Eight Sunday in Ordinary Time First Reading: Isaiah 49:14-15 Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me; my LORD has forgotten me." Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 62:2-3, 6-7, 8-9 R. (6a) Rest in God alone, my soul. Only in God is my soul at rest; from him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be disturbed at all. R. Rest in God alone, my soul. Only in God be at rest, my soul, for from him comes my hope. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be disturbed. R. Rest in God alone, my soul. With God is my safety and my glory, he is the rock of my strength; my refuge is in God. Trust in him at all times, O my people! Pour out your hearts before him. R. Rest in God alone, my soul. Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 Brothers and sisters: Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Now it is of course required of stewards that they be found trustworthy. It does not concern me in the least that I be judged by you or any human tribunal; I do not even pass judgment on myself; I am not conscious of anything against me, but I do not thereby stand acquitted; the one who judges me is the Lord. Therefore do not make any judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts, and then everyone will receive praise from God. Gospel: Matthew 6:24-34 Jesus said to his disciples: "No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? So do not worry and say, 'What are we to eat?' or 'What are we to drink?'or 'What are we to wear?' All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil." NAB Rest in God alone, my soul. Rest in the goodness of your heavenly Father. Rest in His tender care. Rest in the truth that He has not forgotten you. Rest in God alone, my soul. Do not worry about your life. Be confident—He will provide. The Father will provide. Rest in God alone, my soul. He knows your thoughts. He knows your feelings. He knows your desires. He knows your every need. Today. Tomorrow. Forever. Rest in God alone, my soul. You are more important than the birds. You are more glorious than the flowers. You are His beloved. Rest in God alone, my soul. Pour out your heart before Him. Sweat. Tears. Blood. You are safe. Rest in God alone, my soul. Be clothed with His beauty. Be fed the Bread of Life. Be quenched by the Living Water. Rest in God alone, my soul. He is not frustrated by your worries. He is not bothered. He is not disappointed. Rest in God alone, my soul. Let Him increase your capacity to receive. Let Him increase your capacity to trust. Let Him increase your capacity to hope. Rest in God alone, my soul. Surrender. Receive. Rest in peace. [bctt tweet="Be quenched by the Living Water."] Pray this poem and welcome Our Lord into your heart. Rose Coleman is a contemplative in action who delights in all things beautiful. Her adventurous heart has traveled many places—from circumnavigating the globe on a ship during college to some years in the convent as a religious sister. Exuberant from her childhood, she is an elementary school teacher who learns so much from her students. You can find out more about her here.

Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time First Reading: Sirach 17:1-15 God from the earth created man, and in his own image he made him. He makes man return to earth again, and endows him with a strength of his own. Limited days of life he gives him, with power over all things else on earth. He puts the fear of him in all flesh, and gives him rule over beasts and birds. He created for them counsel, and a tongue and eyes and ears, and an inventive heart, and filled them with the discipline of understanding. He created in them knowledge of the spirit; With wisdom he fills their heart; good and evil he shows them. He put the fear of himself upon their hearts, and showed them his mighty works, That they might glory in the wonder of his deeds and praise his holy name. He has set before them knowledge, a law of life as their inheritance; An everlasting covenant he has made with them, his justice and his judgments he has revealed to them. His majestic glory their eyes beheld, his glorious voice their ears heard. He says to them, "Avoid all evil"; each of them he gives precepts about his fellow men. Their ways are ever known to him, they cannot be hidden from his eyes. Over every nation he places a ruler, but God's own portion is Israel. All their actions are clear as the sun to him, his eyes are ever upon their ways. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103:13-14, 15-16, 17-18 R. (see 17) The Lord's kindness is everlasting to those who fear him. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him, For he knows how we are formed; he remembers that we are dust. R. The Lord's kindness is everlasting to those who fear him. Man's days are like those of grass; like a flower of the field he blooms; The wind sweeps over him and he is gone, and his place knows him no more. R. The Lord's kindness is everlasting to those who fear him. But the kindness of the LORD is from eternity to eternity toward those who fear him, And his justice toward children's children among those who keep his covenant. R. The Lord's kindness is everlasting to those who fear him. Gospel: Mark 10:13-16 People were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, "Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it." Then he embraced the children and blessed them, placing his hands on them. NAB In my Protestant high school youth group we made bracelets one evening to challenge our thinking on diversity. Our youth minister asked us a series of questions and then we strung a corresponding colored bead, symbolizing different ethnicities, on our strings. The questions were innocent enough: last person with whom you ate lunch, your best friend and the last phone call you made, among others. At the conclusion of the activity, I was horrified. I tried desperately to hide my almost completely white bracelet until I realized most everyone’s in the room looked the same. Ten years later, as a volunteer youth minister, I repeated the activity with our youth group. But this time, the bead colors corresponded with different religions. As a convert to Catholicism, I immediately got questions from the teenagers on my multi-colored bracelet, compared to their uni-colored ones. They were so very intrigued how I could be Catholic and yet have so many friends and acquaintances who weren’t. My response was sincere: “I’m not from here.” Had it not been for a long series of friendships and encounters with the Catholic faith throughout my childhood and college years, I might never have joined the Catholic church. Those friends—and that really cute boy with blue eyes—decided to take a chance on me. They decided to answer my questions about Catholicism, invite me into church to take part in the liturgy and encourage me to learn more. They gave me books and answers, led me to great priests and prayed with me. How many times has a friend brought someone of a different faith, or no faith at all, into your inner circle and you rebuked them? You brushed them away as insignificant, like the disciples did to the children in today's Gospel. Perhaps you deemed them not worthy? After all, they don't fit the criteria of someone God could love. Have you seen their list of sins? [bctt tweet="Don’t be so quick to tell God whom He can and can’t love. // @kwhitaker96"] Don’t be so quick to tell God whom He can and can’t love. Sometimes, when you take a chance on love, God transforms your heart in a way that’s bigger than you can imagine. Kathryn Whitaker and her husband, Scott, have 6 awesome kids, teen to toddler. She is a former public relations consultant turned freelance graphic designer, party planner, organizer, and preemie advocate who hails from the Lone Star state. You can find out more about her here.

Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time First Reading: Sirach 6:5-17 A kind mouth multiplies friends and appeases enemies, and gracious lips prompt friendly greetings. Let your acquaintances be many, but one in a thousand your confidant. When you gain a friend, first test him, and be not too ready to trust him. For one sort is a friend when it suits him, but he will not be with you in time of distress. Another is a friend who becomes an enemy, and tells of the quarrel to your shame. Another is a friend, a boon companion, who will not be with you when sorrow comes. When things go well, he is your other self, and lords it over your servants; But if you are brought low, he turns against you and avoids meeting you. Keep away from your enemies; be on your guard with your friends. A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure. A faithful friend is beyond price, no sum can balance his worth. A faithful friend is a life-saving remedy, such as he who fears God finds; For he who fears God behaves accordingly, and his friend will be like himself. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 119:12, 16, 18, 27, 34, 35 R. (35a) Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands. Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes. R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands. In your statutes I will delight; I will not forget your words. R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands. Open my eyes, that I may consider the wonders of your law.R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands. Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous deeds. R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands. Give me discernment, that I may observe your law and keep it with all my heart. R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands. Lead me in the path of your commands, for in it I delight. R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands. Gospel: Mark 10:1-12 Jesus came into the district of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds gathered around him and, as was his custom, he again taught them. The Pharisees approached him and asked, "Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?" They were testing him. He said to them in reply, "What did Moses command you?" They replied, "Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her." But Jesus told them, "Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate." In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this. He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery." NAB After the Roman Empire legalized Christianity in the 4th century, the Church was finally able to come out from underground and make some things official. Important things, like what constitutes the Bible. And they did. In 367 AD, Saint Athanasius presented a complete list of the 27 books of the New Testament. These, along with the 46 books of the Old Testament were affirmed as the official canon of Sacred Scripture for the Catholic Church by the synod of Hippo in 393. While there have been occasional discussions of possible changes over the years, the books of the Bible have remained unaltered from then until now. For us. But. In 1534, Martin Luther, a former Catholic priest who had been excommunicated in 1521, published a new translation of the Bible that was noteworthy. It grouped seven books of the Old Testament out of their traditional order and labeled them as non-canonical or apocryphal. Today, these seven books are left out of Protestant Bibles completely. And why am I telling you this today? Because one of those books is Sirach. And it just breaks my heart to know that our Protestant sisters are being denied the depth and beauty of this book of wisdom. It’s my favorite book of the Old Testament. (And not JUST because my now-husband was considering the priesthood when we first met, did the old finger-on-a-random-page-of-the-Bible thing, and landed on Sirach 26: “Happy the husband of a good wife.” #whew) Just look at the timeless yet timely nature of today’s reading. Joshua ben Sirach is a guy who understands human nature and, somehow, also the particular challenges of modern friendship. Amassing followers on social media and contacts in my phone is not the same thing as nurturing that faithful friend Sirach talks about. There’s nothing wrong with the former, but the latter is what really counts. As someone who tends towards radical openness on my blog and social media, I have to do regular sanity checks to make sure I’m honoring my deep friendships. The godmother of my sixth child should not have to find out that I’m expecting my ninth via . . . Instagram. (Totally my bad. She knows I’m sorry.) Though my acquaintances are many, my true confidants are few. As Sirach advises, I keep away from my enemies (there’s an unfollow for that), and trust new friends slowly, then wholeheartedly. I am so grateful for the handful of faithful, God-fearing women upon whom I can count to share meals and baby gear and congratulations on blessings we aren’t always expecting, and to be together in times of disappointment. Because sometimes those thumbs-ups or crying-with-laughters or sobbing-faces are just better in person. [bctt tweet="Be open to new sisterhood. // @kendra_tierney"] Are you looking to cultivate those in-person relationships? Ask a new friend out for coffee and see how it goes. Host a Blessed Brunch (potluck, don't worry!) in your home. Be open to new sisterhood. Kendra Tierney is wife to a good man and mother to eight pretty good kids. Together they are fixing up a tumbledown hundred year old house. She's a writer, and a blogger, and a graphic designer, and a homeschooler, and a regular schooler. Her word art is available here. Her book, A Little Book About Confession for Children, is available here. Find out more about her here.

Memorial of Saint Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr First Reading: Sirach 5:1-8 Rely not on your wealth; say not: "I have the power." Rely not on your strength in following the desires of your heart. Say not: "Who can prevail against me?" or, "Who will subdue me for my deeds?" for God will surely exact the punishment. Say not: "I have sinned, yet what has befallen me?" for the Most High bides his time. Of forgiveness be not overconfident, adding sin upon sin. Say not: "Great is his mercy; my many sins he will forgive." For mercy and anger alike are with him; upon the wicked alights his wrath. Delay not your conversion to the LORD, put it not off from day to day. For suddenly his wrath flames forth; at the time of vengeance you will be destroyed. Rely not upon deceitful wealth, for it will be no help on the day of wrath. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 AND 6 R. (40:5a) Blessed are they who hope in the Lord. Blessed the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked Nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent, But delights in the law of the LORD and meditates on his law day and night. R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord. He is like a tree planted near running water, That yields its fruit in due season, and whose leaves never fade. Whatever he does, prospers. R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord. Not so the wicked, not so; they are like chaff which the wind drives away. For the LORD watches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked vanishes. R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord. Gospel: Mark 9:41-50 Jesus said to his disciples: "Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward. "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the Kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. "Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid, with what will you restore its flavor? Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another." NAB In college, the religious sister who taught our Catechetics classes would frequently warn us saying, "Beware of the millstone" in reference to this Gospel. She wanted us to understand the gravity of working with students and instructing others in the faith in whatever teaching or religious education field we would find ourselves working. Although we would kind of laugh at the dark yet somewhat humorous reference she made to this Scripture, she was talking about something serious. Our responsibility is so great and we need to "beware of the millstone." It's hard to talk about sin. I think we'd often like to overlook it. It feels easier to just avoid it or say it doesn't really exist or that whatever it is is really not so bad. But in today's Gospel Jesus is speaking strongly to us. He's telling us that sin is real and the consequences and ripple effects are great. We can't just tolerate everything and say everything is fine and ok. I'm wondering if there is something in your life that you have been tolerating that is causing you to sin. What is one thing you have been putting up with but really need to cut off? Don't literally go and cut off your feet and hands, but perhaps there are some situations that have been causing you to take steps down a rocky path or there are things you are holding onto that need to be put aside. Maybe a guilty pleasure that's really not so beneficial to you? An attitude of criticism or negativity that's bringing you and others around you down? A group of friends that don't build you up? A relationship that is not leading you closer to God? The imagery of today's Gospel is strong and vivid. Jesus is telling us that it would be better to be physically crippled, maimed and blind than to be crippled by the effects of sin. Our thoughts, words and actions have weight and great consequences. And it starts with cutting off those little things that are not supporting our journey and making little adjustments towards fullness of life. Let's not delay our conversion to the Lord. [bctt tweet="What is one thing you have been putting up with but really need to cut off?"] Mama Mary, sinless Virgin, gently open our eyes to see the areas of our life that need to shift. Help us to have courage to change, so that we may turn towards the abundant life and fullness of joy that your Son is offering to us today. Wrap us in your mantle and show yourself a loving mother to us. In Jesus' name. Amen. Mary Catherine Craige is a lover of creativity and learning new things. You can often find her behind her harp, taking an art class, or writing in her journal. You can find out more about her here.

Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle First Reading: 1 Peter 5:1-4 Beloved: I exhort the presbyters among you, as a fellow presbyter and witness to the sufferings of Christ and one who has a share in the glory to be revealed. Tend the flock of God in your midst, overseeing not by constraint but willingly, as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly. Do not lord it over those assigned to you, but be examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 23:1-3A, 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. 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. Gospel: Matthew 16:13-19 When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." NAB Today we celebrate the Feast of the Chair of Peter. There is an actual chair—a physical seat—in the Vatican that is called the Chair of Peter. The feast is about more than a seat, though. Pope Benedict XVI reminded us that celebrating the Chair of Peter is “a very ancient tradition, proven to have existed in Rome since the fourth century. On it we give thanks to God for the mission he entrusted to the Apostle Peter and his Successors.” When Jesus asks Saint Peter who he thinks He is, Peter tells Him that He is the Messiah. Jesus responds with authority, grabbing Peter by his faith, and declaring him to be the rock upon which Christ’s Church will be built. Further, He promises Peter that the gates of hell will never prevail against the Church. God makes a promise to Peter and to us. The Church will be triumphant. God will see that it is triumphant. Jesus tells Peter (and us) that He will build His Church. Peter doesn’t have to do it under his own power. The Holy Spirit lays the rock solid foundation of the Church in that moment. Christ makes Peter the first Pope, and Peter accepts the mission of teacher and apostle. Peter will do Christ’s work on earth, the first of an unbroken line of apostolic succession, each man empowered by the Holy Spirit to continue building the Church and bringing the Gospel. Remember, in the First Reading, Peter tells his priests to tend to their flocks. And the flock? We, the people that they shepherd? What do we do? We pray for our Pope. We pray for our priests. [bctt tweet="God makes a promise to Peter and to us. The Church will be triumphant. // @elizabethfoss"] Today, as you celebrate the feast, reach out to the priest who builds up the church in your small corner of the world every day. Invite him for a meal. Bring a loaf of bread. Remind him of your prayers. Elizabeth Foss is a wife, the mother of nine, and a grandmother. She finds the cacophony of big family imperfection to be the perfect place to learn to walk in the unforced rhythms of grace. You can learn more about her here.

Tuesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time First Reading: Sirach 2:1-11 My son, when you come to serve the LORD, stand in justice and fear, prepare yourself for trials. Be sincere of heart and steadfast, incline your ear and receive the word of understanding, undisturbed in time of adversity. Wait on God, with patience, cling to him, forsake him not; thus will you be wise in all your ways. Accept whatever befalls you, when sorrowful, be steadfast, and in crushing misfortune be patient; For in fire gold and silver are tested, and worthy people in the crucible of humiliation. Trust God and God will help you; trust in him, and he will direct your way; keep his fear and grow old therein. You who fear the LORD, wait for his mercy, turn not away lest you fall. You who fear the LORD, trust him, and your reward will not be lost. You who fear the LORD, hope for good things, for lasting joy and mercy. You who fear the LORD, love him, and your hearts will be enlightened. Study the generations long past and understand; has anyone hoped in the LORD and been disappointed? Has anyone persevered in his commandments and been forsaken? has anyone called upon him and been rebuffed? Compassionate and merciful is the LORD; he forgives sins, he saves in time of trouble and he is a protector to all who seek him in truth. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40 R. (see 5) Commit your life to the Lord, and he will help you. Trust in the LORD and do good, that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security. Take delight in the LORD, and he will grant you your heart's requests. R. Commit your life to the Lord, and he will help you. The LORD watches over the lives of the wholehearted; their inheritance lasts forever. They are not put to shame in an evil time; in days of famine they have plenty. R. Commit your life to the Lord, and he will help you. Turn from evil and do good, that you may abide forever; For the LORD loves what is right, and forsakes not his faithful ones. R. Commit your life to the Lord, and he will help you. The salvation of the just is from the LORD; he is their refuge in time of distress. And the LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him. R. Commit your life to the Lord, and he will help you. Gospel: Mark 9:30-37 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. For 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." NAB An incessant to-do list runs in the back of my mind, and I’m constantly finding myself flitting from one task to another. Even pausing to enjoy entertainment is a struggle against the pull to be useful, so typically you’ll find me folding laundry while watching TV or scrubbing dishes as I listen to a podcast. Kill two birds with one stone, right? Our culture’s blaring message of BE PRODUCTIVE and TAKE ACTION are constantly nagging me. In and of themselves, they aren’t bad, but when my accomplishments define my value and vocation, that’s when I know something is wrong. The disciples in today’s Gospel heard Jesus tell them He is going to be killed, and they don’t quite understand it. Instead of waiting or even asking for clarification, they move to the pro-active position of planning. Which one of them is the greatest? Who can take the job from here? I get this—I am a planner. Give me a problem, and I will start coming up with solutions, ways we can work this out, where to focus next. Jesus surprises them with how He wants them to approach it. Instead of leadership and procedure, He encourages them to be servants to one another, to receive children into their midst. His plan for the future asks them to BE and not Do. This doesn’t require us to abandon the responsibilities that need to be done, but we should ask ourselves . . . what is my motivation behind this action? Are these things helping me to cultivate the heart of Christ? Our good deeds are so much more when submitted to the will of Christ. I know I sometimes need to stop doing and solely listen. Am I willing to be still and ask Him what the plan is? Our value is in who we are created to be, not in what we do. [bctt tweet="Our value is in who we are created to be, not in what we do."] Contemplate her wise words: “The world doesn't need what women have; it needs what women are.”~Saint Edith Stein Sarah Ortiz is a Catholic convert, and when not folding laundry, she can be found reading, experimenting in the kitchen, or writing at her blog. You can find out more about her here.

Monday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time First Reading: Sirach 1:1-10 All wisdom comes from the LORD and with him it remains forever, and is before all time The sand of the seashore, the drops of rain, the days of eternity: who can number these? Heaven's height, earth's breadth, the depths of the abyss: who can explore these? Before all things else wisdom was created; and prudent understanding, from eternity. The word of God on high is the fountain of wisdom and her ways are everlasting. To whom has wisdom's root been revealed? Who knows her subtleties? To whom has the discipline of wisdom been revealed? And who has understood the multiplicity of her ways? There is but one, wise and truly awe-inspiring, seated upon his throne: There is but one, Most High all-powerful creator-king and truly awe-inspiring one, seated upon his throne and he is the God of dominion. It is the LORD; he created her through the Holy Spirit, has seen her and taken note of her. He has poured her forth upon all his works, upon every living thing according to his bounty; he has lavished her upon his friends. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 93:1AB, 1CD-2, 5 R. (1a) The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty. The LORD is king, in splendor robed; robed is the LORD and girt about with strength. R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty. And he has made the world firm, not to be moved. Your throne stands firm from of old; from everlasting you are, O LORD. R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty. Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed: holiness befits your house, O LORD, for length of days. R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty. Gospel: Mark 9:14-29 As Jesus came down from the mountain with Peter, James, John and approached the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes arguing with them. Immediately on seeing him, the whole crowd was utterly amazed. They ran up to him and greeted him. He asked them, "What are you arguing about with them?" Someone from the crowd answered him, "Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a mute spirit. Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so." He said to them in reply, "O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him to me." They brought the boy to him. And when he saw him, the spirit immediately threw the boy into convulsions. As he fell to the ground, he began to roll around and foam at the mouth. Then he questioned his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" He replied, "Since childhood. It has often thrown him into fire and into water to kill him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." Jesus said to him, "'If you can!' Everything is possible to one who has faith." Then the boy's father cried out, "I do believe, help my unbelief!" Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering, rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it, "Mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!" Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out. He became like a corpse, which caused many to say, "He is dead!" But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up. When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private, "Why could we not drive the spirit out?" He said to them, "This kind can only come out through prayer." NAB This Gospel stirs within me an impossible ache. I ache for the boy and his battered body. I ache for his father, desperate to help the son he so loves. I ache for the realness of the Divine Physician, who takes the boy by the hand and makes him whole. I ache with questions, desperate for understanding and direction. Like the woman who hemorrhaged for twlve years, my body is riddled with pain and dysfunction. I'm prisoner to a chronic illness in which I am just well enough to look and act like a healthy person to the outside world . . . but behind closed doors I am crushed by pain day after day. For over fifteen years I’ve cried out in the presence of my inner circle, begged God for mercy and healing like the boy's father in today's Gospel: Please, Jesus. Please! I believe! Help my unbelief! I rejoice for the boy today. I feel the epic relief and tears of thanksgiving streaming down his father’s face. I behold the compassion of the Divine Healer. And I stand with the Apostles in their frustration, their questioning, asking, "Why couldn't we do more?!" I ask the same of Jesus now—agonizing over my next step, wondering in woeful resignation, what more can be done? And yes, I’m tempted in my aching desperation to believe the lie that if the Divine Healer was willing to heal this boy upon first request, it must be that He doesn't doesn’t care to answer me as I utter my millionth whispered plea for His healing hand. But the truth rooted deep within insists that He sees. He hears. And truly, He is here now. Even if I’m not met with the immediate answer of physical healing, He still reaches out and takes my hand in His. Whether it's to take action or to walk with me in solidarity, He is holding me in the same compassion He he held that suffering boy. Maybe answers and effective treatment will come with the next appointment. Maybe Divine healing still waits down the road. Maybe my healing is not meant to be one of a withering body, but a cleansing of the soul. Or maybe, my mind is too small to even consider what God has in mind. That’s the ringer. Some knowledge is reserved for Him alone. Sometimes we’re too spiritually immature; sometimes He knows we won’t be able to see the big picture enough to understand. We’re not meant to have all the answers. So I continue to ache, but with hope—with reassurance that He hears, He is here, and that as I continue to ask boldly like the boy’s Father, God will answer in His way, and indeed at the right time. [bctt tweet="The truth rooted deep within insists that He is here now. // @PosImperfect"] Are you stuck in a time of waiting? Do you feel like God doesn't hear? Tell Him now that you believe He is here and listening, then and boldly ask again for His guidance—knowing that He will answer in His way, and help our disbelief if we truly seek to believe. Megan Hjelmstad is a wife, mom, writer, and sometimes soldier whose real passion is equal parts faith and chocolate. You can find out more about her here.

