 Lenny Mac Dowell Feat. Jazzamor - Je Te Veux 03:22 Jean Mare - A Better Place 03:17 Sexy Beach - Uss (Original Mix) 03:14 Mike Tohr & Jonas Johannes - Napthali (Feat. Salome) 03:08 Climatic - Juanita 03:03 Silverbeat - Time 2 Go (Isla Del Sol) 02:59 Katun - Shout (Feat. Nattie) 02:55 Late Night Alumni - This Is Why 02:55 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 02:52 Groove Da Praia - Is This Love 02:47 Idenline - Call Me (Original Mix) 02:42 Paul Hardcastle Feat. Maxine Hardcastle - Slippin Away 02:39 Beacon - It Won't Be Long 02:35 Miss B.t - Right Now (Sweet Lovin' Edit) 02:30 Michael E - Bliss You 02:25 Daytripper Feat. Patricia Chaviano - Until The Sunrise (Chillout Mix) 02:21 Five Seasons - Heaven 02:18 Rangiroa - La Isabela Beach (Original Mix) 02:15 Fancy Vienna - I-'ll Follow 02:10 Gary B - My Love 02:06 Velvet Birds - Come Along 02:01 Jens Buchert - The Falling Star (Nyc Mix) 01:55 Afterlife, Calladine - Clear Blue Sky (Blank & Jones Remix) 01:50 E-sonic - For What I Want 01:47 Mar Tini - Budrio (Original) 01:47 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 01:43 Peter Pearson - Summer Memories 01:37 Van - Changes (Original Mix) 01:32 Living Room - Underwater Love (Original Mix) 01:28 Jazzamor - Lovin' You 01:23 Jens Buchert - Sparkling Mind 01:18 Moondust - In Between Days (Feat. Querubyna) 01:12 Schwarz & Funk - Savannah Sunset 01:08 Eskadet - Paradise Reconquered 01:03 Trillian Miles - A Little Love 00:58 Dj Pippi & Ann West - On This Island (Feat. Ann West) 00:54 Flight Facilities - Waking Bliss 00:49 Don Gorda & Solanos - Festa Do Sol (Funk Edit) 00:49 Jingle - Radiosun.ro 00:44 Marga Sol - Midnight Flight (Original Mix) 00:39 Stendahl Feat. Jama - Follow Me (Original Mix) 00:33 Blank & Jones - Relax (Vargo Vocal Mix) 00:29 Mirage Of Deep - More Than I Can Bear 00:24 Polished Chrome - I Wanna Get Close To You 00:19 Florian Fai - Rooftop Martini (Original Mix) 00:16 Pete Dingon - L'amour Est Mort 00:12 Frank Borell - Deep Moods (Yesterday Mix) 00:06 Beach Hoppers - Keep Dreaming (Eskadet Moonlight Version) 00:00 Billie Marten - Out Of The Black (67th Hour Remix)

[ngeche-nt]

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Gospel Mark 9:30-37

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Gospel Mark 9:30-37

September 19 2021, https://youtube.com/c/TaminangThereseN https://anchor.fm/nwufor Gospel – Mark 9:30-37 https://youtu.be/e9APj6P88wI 30 Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it.   31 He was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three…

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

13th October >> Fr. Martin's Homilies/Reflections on Today's Mass Readings for The Twenty Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) (Mark 10:17-30): ‘Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him’.

The Twenty Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

Gospel (Except USA) Mark 10:17-30 Give everything you own to the poor, and follow me.

Jesus was setting out on a journey when a man ran up, knelt before him and put this question to him, ‘Good master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You must not kill; You must not commit adultery; You must not steal; You must not bring false witness; You must not defraud; Honour your father and mother.’ And he said to him, ‘Master, I have kept all these from my earliest days.’ Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him, and he said, ‘There is one thing you lack. Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ But his face fell at these words and he went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth. Jesus looked round and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!’ The disciples were astounded by these words, but Jesus insisted, ‘My children,’ he said to them ‘how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’ They were more astonished than ever. ‘In that case’ they said to one another ‘who can be saved?’ Jesus gazed at them. ‘For men’ he said ‘it is impossible, but not for God: because everything is possible for God.’ Peter took this up. ‘What about us?’ he asked him. ‘We have left everything and followed you.’ Jesus said, ‘I tell you solemnly, there is no one who has left house, brothers, sisters, father, children or land for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not be repaid a hundred times over, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and land – not without persecutions – now in this present time and, in the world to come, eternal life.’

Gospel (USA) Mark 10:17–30 Sell what you have, and follow me.

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother.” He replied and said to him, “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.” Peter began to say to him, “We have given up everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.”

Homilies (6)

(i) Twenty Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

We all ask questions in the course of a week, even a day. Most of these questions are not very deep. They get answered easily and we move on from them. However, there are other bigger questions in life that remain with us for the whole of our lives. We never get a full answer to them. We go on asking them. These are questions that keep us seeking and searching.

We find one of these big questions in today’s gospel reading. As Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, the city where he would be crucified, a man runs up to him and asks, ‘Good master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ It is a question we can make our own. ‘What is the way to life, the path that, if taken, will make me fully alive as a human being here and now and that will open me up to the life of God, eternal life, beyond death?’ In response to his question, Jesus directs this man to his own Jewish tradition, in particular, to the last six of the Ten Commandments, those that concern our relationship with others. It is the search for the answer to the big questions of life that has given rise to the various religious traditions in the world. Our own Christian tradition can speak to each one of us as we seek answers to life’s deeper questions. The man declares to Jesus that he has kept these commandments of God since his earliest days. He was clearly a good man but he felt called to take another step in his relationship with God. He had a longing for something deeper. The gospel reading declares that ‘Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him’. God was looking upon this man with love through Jesus. The way Jesus looked at this man is the way the risen Lord looks at each one of us. He looks steadily at us and loves us as we seek the path of life that God is calling us to take.

It was out of his love for this man that Jesus then invited him to take another step on his faith journey, a more demanding one. Jesus calls him to detach himself from his great wealth, to give the proceeds to the poor and then to follow him as a disciple on the road to Jerusalem. Jesus was giving him that same radical call that he had earlier given to Peter, Andrew, James, John, Matthew and others, all of whom left everything to walk with Jesus and learn from him. Jesus did not insist that everyone who wanted to be his disciple should sell everything they owned. Mary and Martha who provided hospitality for Jesus were certainly among his followers and Jesus did not ask them to sell their home. The Lord’s general call to us to become his disciple will always take on a very personal form for each one of us. Within the broad path we are all called to take, the Lord has a very particular path for each of us. If we listen for that very personal call and try to respond to it we will find that path of life which the man wanted to take.

The Lord’s very personal call to this man, however, was a step too far for him. He was too attached to his great wealth to respond to Jesus’ call. It seems that he had a stronger desire for his possessions than he had for eternal life. His wealth had such a hold on him that he lacked the freedom to do what Jesus was asking him to do, which was to join his inner circle of disciples. The man had asked, ‘What must I do?’ and when Jesus answered his question he couldn’t live with the answer. Having excitedly run up to Jesus with his burning question, he walks away sad. Jesus’ own heart must have been sad too as he watched this well intentioned man walk away. Jesus had looked upon him in love. If the man kept his eyes on Jesus and allowed himself to receive Jesus’ great love for him, rather than focus on his wealth, he may have found the strength to go where Jesus was calling him.

The Lord has a very personal calling for each one of us. He calls us to be his disciple in a way that is suited to the circumstances of our own lives. Whatever our circumstances, he is always inviting us to grow in our relationship with him, to deepen our faith in him, to be more generous, more radical, in the way we live our faith. We too can find ourselves held back from answering the Lord’s call by some excessive attachment in our life. Yet, if we can entrust ourselves to the Lord who looks upon us in love, and keep our focus on him, he will empower us to take the life-giving step he calls us to take. Jesus goes on to say to his disciples, ‘Everything is possible for God’. God lovingly at work through the risen Lord makes it possible for us to take the path that corresponds to the deepest longings of our hearts. As Saint Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians, ‘I can do all things through him who gives me strength’.

