Invest just five
minutes a day,
and your faith will deepen and
grow
—a day at a time.
Today's "Take Five for Faith" can be found on the front page of the St Francis web site.
Today's Scripture Readings can be found at
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/today.shtml
Tuesday, July 1
Feast of Junípero Serra, priest
If today you hear his voice
A co-worker’s favorite rhetorical question, "Is the pope Catholic?", is intended to provoke an obvious assent, much as the prophet Amos’ questions indicate absolutely no doubt that punishment will follow abandoning God’s covenant. With that same kind of zeal and confidence the Franciscan Junípero Serra undertook his mission in California and Mexico, undeterred by illness, politicians, or soldiers. Such single-minded individuals can be faulted for their one-track minds, even for excesses in fulfilling what they perceive as their mission. While compromise is a valuable and necessary skill in human relations, the prophet, the saint, holds to the rock of faith. "Always forward, never back," was Serra’s motto, and hundreds of years later, thousands of people around the world are the beneficiaries of missionaries like him.
"Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?"
Wednesday, July 2
A silk purse from a sow’s ear?
If you don’t think there’s humor in the Bible, think again. It’s subtle sometimes and a little hard to get, but it’s there. Take for example the story of Jesus driving the demons out of two people and into a nearby herd of swine, who then proceed to drown themselves. First, from the Jewish perspective there’s uncleanness all over the place: the possessed were living among the tombs—and therefore the dead—not to mention the presence of the pigs. When the demons go into the swine and with them into the sea, Jesus’ audience would have laughed; they already knew the devil was in the pigs. Of course the purpose of the story is to show Jesus’ power over demons. But can’t healing and deliverance from affliction be a moment of lighthearted joy?
"The demons came out and entered the swine; and suddenly, the whole herd rushed into the sea and perished."
Thursday, July 3
Feast of Thomas, apostle
But now he’s a believer
OK, so Thomas was a little incredulous at first. Wouldn’t you be, too, if you were told that someone you know who was dead had been seen alive? Thomas didn’t have the advantage of 2,000 years of faith. But you do. Christ comes to you today in the poor, the lowly, the weak, and the vulnerable who need your help. He speaks to you through the proclamation of the gospel that calls you to faith. He pleads with you in the voice of the hungry and the rejected of the world. Blessed are you even if you don’t see him yet still believe.
"Jesus said to Thomas, ‘Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.’ "
Friday, July 4
Feast of Elizabeth of Portugal
From pain to gain
"What a life of bitterness I am leading," said Saint Elizabeth of Portugal (1271-1336). "On whom but God can I depend?" These anguished words came from a woman who was married to the king of Portugal at 12, endured his philandering, watched their son lead an armed revolt against his own father, and was banished for a time by her husband.
How did she deal with all these problems? By turning to prayer and works of mercy, including founding a hospital, a house for reformed prostitutes, an orphanage, and a pilgrim hostel. She also defused the father-son conflict, lived to see the king repent of his sins before his death, and even conducted some diplomacy by preventing a war. As a widow she lived the rest of her life in a convent of Poor Clare sisters. Elizabeth’s example counsels us not to endure abusive situations but to turn our pain into healing, both for others and ourselves.
"Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ "
Saturday, July 5
Feast of Anthony Mary Zaccaria, priest
Someone’s calling
Pope Benedict XVI’s recent trip to the U.S. brought media coverage to the growing number of people who are entering religious life as a second career. Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria (1502-1539) can serve as a model. After learning medicine and practicing as a physician for three years, he studied and was ordained to the priesthood. He worked in hospitals that served the poor and founded no less than three religious orders—one each for men and women religious, plus a lay congregation for married people. Wondering if you or someone you know is heading toward religious life? A visit to VocationMatch.com might offer some leads.
"New wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved."
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Full circle
When it comes to learning, there is a definite circular pattern to our lives. During the earliest years of childhood, almost everything we know comes from our lived experience. As we grow older and learn to read and think in abstractions, we obtain more and more of our knowledge from books and other "experts"—and as a result, we trust ourselves less and less. Eventually in our later years we realize that our truth has been within all along and we begin trusting our own experience again. Perhaps this pattern is what the artist Pablo Picasso was thinking about when he said, "It takes a long time to become young." Where are you on the circle?
Matthew 11:25-30
"You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants."