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time First Reading: Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18 The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them: Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy. "You shall not bear hatred for your brother or sister in your heart. Though you may have to reprove your fellow citizen, do not incur sin because of him. Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against any of your people. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD." Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13 R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful. Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all my being, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. R. The Lord is kind and merciful. He pardons all your iniquities, heals all your ills. He redeems your life from destruction, crowns you with kindness and compassion. R. The Lord is kind and merciful. Merciful and gracious is the LORD, slow to anger and abounding in kindness. Not according to our sins does he deal with us, nor does he requite us according to our crimes. R. The Lord is kind and merciful. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him. R. The Lord is kind and merciful. Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:16-23 Brothers and sisters: Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy. Let no one deceive himself. If any one among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool, so as to become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God, for it is written: God catches the wise in their own ruses, and again: The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you, Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or the present or the future: all belong to you, and you to Christ, and Christ to God. Gospel: Matthew 5:38-48 Jesus said to his disciples: "You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand over your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow. "You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." NAB Construction of the first temple took place under the rule of King Solomon. Before it was built, the priest Levites made the required sacrifices to God on an altar that dwelt in a tent. Yet, God’s people were unfaithful and the temple was destroyed by their conquerors when the Israelites were exiled to Babylon. After 70 years of exile, King Darius of Persia and ruler of Babylon decreed that the temple would be rebuilt and sent the prophet Ezra and hundreds of other learned Israelites back to Jerusalem so that the people could rightly worship the God of Israel according to their Law. The rebuilding of the temple was a Big Deal. Only with the temple intact could the Israelites offer proper and fitting sacrifices to God according to the law that He gave them. Without that temple there was no sacrifice and no atonement for their sins. Things look a little bit different in the New Testament. Through Jesus’ Sacrifice of Himself on the Cross there is no longer need for the temple in Jerusalem. The promises of the Old Testament had been fulfilled in Christ; the Old Covenant was made New. Christ established a new temple in His Body, and He established the Church to be His Body on Earth. In Saint Paul’s theology, as we see in 1 Corinthians, the temple of the Church is threefold: the universal Church, the local churches, and the individual Christian. While the event of Calvary has already occurred in history, the temple of the Church is still a place for sacrifice. Every Holy Mass makes present Christ’s redeeming Sacrifice; it is represented in our current time and the graces of Heaven are poured out upon us. But that is not all. Every moment of even the slightest suffering that we bear, we can unite to His One Sacrifice. We can choose in our daily lives to habitually participate in Christ’s One Sacrifice, and through His suffering our suffering can bring grace into our lives and the lives of those for whom we pray. For we are temples of God, and as temples, we are a place of sacrifice. In the Gospel today Christ asks of us some very hard things: turn the other cheek, give away your cloak, go the extra mile, give to the one who asks of you, and love your enemies. These decisions are sacrifices. These choices unite us to Christ. [bctt tweet="Every moment of even the slightest suffering that we bear, we can unite to His One Sacrifice."] Starting today, work to develop a habit of uniting your spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical sufferings to Christ crucified, and you will find grace. Susanna Spencer once studied theology and philosophy, but now happily cares for her three adorable little girls, toddler boy, and her dear husband in Saint Paul. She loves beautiful liturgies, cooking delicious meals, baking amazing sweets, reading good books, raising her children, casually following baseball, and talking to her philosopher husband. You can find out more about her here.

Saturday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time First Reading: Hebrews 11:1-7 Brothers and sisters: Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. Because of it the ancients were well attested. By faith we understand that the universe was ordered by the word of God, so that what is visible came into being through the invisible. By faith Abel offered to God a sacrifice greater than Cain's. Through this, he was attested to be righteous, God bearing witness to his gifts, and through this, though dead, he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was found no more because God had taken him. Before he was taken up, he was attested to have pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please him, for anyone who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. By faith Noah, warned about what was not yet seen, with reverence built an ark for the salvation of his household. Through this, he condemned the world and inherited the righteousness that comes through faith. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 145:2-3, 4-5, 10-11 R. (see 1) I will praise your name for ever, Lord. Every day will I bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever. Great is the LORD and highly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable. R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord. Generation after generation praises your works and proclaims your might. They speak of the splendor of your glorious majesty and tell of your wondrous works. R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord. Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD, and let your faithful ones bless you. Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom and speak of your might. R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord. Gospel: Mark 9:2-13 Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, "Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; then from the cloud came a voice, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." Suddenly, looking around, the disciples no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them. As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant. Then they asked him, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" He told them, "Elijah will indeed come first and restore all things, yet how is it written regarding the Son of Man that he must suffer greatly and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him." NAB Last month, my father-in-law passed away unexpectedly. In the days after his death, as we prepared an obituary and looked through photos and documents and newspaper clippings from his eighty-four years, I found myself revisiting some old questions. How do you capture an individual’s legacy? What does it mean to live a good life? My father-in-law lived a good life, I’d say; he worked hard, gave countless hours to the community, loved his wife of fifty-four years, and raised three children who, each in their own way, make the world a better place. And as we hear from people who knew Bob at different moments of his life, we have the joy of hearing stories we did not know. We gain a more complete picture of all the ways that his good life enriched others. We hear about little acts of service and courtesy that inspire us to do the same. The First Reading addresses the idea of legacy. Abel gave freely and generously, and God bears witness to his gifts. “Through this, though dead, he still speaks,” we read. This line resonates with me. Our bodies end in death, with a funeral and a grave marker. In a larger sense, though, even this end does not silence us. We continue to speak even after death by what we did while we were alive. The teacher’s students pass along the lessons she taught. The mother’s children grow and have children of their own. The writer’s words are read long after her death. The activist’s efforts touch generations she will never meet. The gardener’s landscapes bloom and grow year after year, spring after spring. And the little moments of our daily lives—those moments where we choose kindness over selfishness, where we make sacrifices for our family, where we nurture the confidence and faith of others—those speak, too. Those interactions may seem like nothing, but they are often the first stories that we hear when a loved one dies, recounted in condolence cards and shared at memorial services. “She always greeted me with a smile,” someone says. “She helped me out of a pinch.” “She was the best neighbor you could imagine.” “She could make me laugh like no one else could.” Our lives speak, long after our mouths no longer can. What will your life say? [bctt tweet="Our lives speak, long after our mouths can no longer."] Think of someone you love who has died. Reflect on how his or her life still speaks, through you or through others. Ginny Kubitz Moyer is a mother, high school English teacher, and BBC period drama junkie. She is the author of Taste and See: Experiencing the Goodness of God with Our Five Senses and Mary and Me: Catholic Women Reflect on the Mother of God. Ginny lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, two boys, and about thirty thousand Legos. You can find out more about her here.

Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time First Reading: Genesis 11:1-9 The whole world spoke the same language, using the same words. While the people were migrating in the east, they came upon a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there. They said to one another, "Come, let us mold bricks and harden them with fire." They used bricks for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and so make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered all over the earth." The LORD came down to see the city and the tower that they had built. Then the LORD said: "If now, while they are one people, all speaking the same language, they have started to do this, nothing will later stop them from doing whatever they presume to do. Let us then go down and there confuse their language, so that one will not understand what another says." Thus the LORD scattered them from there all over the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the speech of all the world. It was from that place that he scattered them all over the earth. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33:10-11, 12-13, 14-15 R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own. The LORD brings to nought the plans of nations; he foils the designs of peoples. But the plan of the LORD stands forever; the design of his heart, through all generations. R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own. Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he has chosen for his own inheritance. From heaven the LORD looks down; he sees all mankind. R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own. From his fixed throne he beholds all who dwell on the earth, He who fashioned the heart of each, he who knows all their works. R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own. Gospel: Mark 8:34—9:1 Jesus summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? What could one give in exchange for his life? Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this faithless and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels." He also said to them, "Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the Kingdom of God has come in power." NAB Where is your pain? How long have you been in pain? Can you describe the pain? Pause, wait, translate. I am a dentist for a community dental health center in the heart of a Spanish-speaking community in Oakland, California. Most of my patients speak little to no English and have had limited access to dental care throughout their life. I am proud to serve them. I am grateful that I get to improve their health in any way that I can. But I don't speak their various languages fluently. After four years of high school Spanish and limited practice on my part, I rely on my assistants to help me translate throughout my appointments. While contemplating today’s First Reading, I immediately thought, Now, THAT would be useful! If we all spoke the same language, that would be mighty handy. Too bad we don’t . . . . As I continued thinking and praying over the Scripture, I wondered why the Lord had scattered the people and took away their ability to understand one another. Pssh, that’s not helpful, Lord. But wait, isn’t it though? After thinking on it for a while, I came to realize that of course there was a purpose to confusing their language. And of course He would want them to stop building this city. Their city. The Lord knew it would not be "a nation whose God is the Lord” but one built upon the hubris of man and on a foundation that could crumble. Instead, in all His wisdom and graces, He confused our speech in order to drive us to Jesus, our unfailing dictionary. He does not want us to make a name for ourselves, but longs for us to lose our lives for His sake alone. Instead of relying on ourselves completely, we must turn to the universal truth of His Word. We head to Jesus translate dot com and search for meaning and truth and His kingdom. So yes, Your wisdom prevails, Lord! [bctt tweet="He longs for us to lose our lives for His sake alone. // @Substance_Soul"] Are you proud of being self-sufficient and not needing God to help you make sense of your life? I promise it will actually all make more sense if you rely on Him for translation! Samantha Aguinaldo-Wetterholm is a wife, mom of two, and dentist currently living in The Bay Area, California. You can find out more about her here.

Thursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time First Reading: Genesis 9:1-13 God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them: "Be fertile and multiply and fill the earth. Dread fear of you shall come upon all the animals of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon all the creatures that move about on the ground and all the fishes of the sea; into your power they are delivered. Every creature that is alive shall be yours to eat; I give them all to you as I did the green plants. Only flesh with its lifeblood still in it you shall not eat. For your own lifeblood, too, I will demand an accounting: from every animal I will demand it, and from one man in regard to his fellow man I will demand an accounting for human life. If anyone sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; For in the image of God has man been made. Be fertile, then, and multiply; abound on earth and subdue it." God said to Noah and to his sons with him: "See, I am now establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you: all the birds, and the various tame and wild animals that were with you and came out of the ark. I will establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all bodily creatures be destroyed by the waters of a flood; there shall not be another flood to devastate the earth." God added: "This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come, of the covenant between me and you and every living creature with you: I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth." Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 102:16-18, 19-21, 29 AND 22-23 R. (20b) From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth. The nations shall revere your name, O LORD, and all the kings of the earth your glory, When the LORD has rebuilt Zion and appeared in his glory; When he has regarded the prayer of the destitute, and not despised their prayer. R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth. Let this be written for the generation to come, and let his future creatures praise the LORD: "The LORD looked down from his holy height, from heaven he beheld the earth, To hear the groaning of the prisoners, to release those doomed to die." R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth. The children of your servants shall abide, and their posterity shall continue in your presence, That the name of the LORD may be declared in Zion, and his praise, in Jerusalem, When the peoples gather together, and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD. R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth. Gospel: Mark 8:27-33 Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi. Along the way he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" They said in reply, "John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets." And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter said to him in reply, "You are the Christ." Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him. He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. He spoke this openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." NAB Be fertile and multiply and fill the earth. That one line keeps coming back to me. Some may think, “Well, of course it does. You’re a mom with four kids.” True, but that’s not what is moving me. It actually reminds me of my single days. Those “waiting years” were tough. There was this constant ache of longing for my vocation as a wife and mother but no answer in sight. It also reminds me of my first years of marriage. The ache for children was still there. It took over a year to conceive the first time. Then over six years we lost two babies until we were finally blessed with new life we could hug and hold. Looking back, I see God was patiently teaching me two big lessons. First, I needed to focus on where I was at that moment instead of pining for something that had yet to come. Second, I didn’t need to be a mom to have a mom’s heart. I started to open my eyes and see how He placed certain people in my life for a reason—from family to friends to the random lady in the grocery store. God has numerous children in need of love and intercession. Even this morning, as I was praying I had this overwhelming need to specifically pray for a person I hadn’t seen in years. I wept for her and it baffled me. Why was I feeling so much? I reflected on it and God was reminding me of something I had forgotten lately—being a physical mom is important but being a spiritual mom can be even more powerful. God needs motherly hearts to embrace His children that need it most. It does not matter if those hearts belong to teenagers, single women, wives without kids, moms with many kids, grandmas, religious, or whatever the case may be. What matters is that a spiritual mother’s heart is ready to kneel and pray for the souls God brings to mind. She is ready to offer up the drudgery of her school studies or the difficult tasks at her work place or the exhausting chores of her busy household. She is open to the Holy Spirit to say the right words or just give a comforting hug to someone that needs it. These are the ways you, as a woman of God, can be fruitful and multiply. We are on a mission to help God’s children come back to His Kingdom and nurture them along the journey. [bctt tweet="We are on a mission to help God’s children come back to His Kingdom. // @bobbi_rol"] Ask Our Lady to help you nurture your motherly heart. Think of someone you can pray for, or offer a sacrifice for, or perform a kind act to show them they are loved. Bobbi Rol is a wife, a mama of four and a blogger learning to love God in the midst of dishes, laundry and swinging light sabers. You can find out more about her here.

Wednesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time First Reading: Genesis 8:6-13, 20-22 At the end of forty days Noah opened the hatch he had made in the ark, and he sent out a raven, to see if the waters had lessened on the earth. It flew back and forth until the waters dried off from the earth. Then he sent out a dove, to see if the waters had lessened on the earth. But the dove could find no place to alight and perch, and it returned to him in the ark, for there was water all over the earth. Putting out his hand, he caught the dove and drew it back to him inside the ark. He waited seven days more and again sent the dove out from the ark. In the evening the dove came back to him, and there in its bill was a plucked-off olive leaf! So Noah knew that the waters had lessened on the earth. He waited still another seven days and then released the dove once more; and this time it did not come back. In the six hundred and first year of Noah's life, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the water began to dry up on the earth. Noah then removed the covering of the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was drying up. Noah built an altar to the LORD, and choosing from every clean animal and every clean bird, he offered burnt offerings on the altar. When the LORD smelled the sweet odor, he said to himself: "Never again will I doom the earth because of man since the desires of man's heart are evil from the start; nor will I ever again strike down all living beings, as I have done. As long as the earth lasts, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, Summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 116:12-13, 14-15, 18-19 R. (17a) To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise. How shall I make a return to the LORD for all the good he has done for me? The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the LORD. R. To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise. My vows to the LORD I will pay in the presence of all his people. Precious in the eyes of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones. R. To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise. My vows to the LORD I will pay in the presence of all his people, In the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. R. To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise. Gospel: Mark 8:22-26 When Jesus and his disciples arrived at Bethsaida, people brought to him a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Putting spittle on his eyes he laid his hands on the man and asked, "Do you see anything?" Looking up the man replied, "I see people looking like trees and walking." Then he laid hands on the man's eyes a second time and he saw clearly; his sight was restored and he could see everything distinctly. Then he sent him home and said, "Do not even go into the village." NAB When I was in college, I used to run on a regular basis, probably 4-5 times a week. All that pounding on the pavement, week after week, with no cross training in between, did a real number on my iliotibial band. It not only ached when I ran, but was burning as I walked about during my daily routine. Chaos reined in my lower body and, mentally, I was having a tough time keeping up with it too. I tried serious stretching. I tried lessening my mileage. I tried switching in other exercise. I began to lose hope that my injury would ever heal. My patience was running thin—the exercise gave me a way to relieve stress and keep anxiety at bay, and I didn’t want to give it up completely. Like Noah in our reading today from Genesis, I was waiting for that “olive leaf” to restore peace once again. Patient and persistent, Noah sends out the dove with no relief for some time. But, then, his moment comes. The dove returns with an olive leaf revealing restoration, indicating God’s promise. My “olive leaf” came in the way of a summer spent abroad in Paris. With little personal time due to a heavy schedule, I walked daily for our classes, in quite a bit of pain the first week or so, but little by little, the pain finally did recede. It was the perfect antidote for my injury. I went for a little run towards the end of my stay around a park and found, much to my delight, that knee was no longer giving me so much trouble. My olive leaf. The hope of peace restored in my body. Sister, are you experiencing a period in your life where peace seems elusive? No matter how small, the Lord desires for you a restoration of peace. He wants to give you that olive leaf, that “hope of peace” as Saint Augustine called it. It may take continued patience and persistence, but it will come your way. (Perhaps, in a way completely unexpected!) Don’t lose hope in His promise. It will arrive at the appointed time. [bctt tweet="Don’t lose hope in the Lord's promise. //@muffin_dome"] Persist in prayer. Continue in hope, sister. The Lord makes good on His promises. Laurel Muff is a creator and appreciator of beautiful things. She resides with her husband and daughters in Northern California. You can find more about her here.

Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time First Reading: Genesis 4:1-15, 25 The man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, "I have produced a man with the help of the LORD." Next she bore his brother Abel. Abel became a keeper of flocks, and Cain a tiller of the soil. In the course of time Cain brought an offering to the LORD from the fruit of the soil, while Abel, for his part, brought one of the best firstlings of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not. Cain greatly resented this and was crestfallen. So the LORD said to Cain: "Why are you so resentful and crestfallen. If you do well, you can hold up your head; but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door: his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master." Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let us go out in the field." When they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the LORD asked Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" He answered, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" The LORD then said: "What have you done! Listen: your brother's blood cries out to me from the soil! Therefore you shall be banned from the soil that opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. If you till the soil, it shall no longer give you its produce. You shall become a restless wanderer on the earth." Cain said to the LORD: "My punishment is too great to bear. Since you have now banished me from the soil, and I must avoid your presence and become a restless wanderer on the earth, anyone may kill me at sight." "Not so!" the LORD said to him. "If anyone kills Cain, Cain shall be avenged sevenfold." So the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest anyone should kill him at sight. Adam again had relations with his wife, and she gave birth to a son whom she called Seth. "God has granted me more offspring in place of Abel," she said, "because Cain slew him." Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 50:1 AND 8, 16BC-17, 20-21 R. (14a) Offer to God a sacrifice of praise. God the LORD has spoken and summoned the earth, from the rising of the sun to its setting. "Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you, for your burnt offerings are before me always." R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise. "Why do you recite my statutes, and profess my covenant with your mouth Though you hate discipline and cast my words behind you?" R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise. "You sit speaking against your brother; against your mother's son you spread rumors. When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it? Or do you think that I am like yourself? I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes." R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise. Gospel: Mark 8:11-13 The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation." Then he left them, got into the boat again, and went off to the other shore. NAB I don't think I have ever asked for a sign from God. Not aloud with words, at least. But I know I've been faithless, and I know in my faithlessness I've demanded God reveal Himself to me. Now, I know that the desire to know God and for Him to be made known to us is, in and of itself, a natural and right way to feel. We were born to know Him, after all. It only makes sense that we would yearn for Him to be revealed to us. And we are His children, so it's only right that we would be desperate, at times, for Our Father to show us that He's really there and that He is with us. I don't think that reality and this Gospel are at odds in any way, but, man, does it reveal a lot about myself to me! Because I know the difference, and I bet you do, too. The difference between an arrogant demand of God and a desperate, humble plea. For the many that long for a sign born of simplicity and love, I would dare to wager that God is hungry to reveal Himself, to give us a sign, and in a myriad of ways. But for those, myself included, that finger-wag at God as if we are entitled to those signs, we often get silence . . . and we deserve it. We deserve it because it is there, in the silence, that we can begin to see the countless ways the Father is revealing Himself to us at all times. I want to start today with gratitude as my chief prayer, even if I don't feel Him, or feel like I know Him. Be grateful for a new day, for your beating heart, for the risen sun, and allow our Father to whisper His presence to you. There is always a sign, after all, but we've got to be willing to catch it. [bctt tweet="Be grateful for a new day and allow our Father to whisper His presence to you. // @blythefike"] Are you demanding that He show Himself to you? Or are you waiting with an open heart? Blythe Fike is the wife of Kirby and mother of 7 smallish kids. She loves the quiet life in small town SoCal. You can find out more about her here.