And/Or

(ii) Twenty Eight Sunday in Ordinary Time

At a certain age, children are great for asking questions. Particularly when it comes to God and the things of God, children have a way of asking challenging questions in a very unselfconscious way. ‘Where does my cat go when he dies?’ Or, as the song, made famous some years ago by Rolf Harris, puts it, ‘What colour is God’s skin?’ It is not only children who ask religious questions. Adults do so as well. If you attend a talk on the Bible or on some religious theme, you will certainly hear some probing questions asked by people at the end of the talk.

In today’s gospel reading, a man of great wealth puts one such question to Jesus, ‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’ The importance of this question to him, and his anxiety to have it answered, is suggested by his running up to Jesus and falling at his feet. He obviously had great energy around this question. It was a question that mattered to him. I suspect that it is a question that matters to all of us who believe that we have a destiny beyond this world. This man of great wealth was clearly a good man. He lived by the values of the Ten Commandments. He took his religious duties seriously. Yet, he must have sensed that there was something lacking in his life, that there was something more to life and to his relationship with God. He was not settled; there was restlessness in him. That restlessness led him to put his question to Jesus.

Many of us might find feel that we have a lot in common with this man. We may not be people of great wealth, as he was. However, like him, we are probably doing our best to live well; we are trying to live by the values of the gospel. Yet, like this man, there are times when we can feel that there must be something more to life, and to the living of our faith. Like him, we can experience that restlessness which makes us ask questions of ourselves, of others, of God. If we do feel such restlessness from time to time, it is a sign that we have remained open to the Lord’s call in our lives. On one occasion Jesus said, ‘ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you’. People who are open to God’s call will always be seekers; they will always be looking beyond where they are at any particular time. In that sense people of real faith never cease to ask probing questions; they learn to live with such questions.

When the man in the gospel reading persisted with his question, Jesus asked him to sell all his possessions, to give the money he would get for them to the poor, and then to follow him. There is no record in the gospels of anyone else being asked to do what Jesus asked of this man. The command of Jesus to sell everything and give it to the poor is only found in this story. The man discovered, to his sadness, that he could not live with the answer he received. For this particular man, the call of Jesus was a bridge too far. Instead of following Jesus, he walked away sad.

I suspect most of us would feel a certain sympathy for this man’s inability to respond to the Lord’s call. We may be aware of times when we ourselves said ‘no’ to some call, when we turned away from some path of life because we sensed it would be too demanding. We are familiar with that sadness that comes when we fail to live in tune with our deepest desires. When we come to a fork in the road, it is not easy to take the road less travelled, even when we know in our heart of hearts that it is the best road for us and for others. Even if we have not been given the precise call that the man in the gospel was given, we recognize the same dynamic at work in our own lives that was at work in his, that tendency to hesitate before some worthwhile call that we know will stretch us.

Often our hesitation before the Lord’s call can come from a feeling that I am not going to be able for this. That may well be the truth. However, when the Lord calls us, he does not leave us to our own abilities. In calling us, he also enables us. That is the meaning of Jesus’ saying in today’s gospel reading, ‘for people it is impossible, but not for God: because everything is possible for God’. When the Lord calls us, he also invites us to rely on the strength that he will give us. Perhaps the rich man found it difficult to trust that the Lord would provide. His initial question could be heard as, ‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus suggests that the emphasis is not to be placed so much on what I do but, rather, on what the Lord can do in us and through us. This is the spirit of today’s responsorial psalm, where the psalmist prays, ‘Lord, give success to the work of our hands’. Responding to the Lord’s call does involve work on our part, but the success of that work has more to do with the Lord than with us. He enables us to do what we cannot do on our own. That is why, like Solomon in today’s first reading, we need to approach our work, our calling, in a spirit of prayer, asking for the wisdom and the strength that only the Lord can give.

And/Or

(iii) Twenty Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

One of the tasks of life for all of us is getting our priorities right. As we go through life we try to clarify for ourselves what really matters and what is less importance. We try to find out what is worth valuing and what is not. In the course of a lifetime we may discover that what we once valued is not so important after all, and we may also discover that what we once dismissed as of no value is truly important. St. Paul made this discovery in the course of his life. Writing to the Philippians he says, ‘Whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ… I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord’. The Jewish law was the highest value in his life until he discovered the person of Christ.

Our desires, our longings, reveal what we it is we truly value. Because our longings often find expression in our prayers, if we are people of faith, very often what we pray for reveals what we value most. In today’s first reading we are given the prayer of King Solomon, as understood by the author of the Book of Wisdom. Here was a man who, because of his position, could have had as many possessions as he wanted. Yet, according to our reading, what he valued more than riches was Wisdom, and it was for this that he prayed. The spirit of Wisdom was of much greater value to him than sceptres, thrones, priceless stones, health or beauty. As leader of a nation, he understood that Wisdom was what he needed more than anything else, and he also recognized that Wisdom was ultimately a gift that came from God - hence the earnestness of his prayer for this gift which he recognized to be of great value.

If our prayers reveal our values, so too at times can our questions. The kinds of questions we ask can indicate what is of greatest value to us. In today’s gospel reading, a man runs up to Jesus and asks him a question, ‘Good master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ His running up to Jesus suggests the urgency of his question. The content of his questions reveals what was of greatest value to him – the gaining of eternal life. Yet, there turns out to be a certain tragic quality to this man. Having asked his burning question, he was unable to live with the answer that Jesus gave: ‘Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor… then come, follow me’.

What Jesus asked of this particular man, he did not ask of everyone who approached him. He called different people in different ways. To a man whom he had released from his demons he said, ‘Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you’. To the leper he cured Jesus said, ‘Get up and go on your way’. The Lord called people in a ways that were appropriate to their situation.

In the case of the man in our gospel reading, Jesus prefaced his call to him by stating, ‘There is one thing you lack’. This particular man lacked a certain detachment. He was overly dependant on his possessions, and Jesus’ call challenged him where he most needed to be challenged, if his deep longing for eternal life was to be satisfied. Having heard the call, the gospel reading tells us that the man went away sad. Jesus’ word to him was alive and active, as today’s second reading declares. It cut into him like a double-edged sword, seeking to separate him from his excessive attachment to his wealth. In response, the man backed away from Jesus’ word. Having run excitedly to Jesus, he walked away in sadness.

There are various forms of sadness. There is the sadness that comes from having to let go of our loved ones in death. This comes to all of us sooner or later. With time we can come to some form of acceptance of our loss, and the sadness lifts. There is also the sadness of the man in the gospel reading today. This is the sadness that comes over us when we fail to follow through on our values, when we do not take the path that in our heart of hearts we want to take, when we live in ways that sell us short and are not in keeping with how we want to live.

What Jesus said to the man in the gospel reading, ‘One thing you lack’, he might be saying to any one of us. There can be a lack in us that blocks us from taking the path that is true to what is best in us and prevents us from responding to the Lord’s call. What the man in the gospel reading lacked was the freedom to let go of his great wealth. Our particular lack may be quite different. We can have all kinds of attachments that hold us back from taking the path the Lord is calling us to take. Like the rich man, there may be something we need to do in order to take the path that leads to life, but we sense a great reluctance in us to do it.

In doing what we need to do we are not left to our own resources. The Lord is there to help us and Jesus assures us that ‘everything is possible for God’. Like Solomon in today’s first reading, we are invited to turn to God in prayer and to ask for whatever help we need to take the path of life.

And/Or

(iv) Twenty Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

We have probably all had the experience of being on the point of heading off to something and, unexpectedly, someone arrives and engages us in serious conversation. We can react negatively to what we see as an interruption of what we should be really doing. The longer the person is with us, the more we feel that time is being lost. My own tendency would always have been to react in that way whenever an unexpected arrival cut across what I had planned to do. However, in more recent times I have come to appreciate a little more that the unplanned can be as important as what I have planned. What we may be inclined to see as interruptions, in reality, may be what is most important. The Lord can be calling out to us through the unplanned more than through what we had planned.

