First Reading: Ephesians 2:19-22
You are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones
and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.
Through him the whole structure is held together
and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;
in him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 19:2-3,4-5
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day,
and night to night imparts knowledge.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth.
Not a word nor a discourse
whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth.
Gospel: Luke 6:12-16
and he spent the night in prayer to God.
When day came, he called his disciples to himself,
and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles:
Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,
James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew,
Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,
Simon who was called a Zealot,
and Judas the son of James,
and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
I was fresh off of a year of a year dedicated to ministry, and found myself stumbling through a dark period of my life. I felt alone and frustrated. The friends I once had were traveling down different paths than the one I had chosen to walk. But a blessing came in that desert. I don’t remember how it happened, but I was invited to join a group of women from my parish. It was small, intimate, and eventually became the standard for my future friendships with women.
We were a group of married women, mothers, and single women. We didn’t all know each other very well when we first met, but we had one common goal that pushed us through the first awkward meetings: our goal was Christ. To know Him, love Him, and spend eternity with Him. We were prepared to walk the path of faith together. We rejoiced over engagements and weddings, we held hands and cried over children lost, we encouraged each other through major life decisions concerning jobs and moves.
A few of us are thousands of miles from each other now. Others are experiencing a distance that comes from the business of jobs and children and spouses and life. But we still call each other “sister.” We built a safe place for each other, my sisters and I. A place where we could point each other to Christ and call each other to a higher standard. A place where we could bring light to our darkness and ask for healing and support.
Today Saint Paul reminds us that like the stones of a building, we would crumble if we did not lean into each other and stand firm on Christ as our foundation. Let us lean into each other. Sister, you are not a stranger here. You are part of His household.
Let us lean into each other.Click to tweet
Are there ways that you are in need of support? Is there someone who needs you?
Jacqueline Skemp is a daughter, sister, wife and mother who endures living in Minnesota after leaving California for her one true love. You can find out more about her here.
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