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time First Reading: Sirach 15:15-20 If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live; he has set before you fire and water to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand. Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever he chooses shall be given him. Immense is the wisdom of the Lord; he is mighty in power, and all-seeing. The eyes of God are on those who fear him; he understands man's every deed. No one does he command to act unjustly, to none does he give license to sin. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34 R. (1b) Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord! Blessed are they whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed are they who observe his decrees, who seek him with all their heart. R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord! You have commanded that your precepts be diligently kept. Oh, that I might be firm in the ways of keeping your statutes! R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord! Be good to your servant, that I may live and keep your words. Open my eyes, that I may consider the wonders of your law. R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord! Instruct me, O LORD, in the way of your statutes, that I may exactly observe them. Give me discernment, that I may observe your law and keep it with all my heart. R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord! Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:6-10 Brothers and sisters: We speak a wisdom to those who are mature, not a wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age who are passing away. Rather, we speak God's wisdom, mysterious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages for our glory, and which none of the rulers of this age knew; for, if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him, this God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God. Gospel: Matthew 5:17-37 Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. "You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; and whoever says to his brother, 'Raqa,' will be answerable to the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny. "You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna. "It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce. But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife - unless the marriage is unlawful - causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. "Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one." NAB When I was looking into converting to Catholicism there were a lot of hurdles to cross. I had grown up in a number of Protestant denominations; church "shopping" was fairly common as we hopped across denominational lines to find a good pastor, or an engaging children's ministry, a more conservative approach or a more liberal approach depending on the year or season of life my family was in. This is the norm of many Protestant Christians and when I married my husband I assumed it would be more of the same, that we would just shop around until we found the right fit for us; perhaps a little combination of both our backgrounds all wrapped up in a liturgically conservative, but socially "progressive" package. It came as a shock to me when my husband, as flexible and kind as anyone could be, resolutely told me that I was welcome to find what I needed, but he would always and only ever be a Catholic. This simple, straightforward, yet kind announcement shook me. Ben wasn't exactly practicing at the time, though it was already clear he knew his apologetics so here he was with a firm line drawn in the sand. The idea of something you believed in so completely that nothing could change you was intensely radical to me. I had never been faced with someone so firm in their beliefs and that shook me to the core—and yet, here it is in the Bible in each of today's readings. Time and time again we're told good is good is good and bad is bad is bad and even Jesus Himself comes out to say this to remind us that when we say "Yes" it is to mean "Yes" in no uncertain terms. He does not say "Say Yes, but only when it feels right" or "Say Yes, but not if makes you feel uncomfortable" or "Say Yes, unless you meet these qualifications." God shows us time and time again that Truth is not relative and Truth is not in the eye of the beholder. Truth is simply, entirely and radically just true. Today I hope you find the courage to draw your line in the sand on whichever topics you're feeling firm on. I hope you find courage in God to announce to those you love "this is Truth and I will never be anything but this" because there are people all around you waiting to hear such an amazing declaration and it might just change their lives. [bctt tweet="God shows us time and time again that Truth is not in the eye of the beholder."] Where is your line? Pray today to know more deeply where you need to draw it in your life. Molly Walter is a Catholic convert, wife and mother to one crazy five year old, a new baby girl and four saints in heaven. She uses her degree in Theatre more as mother than she did while in the business. She enjoys reading, knitting, and rescuing third class relics from Goodwill. Find out more about her here.

Saturday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time First Reading: Genesis 3:9-24 The LORD God called to Adam and asked him, "Where are you?" He answered, "I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself." Then he asked, "Who told you that you were naked? You have eaten, then, from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!" The man replied, "The woman whom you put here with meB she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it." The LORD God then asked the woman, "Why did you do such a thing?" The woman answered, "The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it." Then the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, you shall be banned from all the animals and from all the wild creatures; On your belly shall you crawl, and dirt shall you eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel." To the woman he said: "I will intensify the pangs of your childbearing; in pain shall you bring forth children. Yet your urge shall be for your husband, and he shall be your master." To the man he said: "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat, "Cursed be the ground because of you! In toil shall you eat its yield all the days of your life. Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to you, as you eat of the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face shall you get bread to eat, Until you return to the ground, from which you were taken; For you are dirt, and to dirt you shall return." The man called his wife Eve, because she became the mother of all the living. For the man and his wife the LORD God made leather garments, with which he clothed them. Then the LORD God said: "See! The man has become like one of us, knowing what is good and what is evil! Therefore, he must not be allowed to put out his hand to take fruit from the tree of life also, and thus eat of it and live forever." The LORD God therefore banished him from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he had been taken. When he expelled the man, he settled him east of the garden of Eden; and he stationed the cherubim and the fiery revolving sword, to guard the way to the tree of life. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 90:2, 3-4ABC, 5-6, 12-13 R. (1) In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge. Before the mountains were begotten and the earth and the world were brought forth, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge. You turn man back to dust, saying, "Return, O children of men." For a thousand years in your sight are as yesterday, now that it is past, or as a watch of the night. R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge. You make an end of them in their sleep; the next morning they are like the changing grass, Which at dawn springs up anew, but by evening wilts and fades. R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge. Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart. Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants! R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge. Gospel: Mark 8:1-10 In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat, Jesus summoned the disciples and said, "My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance." His disciples answered him, "Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?" Still he asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" They replied, "Seven." He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute, and they distributed them to the crowd. They also had a few fish. He said the blessing over them and ordered them distributed also. They ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets. There were about four thousand people. He dismissed the crowd and got into the boat with his disciples and came to the region of Dalmanutha. NAB I was cooling down after a class at the gym, leaning into one final stretch and thinking about my body. It’s hard not to when you’re surrounded by so many fit folks, and I was torn between pride over my hard work these past few months and discouragement over where I was presently. I still had so far to go; would it ever be enough? It was in this moment of unguarded reflection that the Lord took His que: “Who told you that you were ugly?” God rephrased that famously tender question asked of Adam and Eve right there in the middle of my gym time. And I knew immediately: Me. Louder than any schoolyard bully, mean girl or ex-boyfriend, our own inner voices can make for our worst critics. In the story of creation, God’s handiwork becomes more complex with each day, culminating with the creation of Eve. Like Eve, we women are the crown of creation. Women reflect the beauty, generosity, and nurturing nature of our Lord in a unique way. And yet, with all these gifts, we can sometimes struggle to see our own beauty and inherent dignity. The enemy, too, is particularly good at assaulting us in those vulnerable places. Life experience may even seem to stack up against us as evidence of our unworthiness, and soon we’re believing the lies. It can be a brutal battle for our hearts, but God is a kind and determined Father who never tires of the fight. Again and again He pursues us to remind us of the truth of who we are. Adam and Eve hid from God in the Garden. He knew where they were, of course, but still He came looking for them. And just like He came for me that day at the gym, He’s coming for you today. There’s no need to hide from Him, He is such a gentle Father. Come out and let Him tell you how good you are, how beautiful. You are good. You are beautiful. You are loved. Come out and be loved. [bctt tweet="You are good. You are beautiful. You are loved. // @thebethdavis"] Is there a particular insecurity or negative thought that dogs you? Ask God if it's true. Ask Him how He sees you. Beth Davis is a lover of Jesus, an aunt to five beautiful humans, and a full time youth minister in Flagstaff, Arizona. She is passionate about winning the hearts of young people for Jesus through discipleship. You can find out more about her here.

Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin First Reading: Genesis 3:1-8 Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals that the LORD God had made. The serpent asked the woman, "Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?" The woman answered the serpent: "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, 'You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.'" But the serpent said to the woman: "You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is evil." The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves. When they heard the sound of the LORD God moving about in the garden at the breezy time of the day, the man and his wife hid themselves from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7 R. (1a) Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven. Blessed is he whose fault is taken away, whose sin is covered. Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt, in whose spirit there is no guile. R. Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven. Then I acknowledged my sin to you, my guilt I covered not. I said, "I confess my faults to the LORD," and you took away the guilt of my sin. R. Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven. For this shall every faithful man pray to you in time of stress. Though deep waters overflow, they shall not reach him. R. Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven. You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me; with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round. R. Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven. Gospel: Mark 7:31-37 Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man's ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, "Ephphatha!" (that is, "Be opened!") And immediately the man's ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished and they said, "He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak." NAB Why was the man in this Gospel passage from Mark born without hearing, without clear speech? Why would Jesus, God-made-man, have gone through the trouble of creating him "imperfectly" in the first place? Could not an all-powerful, healing God have preempted this man's suffering and created him without the physical impediments in the first place? Why was Eve allowed to bomb the test so spectacularly? And for that matter, why would God—the Lord God who made all creatures—have created the cunning Lucifer in the full knowledge of his fall, his spectacular, universe-shattering fall from grace, dragging down a third of his angelic brethren and the entire human race along with him? Lord, Your ways are not our ways. And Your respect for free will outstrips the bounds of my imagination. I cannot fathom a love that does not calculate, that does not control and coerce and arrange "just so," ensuring that no imperfection is left to chance. But Your love demands not robotic obedience, but repentant and freely given hearts offered to You from the humble hands of the creatures You bled and died for. Unfathomable, that Your plans for us include wild aberrations like a deaf and dumb man, rising from the dust of his circumstances and the life the world had pressed upon him, to demand, with confidence, "No more. You have more for me." And Eve, mother of all the living. Throwing away her inheritance for a chance at control. And receiving in return, not deserved destruction, but the Protoevangelium. The promise of the One who is to come. To descend into our dirt, and to scoop and mix that dirt in His eventually-pierced palms with His saliva, mingled with the breath that created the universe, and make us whole. God's ways are not our ways. And no matter how certain I am that my plan is superior, when I fail to lay it at His feet in trusting surrender, I lose out, every time. Jesus' kingdom is upside down. And when He reaches with His mighty strength into the dirt to raise the lowly up, I want to be able to extend my arms and allow Him to rescue me. To admit that just like Eve, the man in the dirt, and the thief on the cross, I too need a savior. [bctt tweet="Just like Eve, the man in the dirt, + the thief on the cross, I too need a Savior. - @jkuebbing"] Can you pray a Rosary today, or even a decade, requesting God help you to accept the mysteries in your life? Jenny Uebbing is a freelance editor and a writer for Catholic News Agency, where she blogs about faith, sex, the culture and the Catholic Church. She lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband Dave and their growing family.

Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time First Reading: Genesis 2:18-25 The LORD God said: "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him." So the LORD God formed out of the ground various wild animals and various birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each of them would be its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, all the birds of the air, and all the wild animals; but none proved to be the suitable partner for the man. So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. The LORD God then built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from the man. When he brought her to the man, the man said: "This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called 'woman,' for out of 'her man' this one has been taken." That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one flesh. The man and his wife were both naked, yet they felt no shame. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5 R. (see 1a) Blessed are those who fear the Lord. Blessed are you who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways! For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; blessed shall you be, and favored. R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the recesses of your home; Your children like olive plants around your table. R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord. Behold, thus is the man blessed who fears the LORD. The LORD bless you from Zion: may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord. Gospel: Mark 7:24-30 Jesus went to the district of Tyre. He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it, but he could not escape notice. Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him. She came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, "Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs." She replied and said to him, "Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children's scraps." Then he said to her, "For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter." When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone. NAB Whenever I hear this Gospel passage my initial thought is, "Geez, why is Jesus so hard on this poor woman? What did He wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something?" Of course, we know that we don't know why He would react to her this way, but still it seems harsh. After doing a little digging with a Biblical commentary, the overall story makes much more sense to me. Tyre was a mostly Gentile city in present day Lebanon, making this woman a gentile. In Saint Matthew's account of this same story Jesus tells the woman "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." (Mt. 15:24) Jesus' ministry was to bring the New Covenant first to the recipients of the Old Covenant, the people of Israel. It wasn't until after His death and resurrection that this New Covenant was preached to all peoples. But in today's Gospel, Jesus makes an exception for this woman. Why? This woman is of a different religion and ethnic background, but something deep inside still draws her to Jesus. With great faith she falls at His feet and calls Him Lord. And more amazingly when Jesus is harsh with her, she is not put off in the least, but only presses into Him further. Can you imagine His smile at this woman's bold chutzpah? Even though Jesus seems to reject her request, He was really looking to evoke a deep faith, the kind of faith He finds impossible to refuse. The kind of faith we all desperately want more of in our walk with the Lord. There have been many times I felt really disheartened by setbacks in my life: broken relationships, not getting the job I really wanted, paying off my school debt, physical sickness, etc. This Syrophoenician woman is actually a model for us as Christian women. She is not the first or last person coming to Jesus with an urgent request who was met with a response that she did not expect. Sometimes Christ is asking us to bear our crosses a bit longer. But the setbacks do not hold her back; they draw her even closer to Jesus. How many times in our lives, families, ministry, jobs, school, or relationships have we felt like this? Do our setbacks in life draw us closer to the heart of Jesus? The takeaway for us is God does hear our prayers, even those ones that don't get answered they way we want. And sometimes when Jesus says 'No,' His refusals are meant to awaken in us a deeper, richer faith. His 'No' is a 'Yes' to something else in store for us. [bctt tweet="Do our setbacks in life draw us closer to the heart of Jesus? // @amoderngrace"] Lord Jesus, please help me to remember Your 'No's' are always a 'Yes' to something better You have for me. Let me never stop from pressing into Your heart like this woman. I do not always understand Your plan, but I can always trust it. Patty Breen is a runner, youth minister ordinaire, and thinks old movies are the greatest thing since sliced bread. When not fundraising for World Youth Day, she is learning to find grace in all things. You can find out more about her here.