The gospels suggest that Jesus gave his full attention to people who turned up out of the blue, even though many of those around Jesus may have seen such people as cutting across what he really should be doing. In this morning’s gospel reading, we are told that Jesus was setting out on a journey when a man ran up, knelt before him and put the question to him, ‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’ At this point in Mark’s gospel, Jesus is on his way from Galilee to Jerusalem; this was the most important journey of his life. When the gospel reading says that Jesus was setting out on a journey, the evangelist was stating that Jesus intended to journey on further in the direction of Jerusalem. Although the unexpected arrival of this man with his burning question held Jesus back and prevented him from setting out on his planned journey, Jesus gave him his full attention. The present moment was all important to Jesus. What he had planned to do always took second place to the call that was made on him in the here and now. Jesus teaches us to take seriously the call of the present moment. This man who turned up out of nowhere made a call on Jesus, and Jesus responded, even though the call was unexpected and cut across what he had planned. The call of the present moment can take all kinds of unexpected forms for us, and, yet, it is there that the Lord very often meets us and we meet him.

The man made an unexpected call on Jesus, ‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus went on to make an unexpected call, on this man, ‘Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor… then follow me’. There is no other person in Mark’s gospel who receives this particular call from Jesus. This was a call for this man. This was his call of the present moment. This is what the Lord was asking of him here and now. Jesus’ call on this man was as unexpected as this man’s call on Jesus. The man’s reaction to this call of Jesus shows how unexpected it was. Whereas he had run up to Jesus, breathless, with his burning question, ‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’, in response to Jesus’ answer to his question we are told that ‘his face fell at these words and he went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth’. His excited running to Jesus gave way to his sad walk away from Jesus. The call of the present moment was too much for him to hear, and the fruit of his refusal to hear it was a sadness of heart, a heaviness of spirit. He was attached to his possessions; he couldn’t let go of them, even though letting go of them and throwing in his lot wholeheartedly with Jesus was his particular calling in life. In the words of today’s second reading, the call of Jesus, the words Jesus addressed to him, were alive and active, cutting into him like a two-edged sword.

If we approach the Lord, as the man in the gospel did, if we seek out the Lord and enter into a personal relationship with him, he will call out to us too. His particular call to us will probably not be the precise call the man in today’s gospel reading received. However, his call to us will have something in common with that man’s call. It will always be a call to give ourselves more fully to the Lord’s way, and to let go of whatever it is that is holding us back from living according to the values of the gospel that Jesus proclaimed and lived. His call to us will be a call to go and do whatever it is we need to do in order to walk in the Lord’s way more wholeheartedly. There will be moments when we will hear that call very strongly - perhaps when we are least expecting to hear it. If the particular call that the Lord is addressing to us seems daunting, we can find reassurance in the Lord’s words to his disciples in the gospel reading, ‘everything is possible for God’. What we cannot do on our own, we can do with the Lord’s help. The Lord’s grace at work within us can empower us to live as he is calling us to live.

And/Or

(v) Twenty Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

We all ask questions in the course of a week, even a day. Most of these questions get answered and we move on from them. However, there are other bigger questions in life that remain with us all our lives. We never get a full answer to them. These are questions that keep us seeking and asking.

We find one of these big questions on the lips of the man who approached Jesus in today’s gospel reading, ‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’ It is a question we can all identify with, because it is a fundamental human question. In response to the young man’s question, Jesus directs him to his own Jewish religious tradition, to the Ten Commandments, those commandments that concern our relationship with others. Our own religious tradition is the first place we often turn to in trying to answer the big questions of life. Indeed, it is the search for the answer to the big questions of life that has given rise to the various religious traditions in the world. Our own Christian tradition has the capacity to speak to each one of us in a very personal way. The man’s reply to Jesus, ‘I have kept all these’ shows that he was very familiar with his own Jewish tradition and had been faithful to it all his life. However, he still wasn’t fully satisfied. There was a yearning for more in him. He felt a call to deepen his relationship with God. He was asking, ‘What more do I need to do?’ On our own faith journey, we often find ourselves asking a similar question. We sense that perhaps our relationship with the Lord has reached a kind of a plateau and that there is a ‘more’ he is inviting us towards. We feel a kind of spiritual restlessness, an urge to move on in our relationship with the Lord. That sense of restlessness can be a sign that we are spiritually alert and aware, open to the next step on our faith journey that the Lord is asking us to take, even if we are unsure what that next step might be.

In the gospel reading, the man’s running up to Jesus suggests his sense of urgency about taking this next step. He hopes Jesus might help him discover the more that he was looking for. When he declared to Jesus that he had faithfully kept all the commandments since his earliest days, the gospel reading says that ‘Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him’. It is as if Jesus looked into his heart and recognized his goodness and his desire to be an even better person. The Lord relates to each one of us as he related to that man, looking steadily at us out of a deep love for us. He recognizes and values our sincere efforts to live as God is calling us to live, our desire to grow in our response to God’s call. It is the seeking, the striving after, that Jesus values in particular. In one of the beatitudes he declared blessed those who hunger and thirst for what is right. It is the hunger and thirst for what is good and right and loving that Jesus values, even if we struggle at times to attain that for which we hunger and thirst.

It was in response to this man’s longing for more, that Jesus now invites him to take a more generous and demanding step on his faith journey.  Jesus gave him a very personal calling, ‘Sell everything you own, and give the money to the poor… then, come, follow me’. Jesus did not insist that everyone who followed him should sell everything they owned. Mary and Martha who provided hospitality for Jesus were certainly among his followers and Jesus did not ask them to sell their home. The Lord’s general call to live as his disciple takes on a very personal form for each one of us. In so far as we try to listen for that very personal call and try to respond to it we will find that path of life which the man in the gospel was looking for and we are all seeking. Jesus knew that the path that would be truly life giving for this particular man was for him to give away his great wealth and become one of his’ closest disciples, physically following the one who had nowhere to lay his head.

Yet, this proved a step too far for this man, because he was attached to his wealth. He had found his security there, and couldn’t take the step to find his security in the Lord. In response to Jesus’ call, we are told that ‘he went away sad’. Like the man in the gospel, we too can hesitate to take that extra, more generous, more demanding, step on our journey of faith that the Lord may be asking of us. We too can be clinging to something that is holding us back from reaching towards what we really desire in our heart of hearts. Yet, the Lord continues to look upon us with love; he continues to call us, and when we feel discouraged at our lack of progress he says to us what he went on to say to his disciples in the gospel reading, ‘everything is possible for God’. The Lord not only calls but empowers us to answer his call if we rely on him more than on ourselves.

And/Or

(vi) Twenty Eight Sunday in Ordinary Time

As parents known, children are great for asking questions. They have a way of asking big questions in a very unselfconscious way. ‘Where does my cat go when he dies?’ ‘Who made God?’ As adults we continue to ask probing questions, questions of meaning. In today’s gospel reading, a man of great wealth puts one such question to Jesus, ‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’ The importance of this question to him, and his anxiety to have it answered, is suggested by his running up to Jesus and falling at his feet. This was a question that mattered to him. I suspect it matters to all of us. This man of great wealth was clearly a good man. He lived by the values of the Ten Commandments. He took his religious duties seriously. Yet, he sensed that there was something missing in his relationship with God. There was some restlessness in him that led him to put his urgent question to Jesus.

Many of us might feel that we have a lot in common with this man. We may not have his wealth, but, like him, we are probably doing our best to live well. We are trying to live by the values of the gospel. Again like him, there are probably times when we feel that there must be something more to the living of our faith. We can experience that restlessness which makes us ask questions of ourselves, of others, of God. If we do feel such restlessness from time to time, it is a sign that we have remained open to the Lord’s call to us. On one occasion Jesus said, ‘seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you’. People who are open to God’s call will always be seekers; they will always be looking beyond where they are at any particular time. People of faith never cease to ask probing questions; they learn to live with such questions because they are always on the way; they are never fully settled.