Monday, July 7
Your life as scripture
Sometimes we forget that all the holy stories in the world aren’t contained in the pages of the Bible. Our lives, too, are like sacred texts unfolding. That can seem a strange idea when you consider the contents of an ordinary day: busyness, tedium, chaos, headaches, and conflicts. Remember Hosea, the "performance prophet," whose troubled marriage became the source of one of the most memorable books of prophecy. In the heartache between Hosea and his wife Gomer, he understood something wonderful about the love of God. If you viewed today as a page of scripture, what lesson would it hold?
"I will bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her."
Tuesday, July 8
The devil on your tongue
What keeps us from praising God all day long? Oh, probably a lot of things. Bad moods. Rushing around. People who drive us nuts. Distractions besiege us that make praise the farthest thing from our minds. But as the simplest form of prayer, praise could be the easiest way to find more time for spiritual growth. Try offering a few silent words of praise every hour. As you drive: What wonderful trees! As you look at your children: How creative, Lord! As you cook: Food smells so good! Keep the devil off your tongue with a mouthful of praise.
"And when the demon had been cast out, the one who had been mute spoke."
Wednesday, July 9
Feast of Augustine Zhao Rong, priest
and companions, martyrs
Mixed blessing
With the summer Olympics approaching, religious toleration in China has been in the news. Christianity has a long and sometimes contentious history in China. While many of the foreign missionaries among the 120 martyrs we remember today distanced themselves from politics, Chinese authorities still saw them as foreign agents. Errors were made on all sides, which in 2001 led Pope John Paul II to say, after praising the martyrs for their courage and good works: "History, however, reminds us of the unfortunate fact that the work of members of the church in China was not always without error . . . . I feel deep sadness for these errors and limits of the past. . . ." Imitate Catholic missionaries today who are careful to respect local sensibilities as they go about sharing the Good News.
"As you go, proclaim the good news: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ "
Thursday, July 10
Love me tender
Anyone who dismisses the God of the Old Testament as mostly vengeful needs to spend time with Hosea the prophet whose own personal life revealed the passionate love of God for God’s people. Who can resist the image of a God who lifts a child to his cheek, who stoops to feed her, who sweeps into his arms the wandering, teetering one? When Jesus asks if a parent could be so cold as to give a hungry child a stone instead of bread, he could easily have had Hosea’s words in mind. And when Jesus sends out his own disciples, it is not with threats but with good news of healing and peace freely received and freely given. Yet this is more than tenderness: "The Holy One is present among you; I will not let the flames consume you."
"I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love."
Friday, July 11
Feast of Benedict, abbot
Prayer work
Many people think the motto of the Benedictine order is ora et labora—"prayer and work." In fact it’s not, nor will you find this phrase in the Rule of St. Benedict, the work today’s saint wrote to guide his monks. But these words do summarize nicely a holy way of life and also challenge us to see our work as prayer and our prayer as a work. Anything you do with an awareness of the presence of God is prayer, or at least prayer-ful, and that includes work. And it helps your prayer to see it as work—not in the sense of a chore or drudgery but as something worthy of concentrated effort. Can you find God in your work? Can you work more to find God in prayer?
"Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God . . . . Take words with you and return to the Lord."
Saturday, July 12
Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Body language
Pope John Paul II did a lot of things one doesn’t expect from one’s pope. One was to give a startling series of 129 Wednesday audiences on the theme, "theology of the body." One might ask: What does theology have to do with our bodies? Consider the doctrines of Creation, Incarnation, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension, and Assumption! When you get right down to it, it’s hard to talk about Christian belief without recognizing that the fate of the body is very important to God. Our Lady reminds us that discipleship starts in the flesh. Religion can’t be only a "spiritual" matter.
"Fear him who can destroy both soul and body."
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sowing the parables
More than parables themselves, the reason for Christ’s use of them perplexed his disciples. Jesus had a message so beautiful and so important for his audience that it frustrated them to see it clouded in dense analogies. But Christ reminds them that because so many have become hardened, not everyone can receive beauty in a direct way. It is interesting that in Jesus’ first parable in Matthew’s gospel, Christ uses the imagery of a sower. Though the sower witnesses immediate direct results from the seeds sown on shallow soil, the seed that takes its time to germinate and develop roots ultimately bears fruit. So, too, when we do not understand words immediately, but patiently let them sit in us as baffling seeds, our understanding of Christ’s message becomes deeper and richer.