The gospel reading tells us that Jesus looked upon the rich man with love and confirmed to him that there was something lacking in his life, just as he had suspected, ‘There is one thing you lack’. Even though this man was lacking his relationship with God, Jesus looked on him with love. The Lord looks on us all with love, even though we may not yet be all he is calling us to be. Jesus went on to issue a challenging call to the man, asking him to sell all his possessions, to give the resultant money to the poor, and then to follow him. There is no record in the gospels of anyone else being asked to do precisely what Jesus asked of this man. The command to sell everything and give it to the poor was this man’s personal calling from the Lord. The man discovered, to his sadness, that he could not respond to this call. Having asked his question, he couldn’t live with the answer he was given. Having run to Jesus with a spring in his step, he walked away sad.

We can all feel some sympathy for this man’s inability to respond to the Lord’s call. Even if we have not been given the precise call from the Lord that this wealthy man was given, the Lord looks upon each one of us with love, and he keeps calling us into a deeper relationship with himself, a fuller following of him. He is always prompting us to go and do something, and to do it today. We may be aware of the times when we said ‘no’ to this call. We may have experienced the sadness that often comes over us when we turn away from some worthwhile path because we sense that it would involve having to let go of something we are clinging to.

Often my hesitation before the Lord’s call to take an extra step can come from a sense that I am not able for this. However, when the Lord calls us, he does not leave us to our own abilities. In calling us, he also enables us. As Jesus says in today’s gospel reading, ‘for people it is impossible, but not for God: because everything is possible for God’. When the Lord calls us, he invites us to rely on the strength that he gives us. The wealthy man in the gospel reading had perhaps come to rely too much on himself, on his own possessions. His initial question could be heard as, ‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus suggests that the emphasis is not to be placed so much on what I must do but, rather, on what the Lord can do in me and through me. This is the spirit of today’s responsorial psalm, where the psalmist prays, ‘Lord, give success to the work of our hands’. Responding to the Lord’s call does involve work on our part, but the success of that work has more to do with the Lord than with us. He enables us to do what we cannot do on our own. From the moment of our baptism his Spirit is at work in our lives. Our baptismal calling is to allow that Spirit to empower and shape us as we follow the Lord’s very personal call to each of us.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

11th August >> Mass Readings (USA)

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

(Liturgical Colour: Green. Year: B(II))

First Reading 1 Kings 19:4–8 Strengthened by that food, he walked to the mountain of God.

Elijah went a day’s journey into the desert, until he came to a broom tree and sat beneath it. He prayed for death, saying: “This is enough, O LORD! Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” He lay down and fell asleep under the broom tree, but then an angel touched him and ordered him to get up and eat. Elijah looked and there at his head was a hearth cake and a jug of water. After he ate and drank, he lay down again, but the angel of the LORD came back a second time, touched him, and ordered, “Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!” He got up, ate, and drank; then strengthened by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 34:2–3, 4–5, 6–7, 8–9

R/ Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth. Let my soul glory in the LORD; the lowly will hear me and be glad.

R/ Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Glorify the LORD with me, let us together extol his name. I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.

R/ Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. When the afflicted man called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him.

R/ Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him and delivers them. Taste and see how good the LORD is; blessed the man who takes refuge in him.

R/ Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Second Reading Ephesians 4:30—5:2 Walk in love, just like Christ.

Brothers and sisters: Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption. All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ. So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation John 6:51

Alleluia, alleluia. I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord; whoever eats this bread will live forever. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel John 6:41–51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven.

The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” and they said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Stop murmuring among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets:

They shall all be taught by God.

Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[ongolecharles]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 Group, Sun Aug 11th, 2024 ... The Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Reading 1

----------

1 Kgs 19:4-8

Elijah went a day's journey into the desert,

until he came to a broom tree and sat beneath it.

He prayed for death saying:

"This is enough, O LORD!

Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers."

He lay down and fell asleep under the broom tree,

but then an angel touched him and ordered him to get up and eat.

Elijah looked and there at his head was a hearth cake

and a jug of water.

After he ate and drank, he lay down again,

but the angel of the LORD came back a second time,

touched him, and ordered,

"Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!"

He got up, ate, and drank;

then strengthened by that food,

he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.

Responsorial Psalm

----------------

Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

I will bless the LORD at all times;

his praise shall be ever in my mouth.

Let my soul glory in the LORD;

the lowly will hear me and be glad.

R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Glorify the LORD with me,

Let us together extol his name.

I sought the LORD, and he answered me

And delivered me from all my fears.

R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Look to him that you may be radiant with joy.

And your faces may not blush with shame.

When the afflicted man called out, the LORD heard,

And from all his distress he saved him.

R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

The angel of the LORD encamps

around those who fear him and delivers them.

Taste and see how good the LORD is;

blessed the man who takes refuge in him.

R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Reading 2

----------

Eph 4:30—5:2

Brothers and sisters:

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,

with which you were sealed for the day of redemption.

All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling

must be removed from you, along with all malice.

And be kind to one another, compassionate,

forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.

So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love,

as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us

as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.

Alleluia

--------

Jn 6:51

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord;

whoever eats this bread will live forever.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

--------

Jn 6:41-51

The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said,

"I am the bread that came down from heaven, "

and they said,

"Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph?

Do we not know his father and mother?

Then how can he say,

'I have come down from heaven'?"

Jesus answered and said to them,

"Stop murmuring among yourselves.

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,

and I will raise him on the last day.

It is written in the prophets:

They shall all be taught by God.

Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.

Not that anyone has seen the Father

except the one who is from God;

he has seen the Father.

Amen, amen, I say to you,

whoever believes has eternal life.

I am the bread of life.

Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;

this is the bread that comes down from heaven

so that one may eat it and not die.

I am the living bread that came down from heaven;

whoever eats this bread will live forever;

and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."

***

FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD

The first reading today picks up a narrative from Kings 18 in which Elijah caused over four hundred prophets of Baal to be slaughtered. King Ahab’s wife, Queen Jezebel, an ardent follower of Baal, heard of this, and wanted Elijah to be killed. Elijah fled into the wilderness. After one day of his journey through rough terrain, Elijah was exhausted, and sought shelter under a tree. He prayed for death; “this is enough, O Lord! Take my life.” He fell asleep. While the fugitive slept, God intervened by sending an angelic messenger, and provided bread and water for Elijah. The message was “eat, drink, and go on with the journey. Elijah responded by going back to sleep. Again, God sent a messenger. Bread and water were provided; the message was, “Go to the holy mountain, Horeb.” Elijah, with renewed energy, walked for forty days and nights to reach the mountain.

How often we hear the phrase “God will provide.” God does come to our aid. We receive what we need to persevere. Sometimes we lack only sustenance. At other times, when we are pressed down, we need more. We seek the sense that God is with us on our journey, and deeply loves us. We can then eat, drink, and be spiritually energized by God’s love as we continue our mission with renewed zeal. We clearly can never live “by bread alone.”

As the responsorial psalm reminds us, we need to “taste and see the goodness of the Lord.” Eat, drink, and go on with our journey to the Lord. The alleluia also reinforces the symbol of our God as the “Living Bread.” “Whoever eats this bread will live forever.”

The second reading allows us to share Paul’s letter to his beloved brothers and sisters in Ephesus. Even though he was persecuted and often imprisoned, Paul provides us with an amazing exhortation to purge ourselves of all bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling... along with malice. The sum of our core mission as Christians is also contained in Paul’s letter: “Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.” We certainly can make these words come alive in our daily actions. We can do this and remain God-loving agents of change in our modern world.