"And he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow.’ "
Monday, July 14
International World Youth Day; Feast of Blessed
Kateri Tekakwitha, virgin
Finding a life worth living
Doing anything this week? How about heading for Sydney, Australia, where thousands of young people from all over the world are gathering with Pope Benedict to celebrate International World Youth Day? It is the largest event ever held in Australia. All these kids are offering their precious summer vacation for one thing: to celebrate their faith. Blessed Kateri is a great model for them. She offered her young life in service to those in need, despite her own poverty. She practiced love of her people’s enemies in a climate of mistrust and animosity. What a needful lesson for a new generation of Catholics to learn. Her prayers and ours will help them to find the life that is truly worth living.
"Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it."
Tuesday, July 15
Feast of Bonaventure, bishop, doctor
Words read out loud
"Every creature," wrote Saint Bonaventure, "because it speaks God, is a divine word." This great 13th-century Franciscan scholar and leader thought God’s love overflowed in creation, particularly in people. We usually think of the "Word of God" as Jesus or scripture. But it’s also us: We, too, are signs of God’s love—we "speak God." Both in who we are and in what we do, we communicate God in the world. How can you speak God today?
"If you do not stand firm in faith, you shall not stand at all."
Wednesday, July 16
International World Youth Day continues; Our Lady of Mount Carmel
When in drought, look to the cloud
On a mountaintop the prophet Elijah had a wonderful vision during a terrible drought. His vision was simple: a cloud full of rain. For most of us, the rainbow upstages the cloud as a pledge of God’s faithfulness, yet the cloud of Carmel was quite as much a sign of hope. Mary of Nazareth is called Our Lady of Mt. Carmel because theologians saw her as the one who ended the spiritual drought of human history. The monks of Carmel were dedicated to her for that reason. Our Lady of Mount Carmel, watch over our young people and give them hope.
"All things have been handed over to me by my Father."
Thursday, July 17
International World Youth Day continues
The strong arms of Jesus
Young people face many challenges, from the extremes of poverty and abusive families, to a lack of self-esteem and self-awareness, to the cultural pressure to overvalue material wealth and physical pleasure. Although they aren’t easily sheltered from these toxic influences, they do have defenses—namely their own faith and inner strength. As adults, our challenge is to make certain our children know these tools are readily available so that they are able to respond to their burdens in healthy ways. The first thing they should know is that there is someone they can turn to for comfort and rest.
"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."
Friday, July 18
Feast of Camillus de Lellis, priest
Worth gambling on
It takes a pretty extraordinary life to end up as the patron saint of both gamblers and nurses. That is the kind of life Saint Camillus (1515-1614) lived. In the midst of the church’s celebration of International World Youth Day in Sydney, he serves as a great role model for neglected youth who fall on hard times. Camillus’ mother died when he was young, and his father was a journeyman soldier. Left to his own (de)vices, Camillus grew into a rebellious and aggressive youth with a serious gambling problem. After a stint in the army and a leg injury, the desperate Camillus, unemployed and penniless, went to the Capuchins Franciscans. They helped him turn his life around, and he devoted himself to caring for the ill and wounded. Later he founded his own congregation dedicated to the same cause. Reach out to a troubled youth today—you may be helping form a future saint!
"Thus says the Lord: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears."
Saturday, July 19
International World Youth Day continues
Burning love
Today is the second to last day of International World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, where 225,000 young people from around the world have spent the past week learning and praying, listening to music, viewing films and performances of all kinds, participating in workshops and inspiring one another. Beginning at 5:30 this morning, they are making a "pilgrimage walk" around the city, which will be followed by an evening prayer vigil with the pope and a "sleep-out" under the stars.
Today let’s pray for young people all over the world, that the Holy Spirit might set their hearts on fire with love and the desire to serve the Lord.
"Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased."
Sunday, July 20, 2008
International World Youth Day Ends
Tomorrow’s leaders in seed form
Jesus may not get an A on his botany quiz (certain orchids have the smallest seeds, not the mustard seed he claims), but his point is clear enough: God is at work even (especially) in the small and powerless. During this week young people from around the world have been in Sydney with the pope. Why should the pope, like his predecessor, regularly spend time with the young rather than with the world’s power-wielders? Like the Holy Father, we must see in our children not only those who need our care and protection for their happiness; we must see them as members of Christ’s body in their own right. "Let no one look down on you because of your youth," Paul wrote to Timothy. No one is too young to carry the seed of faith, nor too old to bear fruit.