The gospel for this 19th Sunday in ordinary time is profound. Jesus does not couch his message in a parable; he directly tells us who and what he is. He is “the Living Bread that came down from Heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever.” Neither Elijah’s God-given bread nor the manna that fed the Israelites in the desert allowed those who ate it eternal life. Jesus tells us that “The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” May we with this promise and spiritual nourishment continue our journey toward God.

***

【Build your Faith in Christ Jesus on #dailyscripturereadingsgroup 📚: +256 751 540 524 .. Whatsapp】

[hufflepuffhermione]

from the drabble list 23 “I immediately regret this decision.” if you feel like it!!

This got LONG. I know that’s what happens with everything I ever write, but this got long even for me. But I hope you enjoy it. It’s set in the summer between S3 and S4.

The Oval Office is a dangerous place. Life or death decisions are made in the room every day, and a briefly floated idea can quickly become policy before all of the words are even out. One the President has an idea set in his head, it’s difficult to talk him out of it.

Unfortunately for everyone, Toby and Josh fail to recognize the present dangers.

It’s a staff meeting outlining upcoming campaign events and the changes to the policy calendar; nothing out of the ordinary or particularly monumental, but when there’s something to do with national parks, there is always an element of risk.

“Will someone tell me why I’m going to Montana in a few weeks? If I know my electoral math, and I think I do, they’ve got all of three votes and they usually go to the other guy,” President Bartlet says, looking up from behind his reading glasses.

There’s a look exchanged between the senior staff, but Josh swallows and answers. “Sir, it’s the… the opening of Big Sky National Park.”

The President pauses. “That’s not a national park. I would know, I’ve been to all of them.”

Again, more glances. Josh clears his throat awkwardly and continues. “Yes sir, but this is the one that you signed an order to establish a few years ago. In Montana. They’re finally opening it to the public, and you’re going to be there at the opening with the Secretary of the Interior.”

“Ah, right, I did do that,” Bartlet says, smiling. “You know, I do love national parks.”

“We’re aware, sir,” Toby says dryly.

President Bartlet puts down the schedule he’s been looking at and meets Toby’s iron gaze. “Well Toby, tell me? What’s the best national park you’ve been to?”

Toby mutters something under his breath, and when he’s asked to repeat it, his voice takes on an edge. “I’ve never been to one,” he admits.

Mistake number one.

“You’re telling me you’re about to write a speech for me about the glories of the national park system, and you’ve never even been to one?” the President asks incredulously.

“Well, I was going to make Sam do it,” Toby admits.

“What, is this below your pay grade?”

Toby would be rolling his eyes if he weren’t in the Oval Office. “No, sir, but I figured California boy here has been outside a few more times in his life than I have.”

“Is this true, Sam?”

Sam shrugs. “I guess. My parents weren’t really outdoorsy types, but we went to the Grand Canyon once. So I guess I’m ahead of Toby on that score.”

“And the rest of you? Have you all had the opportunity to experience the wonder that is American national parks?”

Josh and CJ glance at each other warily. Leo volunteers the information of a few he’s had a chance to visit, but when the President’s gaze rests on CJ, she stammers, “I made plans to go to Yosemite when I was in grad school, but I… I don’t think I made it there.”

Before the President can comment on CJ’s admission, Josh chimes in. “Frankly, sir, there aren’t any national parks easily accessible from where I’ve lived, so…”

This is mistake number two.

“Nonsense,” the President exclaims. “Shenandoah is just an hour and a half from here! You’ve lived in DC how long and you still haven’t…” He breaks off, and a dangerous smile spreads across his face. “Josh, do you remember when I suggested we take a staff field trip to Shenandoah?”

“I didn’t think you were serious, sir,” Josh replies, gulping.

“I wasn’t then, but if Toby and Sam are going to be writing a speech for me about the wonders of national parks, on the anniversary of the day which, by the way, the National Park Service was established, you really ought to have some experience visiting national parks,” the President says. “Do you all have anything going on this weekend? Doesn’t matter, I can raise it to the level of an executive order and everyone you have to cancel on will just have to deal with it. We’re going on a field trip.”

The door opens behind them, and it’s Donna standing there. “I’m sorry sir, am I interrupting something?”

“Not at all,” Josh answers with relief.

“I just needed Josh for…”

“Donnatella,” the President interrupts, smiling at her. “How would you like to go on a national park expedition?”

Donna looks at him, wide-eyed. “Well, sir, I do appreciate a good national park. I’m not sure I can say no… can I say no?”

And there’s the third mistake.

“Well, Donna, pack your outdoor things, because you’re going camping this weekend,” the President says gleefully. “I’ll get my guys to arrange all of this.”

“Do you need Josh? He’s needed in a meeting with legislative affairs right now,” Donna says. “They only have twenty minutes before the vote.”

Josh immediately stands up as the President waves him off. “You shouldn’t have come in,” he hisses to Donna, as they walk down the hallway towards his office. “You should have just called. You might have avoided getting roped into this nonsense.

“Well, I immediately regret this decision, but… is he serious?”

“He’s started making plans and everything,” Josh says. “But hey, if I’m forced to go camping, at least you’ll be forced to go too.”

Donna rolls her eyes. “You’re a horrible, horrible man.”

“Yeah, but I sign your paychecks.”

“I had plans!” she whines.

Josh laughs as he turns towards his office to pick up a file. “Haven’t you learned never to make weekend plans? And never to indulge the President when he’s in one of these moods?”

“Believe me, I’m regretting all of this.”

—

“As it turns out,” the President says on a Friday morning staff meeting, “I can’t go to Shenandoah. That would require the Secret Service to shut down the whole park, and even then, there’s nothing they can do about the bears.”

An audible sigh of relief falls across the staff, but it doesn’t last long when he continues, “I’ve arranged transportation and reserved a couple of cabins for you all. You’re leaving at 6am sharp tomorrow morning, and they’ll have you back by Sunday night.”

“Sir… is this… serious?” Sam hazards.

“Serious as the deficit,” the President replies with a grin. “You’re going to experience a real national park.”

“And if we just… happened to be sick tomorrow?” Josh asks.

President Bartlet shakes his head and laughs. “I wouldn’t believe you, since you’ve never taken a sick day you weren’t forced to take. I’d send my guys over to your apartment and have them throw you in the van. Face it, Josh, you’re going to see the great outdoors.”

Toby rests his head in his hands. “Please someone just kill me now.”

“Come on, Toby, you’ll love it!”

“Sir, I’m pretty sure I have to brief this weekend, so I think…” CJ begins to argue.

“You have highly competent deputies, let them handle it,” the President deflects. “6am sharp. Be here, or the Secret Service will be making visits to your places. And they do know where you live.”

—

After a two-hour drive which everyone spent asleep, they are unceremoniously deposited at a campsite with a fire pit and two cabins which might generously be described as ‘rustic’. The August heat that has settled over DC is only marginally lessened by elevation.

“Well this is… something,” Sam remarks, taking a peek inside one of the spartan cabins, which contains nothing but wooden bunks and an ancient-looking table.

“There aren’t any bathrooms,” Toby comments with barely restrained fury. “What are we supposed to do, go in the woods?”

Donna shrugs, wondering, once again, how she got roped into this. “That’s how we usually do it when I went camping as a kid. Sometimes they had a bathroom at the site, but it doesn’t look like they do at this one.”

“You’ve been camping?” Josh asks incredulously.

“Yeah. We’d go camping in the Wisconsin Dells most years, and once in a while we’d go to Minnesota or the UP,” Donna replies offhandedly.

“The UP?” Toby asks.

“Upper Peninsula of Michigan,” Sam corrects, always glad to make a geographic contribution.

Josh picks up a large plastic tub that was left with them, filled with camping food, and begins to walk toward one of the cabins. “Well, at least Donna knows what we’re doing.”

“Didn’t you claim to be an outdoorsman?” CJ asks, quirking an eyebrow. “I’d like to see you prove it.”