"A mustard seed is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs."
Monday, July 21
Feast of Lawrence of Brindisi, priest,
doctor of the church
The gift of a broken heart
In his Personal Narrative, the early American sermon writer Edward Fitzgerald reveals something important about love when he says, "I have greatly longed of late for a broken heart, and to lie low before God." It is unlikely any of us long for a broken heart. But to consider a broken heart a gift, Fitzgerald must have seen something akin to what Saint Lawrence of Brindisi approached when he wrote, "Love stirs itself from sorrow; and love itself is in equal measure lanced with sorrow." The lower we lie in sorrow, the further we can experience God’s sacrificial love that comes down to us. Moreover, the pureness of our emotions when we are steeped in sorrow allows us to offer up to God a supple material for his grace. Instead of fearing your brokenness, offer it up.
"What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
Tuesday, July 22
Feast of Mary Magdalene
Jesus is for everybody
Mary Magdalene was the first person in history to encounter the risen Jesus. That’s pretty amazing when you consider that she was perhaps the lowliest of the disciples, mistrusted by the others. Why not the apostles Peter or John? They were also at the tomb that morning, had seen it empty, and had gone to tell the others. Jesus chose Mary precisely so that the possibility of such an encounter could be realized by everyone. Lowliness does not disqualify a person from discovering Christ. Ponder the empty tomb and you, too, can see the Lord.
"Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord.’ "
Wednesday, July 23
Feast of Bridget of Sweden, religious
See and hear God more clearly
In one of her many visions, Saint Bridget, the great Swedish mystic and patron of Europe, received instruction from the Virgin Mary about God: "Think on his justice and judgment in such a way that you do not forget his mercy, for he does not work justice without mercy or mercy without justice. The cloak is faith. Just as the cloak covers everything and everything is enclosed in it, human nature can likewise comprehend and attain everything through faith." Duly inspired, Bridget worked tirelessly in defense of her faith and in support of the poor. Wrap yourself securely in the cloak of faith and come to understand God’s justice and mercy more fully.
"Whoever has ears ought to hear."
Thursday, July 24
Feast of Sharbel Makhluf, priest
Inspiration from a hermit
The child of a mule driver, the Lebanese monk Saint Sharbel (1828-1898) ran away from home to join a monastery when he was in his early 20s. While a monk, he longed to live like the ancient desert fathers and in 1875 became a hermit, which he remained for the rest of his life. His poverty and prayer gained for him a reputation for holiness, and people sought him out for advice and blessings. His tomb still attracts pilgrims of all faiths. You may not want or need to head to the hills to find God, but you probably have ways you can simplify your life and make more room for prayer.
"Thus says the Lord: I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride."
Friday, July 25
Feast of James, apostle
You send me
What makes the apostle James different from the many other "Jameses" in the New Testament? The word apostle comes from the Greek apostolos, "someone sent out." The more general meaning of the word is translated into Latin as missio, from which we get missionary. But it is also used in a more specific sense to refer to the first 12 disciples whom Jesus chose, named, and "sent out" to the world. While we honor James in name today as one of those 12, we can honor him and the other apostles much more by carrying on their work in the world. Ready for your send-off?
"Whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant."
Saturday, July 26
Feast of Joachim and Anne
A grand legacy
Joachim and Anne, the parents of Mary, are not mentioned in scripture, but legend says they were childless and thus rejected by society until they experienced simultaneous annunciations that God had other plans. They are often depicted in art as a couple kissing at Jerusalem’s Golden Gate where their separate angels had sent them to announce their mutual good news to each other: Not only would they have a child, but she will be a queen. While Grandparents Day was established in 1979 "to help children become aware of strength, information, and guidance older people can offer," this memorial of Jesus’ grandparents emphasizes handing on the treasure of faith. The affinity that the old and the very young often have for each other in our families is an opportunity to leave our grandchildren much more than our signed wills.
"The Kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field."
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
A riddle wrapped in a mystery
Jesus mentions the kingdom of heaven 38 times in Matthew’s gospel. Clearly he wants us to understand exactly what it is. Yet the kingdom is mysterious; it is not something that can be defined once and for all. The best Jesus can do is to describe what it is like, not what it is. The kingdom is like a treasure buried in a field . . . it is like a merchant searching for valuable pearls. In other words the kingdom of heaven is both that which we find and that which is searching to find us. Hmm. Jesus wants to know if his disciples understand. Today would be a good day to contemplate the kingdom of heaven so that our answer, like that of the disciples, will be "Yes."