He drops the tub and rubs his eye. “I mean… I was on some drugs then, so I’m not sure I can be held liable…”

“You were not on any drugs, Josh, or else I wouldn’t have let you have alcohol,” Donna corrects.

“I was on the drug that was being outside after three months of miserable confinement!”

Donna and CJ share a glance. “Well, I think this is the perfect opportunity for you to demonstrate your outdoorsy prowess. You can lead our hike.”

“Hey, no one said anything about hiking!” Josh completely ignores the tub and stalks over to where CJ and Donna are standing with the rest of the supplies, almost tripping over a branch as he does so.

“It’s in the President’s executive order. He set us an agenda,” Donna declares, waving around a piece of paper that does, in fact, include the presidential seal.

“There’s no way he used an actual executive…”

Josh is cut off by Sam, who snatches the paper out of Donna’s hands with a “Let me see that!” He reads the paper quickly, frowning as he does. “Yeah, he wants us to take three different hikes. There are maps attached to it. Also, he’s set some time aside for Toby and I to… extol the virtues of nature and apply it to our speechwriting?”

“And we wonder why nothing gets done in this country!” Toby throws his hands in the air. “I can extol the virtues of nature perfectly well without having to actually…you know… go out in nature!”

Josh takes a look at the schedule over Sam’s shoulder. “He’s really given us specific times to start each hike?”

“Including one at 5:30 in the morning so we can catch the sunrise over the mountains,” Donna notes.

“Well I’d like to catch a few hours of sleep for once.” CJ rolls her eyes and picks up her duffel bag. “Think we can blow this off?”

Sam presses his lips together. “Um… he’s going to know if we do.”

“Why?”

“Because he left the Secret Service agents here to ‘keep an eye on us’,” Sam says, jerking his head toward the van which they came in, which is parked in a clearing in the woods. “Ostensibly it’s so we don’t die when Josh forgets he’s not actually an outdoorsman, but he’s definitely spying on us.”

Josh rubs his forehead and sighs heavily. “You couldn’t have just lied and said you have a great appreciation for national parks, Toby?”

“If I said I’d been to one, he would have interrogated me about it!” Toby shouts. “I was cornered!”

“You were the one who came up with the idea to establish this new national park,” CJ says, nudging Josh’s side, “so I hold you responsible.”

“God help me for winning a political battle and doing some good for the country at the same time,” Josh replies, rolling his eyes. “That was almost three years ago! Why should I have known it would backfire like this?”

Donna sighs heavily and picks up her bag. “I’m seriously regretting coming out here with any of you.”

“If you had just called the Oval instead of coming in…”

“Yeah, yeah,” she says. “CJ, what do you say to the cabin on the right? I looked inside and I think there are fewer bugs in that one.”

“Please,” CJ says. “I’m grateful I have at least one other member of the Sisterhood here.”

Sam and Josh give each other a look. “I guess we’d better move into the bug-infested cabin,” Sam remarks.

“They’re both bug-infested, but the one on the right is just… less bug-infested,” Donna shouts back, as she heads into the small cabin.

“Well, Mr. Outdoorsman,” Sam says to Josh, “what now?”

Josh rubs the bridge of his nose. “If I wasn’t on drugs, I was under the influence of alcohol—which I hadn’t had in three months—so you know, I can’t be held liable for what I said then.”

Sam quirks an eyebrow as he picks up his duffel bag. “You do have a law degree, don’t you?”

“Don’t remind me.”

—

It’s another hour before all of the stuff in moved into cabins and everyone is seated on logs around the unlit fire pit, unsure of what to do next. It’s Donna, naturally, who has a handle on the schedule.

“Now, the President has recommended we do a short hike before the heat of the day really kicks in, and that one takes off from that trailhead over there.” She points toward a small clearing in the woods with a ragged wood sign marking the head. “It leads to a lake, so he suggests taking a dip to cool off before heading back, so maybe put something to swim in here in your daypack.”

Josh furrows his brow. “Wait, wait, wait. We’re not really doing this, are we? Following this ridiculous schedule, doing all these…”

“Just because you can’t follow a schedule doesn’t mean we shouldn’t,” Donna replies. “And do you really want to defy the President of the United States?”

“Well, if he’s making us go hiking… and swimming,” Toby growls. “I told him, I have a healthy appreciation for the outdoors, but I prefer to be far, far away from them.”

Donna stands up. “Well I, for one, am not going to defy the President, and I think when he asks you very specific details about the hikes, you might want to have some answers for him. Come on, the sooner we get started the less heat we’ll have to deal with.”

“Because this isn’t bad enough?” CJ asks, wiping her brow. The humidity is already oppressive even at nine in the morning.

“Come on California girl,” Toby teases, “aren’t you used to this?”

In unison, Sam and CJ respond with, “It’s a dry heat!”

Josh pulls several files out of his backpack, carries them back to the cabin, and sighs. “It’s going to be a long day.”

—

Donna isn’t sure who does the most complaining in the mile and a half hike. Josh probably complains the most audibly, but there’s something to be said for Toby’s constant glares at everything that constitutes nature and Sam’s intentional, hefty sighs at every single step. CJ is quiet about her discontent, but she doesn’t seem particularly happy either.

Perhaps they really did need an opportunity to learn how to appreciate nature.

The hike isn’t all too steep, although you wouldn’t know that from the way Josh and Toby are panting when they finally reach the swimming hole the President indicated in his instructions.

“Here it is,” Donna says with a smile. The water is set up against a cliff edge, and there are thin streams falling over the edge. It’s really an idyllic place, but none of the staffers seem particularly enthralled.

Still, they’re all hot and sweaty, and so Sam pulls off his shirt and wades into the water, and CJ follows. Toby grumbles, but the prospect of cooling off is too great for him to resist.

Donna is about to take a dip when she notices Josh’s hesitation to go in. He sits at the edge, dipping his toes in, but not looking as if he will go any further.

“Don’t want to swim?”

He shrugs. “Someone has to watch our stuff. You know, because of the bears. Or the tourists. They’re probably Republican tourists, in this part of Virginia.”

She looks at him critically. “Josh… Do you know how to swim?”

“I grew up in Connecticut, of course I know how to swim!” he snaps. “I just don’t want to!” There’s sweat beading on his forehead. There’s no way he doesn’t want to swim.

Donna frowns and takes a seat next to him, dipping her toes in as well. “Why not?”

Josh looks straight ahead at his own soaking feet. “I don’t have another shirt in my pack,” he says quietly.

“Well then, take it…” she begins, and then she sees something in his eyes. He’s still self-conscious about his bare chest. She grabs his hand and smiles at him. “It’s fine. I’ve seen it before.”

Josh shakes his head. “They haven’t.”

“They’re not going to care,” Donna assures him. “They were all there. They don’t need an explanation.” She briefly wonders if he ever had to explain it to Amy.

“Yeah,” he says, his face still grim.

She tugs on his sleeve gently. “Anyway, you’re going to be neck-deep in there anyway, so if you dive in fast, no one will even see anything.”

“I guess,” Josh says.

“I’m not going to go in if you don’t, and I really want to go in, so I’ll be rather upset with you if you don’t go in,” Donna threatens.

He lifts an eyebrow. “So this is on me now?”

“It’s your call,” she challenges.

In one smooth motion, he tears off his shirt and pulls Donna up into his arms, holding her against his chest and taking a few steps into the water. She shrieks as he drops her in a deeper part of the swimming hole. “That good enough for you?” he asks with a grin.

“You shouldn’t be doing that,” she chides, although there’s a smile on her face too. “You’re a cruel man.”

He splashes her with quite a bit of force. “You asked for it. I’m just trying to be an outdoorsman.”

--

Sam practically has to be dragged out of the water, but as the sun nears its high point, everyone agrees that they sooner they get back to the camp, the better. They manage to make it back faster, thanks to the downhill slope and Toby’s urgency to get back to something even slightly resembling civilization.

“What’s on the schedule now?” CJ asks through a bite of the pre-packed sandwiches that the President sent with them. A good thing, too, since none of them are fantastic cooks even in normal circumstances, and certainly none of them know how to cook over a fire.

Donna pulls the piece of paper out of her daypack and skims it. “Well, there’s a couple choices until our second hike at 6. Either working on the speech, or as he puts it, taking a Thoreau-like approach to extolling the virtues of nature…”

“He’s really going to put me through all of this and then tell me to emulate Thoreau?” Toby interrupts indignantly. “That pretentious mother—“

Josh raises an eyebrow and cuts Toby off with a, “So how about those of us who are under any circumstances not allowed to touch the President’s speeches?”

“We ask for your input when we need it, Josh, it’s just… you’re not the most eloquent of writers,” Sam tries to say diplomatically. Toby, still fuming, nods in agreement.

Josh rolls his eyes. “I like to be direct. Sue me.”

“See, that kind of attitude in speechwriting is what gets the President sued,” Toby shoots back.

Donna clears her throat, giving a barely concealed glare to the staffers before her. “Anyway, Josh, in answer to your question, he suggested you could take a nap.”

His brow furrowed, Josh lets out a little snort. “A nap? What is this, kindergarten?”

“Sometimes I think so.” This from CJ, who hasn’t managed to get her head out of her hands in several minutes.

“I remember a time when you were extolling the virtues of naps to me,” Donna says sweetly, folding up the schedule and putting it back in her bag.

Josh sighs and leans back into the log he’s sitting against dramatically. “Can everyone please stop using the things I said while I was on many, many drugs that made me kind of loopy against me?”

“Never, mi amor,” CJ says, standing up and patting his shoulder. “I’m going to take advantage of the once chance I’ll ever get in this administration to take a nap. Any interest in joining me, Tobias?” she asks with a smirk.

Toby raises an eyebrow. “No, because I have to emulate a pretentious dick who thought he knew everything about nature because he was living in the backyard of his in-laws.”

“I quite enjoy Thoreau, actually,” Sam begins to interrupt.

“Of course you do,” Toby says with a sigh, pulling out a legal pad and a pen. “Come on, let’s get to writing this. Anybody know anything about national parks?”

“No,” Josh says. “I think that’s why we’re here.”

—

The afternoon passes rather pleasantly to everyone’s surprise. CJ takes her nap, Josh reads through all of the briefing memos he managed to smuggle in, and Toby and Sam bicker over the speech, but there are several pages filled by the time Donna comes out of the cabin, fresh from her own nap, and calls out that it’s almost time for their next hike.

“You’re kidding me, right?” Josh says. “One isn’t enough?”

“There are three, remember. The next one is very early tomorrow morning so we can catch the sunrise. This one is so we can catch the sunset,” Donna replies, thrusting the schedule at him.

Josh shakes his head as he looks it over. “I’m kind of regretting getting this man elected.”

Still, everyone, even Toby manages to traipse through the woods and up get another mountain to get to a west-facing lookout, where the sun is just starting to dip behind the mountains.

“Is this inspiring you?” CJ teases, stretched out on one of the benches at the lookout. The sky really is turning very pretty, the sunset a fiery orange with hints of pink.

Toby shrugs. “I don’t think the colors of a sunset are relevant to this speech, but sure.”

“I have to say, I think the Midwest does sunsets better. All that open sky…” Donna says. She’s seating on the other bench, and Josh is next to her, his arm stretched around the back of the bench and his fingers just barely grazing the top of her shoulder. The distance between them is acceptable, but only just.

“Do you miss it? Wisconsin?”

Donna bites her lip. “Sometimes? Sometimes I’ll think about a walk I used to take, or about the ice cream shop I would always go to with my friends, or about the view from my dorm when I lived on the top floor, and I feel a little bit of homesickness. But then I think about how amazing it is to live here, and how much I’ve accomplished since I left, and well… I can’t say I regret leaving.”

Josh chuckles. “I’m glad you’re here.”

Donna turns back to look at the sunset and hopes that no one notices that her eyes are beginning to water with what could be tears.

—

“Okay, dinner now? I”m starving.” Sam says, when they come back from their sunset expedition to the camp. Darkness is beginning to settle, so they’ve set up a few lanterns, but it still feels incomplete.

“We have hot dogs for roasting,” Donna says. “You know, good camp food.”

“That means we need a fire,” Sam says, exchanging a glance with Josh. “We can do that.”

CJ and Donna share a look of concern. “Last time you tried to start a fire, you almost set the White House ablaze,” CJ says cautiously.

“But we successfully started a fire,” Josh points out. “And if it wasn’t indoors in a fireplace with the flue welded shut, we would have been successful.”

Donna has to give them this. “Okay. Go find some firewood and get it started. I think we’re all starting to get hungry.”

Josh grabs a lantern and gives Donna a grin. “Let’s go, Sam.”

While Donna unpacks the food they were sent for dinner, Josh and Sam come back with arms full of wood, Sam looking the worse for wear with several scratches all over his body and what looks like it could be blood.

“Sam! What happened?” CJ exclaims, looking him over.

“I got into a fight with a blackberry bush,” Sam mutters. So not blood, at least, CJ thinks with a sigh of relief.

Josh drops his armful of wood by the pit. “The bush won.”

“Do you need any bandages or anything? They sent us an extensive first aid kid, because I’m sure they know how clumsy you are.” CJ takes Sam’s armful of wood and kneels down next to Josh. “Show me, how do we do this?”

While Sam washes himself off with a water bottle and pulls out the last few thorns, Josh manages to get a fairly impressive fire going. Donna passes around hot dogs and everyone begins to roast theirs, although Sam drops at least two in the fire. Josh intentionally sets his on fire, charring it until anyone else would regard it as inedible.

Perhaps, they all begin to think as they laugh around the fire, for once able to focus on something besides work, this camping thing isn’t so bad. The stress of the election has been weighing heavily on all of them, but they’ve spent almost a whole day without pondering electoral math or congressional seats.

The fire slowly dies, and once it’s down to only the embers, everyone slowly begins to peel off and say good night.

--

CJ blinks and lets her eyes adjust to the dark before picking up her lantern and padding softly out of the cabin. She would blame her inability to sleep on the nap she took earlier in the day throwing off her schedule, but she knows that’s not the entirety of it.

To her surprise, the fire is still going when she emerges, and there’s someone still seated on a log by it.

“Josh?” she whispers softly, and he turns to face her with the barest trace of a smile.

“Couldn’t sleep?” he asks.

“No. You?”

He shrugs and pokes at the fire with a stick. “Didn’t want to,” he says. “Toby snores.”

“And so you’re just going to spend the whole night out here?”

“Probably.”

“Just because Toby snores?”

Josh doesn’t answer, but CJ turns to look at him and can see the set of his jaw and the tension in his face. And she has an idea of what might be going on.

“Josh, have you been having nightmares lately?” she asks, her voice soft.

She didn’t think his body could show any more tension, but he immediately tenses up even more at her question. “Why would you think that?”

“Because I have, too,” she admits. She can see some of the tension fall away from his shoulders, although he still seems guarded.

“About what?”

CJ bites her lip. “Simon, mostly. Which is ridiculous, I mean, I wasn’t there. And that was three months ago, and I wasn’t even there.”

He reaches out and grabs her hand, squeezing it. “You can easily imagine it though, because you know what it’s like to be shot at,” he concludes.

“Yeah.”

“I don’t. I don’t even remember it, really, and I still have nightmares,” he tells her. “It’s not ridiculous, CJ. Believe me.”

She sighs. “I just… they went away for a while. I thought I was doing better, I thought I was over my grief, and then this last week… well, let’s just say my nap this afternoon as the only time this week I woke up from something other than a nightmare.”

“Well, it was two years to the day a few days ago when we got shot at,” Josh says. “Because I haven’t slept much this week either.”