" ‘Have you understood all this?’ They answered, ‘Yes.’ "
If you haven’t heard or read the first scripture reading for today, you might want to take a look. It’s a story containing the earthy detail of a prophet, on direct orders from God, burying a loincloth, which is a polite word for his shorts. Scholars say this story is a kind of street—or desert—theater: Folks would see Jeremiah hiding the loincloth, which then rots, and would ask themselves, "What the heck is he trying to say?" That the people are to be as close to God as a loincloth to, well, loins. When the people turn from this relationship by, say, chasing after other gods, the symbol of their closeness falls apart and can’t be worn anymore. Do you cling to God like clothes to a body?
"For as the loincloth clings to one’s loins, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, says the Lord."
Tuesday, July 29
Feast of Saint Martha
"Do you believe this?"
That was Jesus’ question to Saint Martha in the Gospel of John. In the aftermath of her brother Lazarus’ death—and before Jesus raised him from the dead—Christ tells her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die." What a promise! Then the crucial question: "Do you believe this?" In her answer Martha speaks the words Saint Peter gets in the other gospels: " ‘Yes, Lord, I believe you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.’ " Hard to believe? What is your answer to the question?
"Yes, Lord, I believe you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world."
Wednesday, July 30
Feast of Peter Chrysologus, bishop,
doctor of the church
In search of the singular pearl
Saint Peter Chrysologus (d. 450), homilist extraordinaire and doctor of the church, preached often on the role of the Virgin Mary in salvation history: "A gentle maiden having lodged a God in her womb, asks as its price, peace for the world, salvation for those who are lost, and life for the dead." Are we willing to accept those terms: peace, salvation, and everlasting life? We’d be crazy not to. But like children still unsure of the difference between a dime and a nickel, many of us trade our most precious gift—our faith—for what looks bigger and better—money and power. God sees each of us as a pearl of great price worth selling all one has to own. No person or thing could ever value us more. Accept God’s terms of discipleship.
"On finding one pearl of great value, the merchant went and sold all that he had and bought it."
Thursday, July 31
Feast of Ignatius of Loyola, priest
Take it to heart
Ignatius of Loyola is honored for many reasons, one of which is the lovely and powerful prayer he wrote, which goes in part: Take, Lord, receive all my liberty: my memory, understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and call my own. You have given it all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and grace. That is enough for me.
The prayer is often recited by those professing a commitment to religious life. You can apply the prayer to your own life as you wish; the important thing is to apply it!
"Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel, says the Lord."
Friday, August 1
Feast of Alphonsus Liguori, bishop,
doctor of the church
Problem report
One could say Saint Alphonsus (1696-1787) knew what it was like to live on the margins. He removed himself from his legal career after a professional disaster, sought his vocation in a hospital for incurably ill people, endured the resistance of his family, struggled to form a religious order, as a bishop revived a flagging diocese though nearly crippled by rheumatism, and late in life was tricked out of membership in his own community. Despite these difficulties, he became one of the church’s great moral theologians and pastors. Don’t let adversity knock you off the course of pursuing what you know to be good and right.
"Prophets are not without honor except in their own country and in their own house."
Saturday, August 2
Mistaken identity
Jesus and John the Baptist did not have Facebook or MySpace pages, and you couldn’t Google them to check out their photos. So when Jesus was walking around performing mighty deeds, poor King Herod mistook him for John the Baptist come back from the dead—a death to which Herod had sent John on a whim. Herod completely missed the significance of the Baptizer: Just as John pointed the way to Jesus’ life and ministry, so, by his own example, he pointed to Jesus’ death. Herod’s error cautions us to recognize and welcome the real Christ.
"This is John the Baptist; he has been raised from the dead; and
for this reason these powers are at work in him."
©2008 by TrueQuest Communications, L.L.C. Phone: 800-942-2811; e-mail: ; website: www.takefiveforfaith.com. Licensed for noncommercial use. All rights reserved. Scripture quotes come from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.
Contributors: Father Paul Boudreau, Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Father
Larry Janowski, Ann O’Connor, Sean Reynolds, Joel Schorn, and Patrice J.
Tuohy
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