CJ takes a look at him, his tired eyes and the vulnerability present on his face that so few get to see. She feels privileged to see it. “I hadn’t even thought of that,” she admits, “but I’m sure that doesn’t help.”

“It’ll get better again,” Josh says. “You’ll notice that you’ve gone weeks, even months, without something. The grief never quite goes away, but the fear does.”

“Okay,” she replies, her voice choked up a little. If it were anyone else saying this to her, she’d probably be annoyed, but she knows that Josh speaks from experience and is telling the truth. “So you and I, it’s going to be a sleepless night for the two of us?”

He smiles at her and leans further back against the log. “Claudia Jean, are you propositioning me?”

“Only if you want it,” she teases.

—

Donna doesn’t end up needing the alarm she set on her watch because her internal clock is set to absurdly early mornings anyway. It’s mostly still dark when she gets up, but as she emerges from the cabin, she can see that there’s still a fire going, and that CJ and Josh are in front of it, seating against a log. CJ’s head is resting on Josh’s shoulder. If Donna didn’t know the completely platonic nature of their relationship, she would have been jealous, and even though she knows Josh and CJ see each other as siblings, she still has to bite back a bit of jealousy as she approaches them.

“Hey,” she says, “you two slept out here?”

Josh blinks and looks up at her. “I guess we did sleep,” he says. “I didn’t think we’d manage.”

CJ smiles. “Who knew your shoulder made such a nice pillow?”

He tries to push himself up from the ground and winces. “Well, this log did not,” he says. “Is it really time to get started already?”

“Our sunrise hike awaits,” Donna says, with a look on her face that’s somewhere between a smile and a grimace. “Who’s going to have to wake up Toby and Sam?”

“I say we wake up Sam, and then make him wake up Toby,” Josh says. “I didn’t bring my full-body armor with me.”

—

As it turns out, the sunrise hike is an eight-mile loop, with east-facing lookout about two miles into the trek. Toby, already furious about being woken up, is absolutely fuming at the fact that there are six more miles to go after the sunrise stop. “What kind of a man makes you go on a hike at five in the morning, and then extends It so you’re going to be on this trail all day?”

“I’m finding I don’t hate hiking as much as I thought I did,” Josh says. “But I’m sleep-deprived, so don’t hold that against me.”

“Josh, if you used sleep deprivation as an excuse every time, we’d never be able to call you out for anything you’ve ever said,” CJ points out.

Sam sighs. He’s looking much better now that he’s not covered in blackberry juice, but his arm and leg and the side of his face are still very scratched up. “I just want to take a shower.”

“Ten more hours until they’ll take us home,” Donna says. She doesn’t even have to look at the schedule anymore; her memory is freakishly good sometimes.

They reach a clearing near the top of one of the mountains that has some large rocks and a few benches.  They’re above most of the other elevations around them, so they have a clear view of the sun beginning to peek out over the hills before them.

“We never see sunrises or sunsets,” Donna notes. “I think it’s usually dark when I get to the White House and dark when I leave.”

CJ lets out a laugh and perches on a rock. “That’s when we actually manage to leave.”

Donna reaches into her backpack and hands out granola bars. “Breakfast, anyone?”

“Any coffee?” Josh asks.

“There’s a pot to boil water back at camp and a thing of instant coffee,” Donna says.

He groans. “So none here?”

“You should really try to become a less caffeinated life form.”

“Tried that for three months. Worst three months of my life.”

“Just because of the coffee?”

Josh grabs a granola bar from her and takes a seat on one of the benches. “Because of the gunshot wound, but you know, the lack of coffee didn’t help.”

“Will you just shut up and enjoy the sunrise?” CJ asks. “Because I’m not going to see one for another four years.”

Josh clears his throat after a bite of the granola bar. “You really believe that? We’ve got another four years left in us?”

“The President’s in fighting mode. He won’t back down,” CJ says. “And we’re not going to let him, are we?”

Sam smiles. “Absolutely not.”

Through a bite of his granola bar, Toby mumbles, “Careful about tempting fate.”

“We’re not tempting fate,” CJ says, “but we’re renewing our fight. We’ve been so bogged down in reelection struggles that it feels like we’ve lost sight of what we’re fighting for. But you know what Richie wants to do for places like this?”

“Tear them down,” Toby mutters.

“But Jed Bartlet wants to build them up. Build more of them. Let people come to appreciate the outdoors, to see the sunrise, to protect the natural treasures of this country. If we never get to see the sunrise, we should make sure it’s because we’re working long and hard to ensure that other people have that chance here, and at places like this.” Her voice is beginning to get excited. “And that’s only one of the many reasons we’re fighting to show the voters our vision of America. The one that protects the treasures we have, and seeks to provide the best for our citizens. That’s why we’re fighting from before sunrise to after sunset. So what do we say? Four more years?”

Josh grins and holds up the remaining half of his granola bar in a sort of toast. “Four more years!” he shouts out over the mountains.

There’s a chorus of exclamations that no one but them will ever hear, but as the sun rises, there’s a bit of weariness lifted off of each of them. The last four years have been interminably long and difficult, but they are all instilled with a sense of new energy for what they do.

“So that’s what you’re like on sleep deprivation?” Josh teases CJ, as they leave the clearing and set out on the next part of their hike.

“See why that excuse will never work?”

“Fine, but I still stand by the fact that I said a lot of things on heavy drugs that I didn’t mean.”

“Such as being an outdoorsman?” Donna pipes up.

“See, after this weekend, I think I stand by that one.”

——

The Secret Service takes them all back to the White House, rather than to their apartments, and they’re all directed to the Oval Office, where President Bartlet sits behind the desk expectantly.

“You all made it back in one piece!” he says with delight. “I was sure a bear was going to eat one of you; my money was on Toby.” He takes in Sam’s scratched up face. “Except for you, Sam. What happened there?”

“I fought a blackberry bush, and the bush won,” Sam mumbles.

“You did all the hikes?” the President asks.

Toby grimaces. “Donna forced us to.”

“I knew she’d keep you on track,” he says, and Donna beams in response. “And the speech?”

“Needs revision and typing up, but it’s quite good, if I do say so myself,” Sam says, although Toby shoots him a glare, clearly not as pleased with the quality of writing.

“Excellent, excellent. And you two,” the President says, looking at Josh and CJ, “how did you find it?”

CJ smiles. “Quite enlightening, sir. I’m instilled with a new sense of energy. That said, I’d like to go home and get some sleep.” Josh nods in agreement.

“Yes, yes, of course,” the President says. “But senior staff tomorrow, I’m going to have to hear more. God, I can’t wait to open this new national park.”

They all file out of the Oval Office, but Josh hangs back behind the others and grabs Donna’s arm. “Do you have a ride home?”

“I was going to take the metro,” Donna says. “My car’s on the fritz again.”

He shakes his head. “No, don’t. Not will all that stuff. I’ll give you a ride.”

Donna’s about to protest, especially since he definitely seems too tired to be driving, but she considers it and nods in agreement. At least she can make sure he doesn’t fall asleep at the wheel.

“I’m glad you were there,” he says. “I don’t know if I would have made it through this weekend without you.”

She blushes at the compliment. “I’m sure you would have been fine. After all, you proved that you are, in fact, an outdoorsman.”

“Still,” he says, with a surprising amount of sincerity, “the outdoors is so much more fun with you there.”

[frcanicenjoku]

Homily for the 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B

Working For Peace And Harmony Readings: 1st: Wis 2: 12.17-20; Ps 53; 2nd: Jam 3: 16-4, 3; Gos: Mk 9: 30-37 This brief reflection was written by Fr. Njoku Canice Chukwuemeka, C.S.Sp. He is a Catholic Priest and a member of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans). He is a missionary in Puerto Rico. He is the Parish Priest of Parroquia la Resurrección del Senor, Canóvanas, and the Major…