Ordinary Time

Patience & Peace

The problem, as we know, is that we don’t get heaven until we get to heaven. There is no human solution to all of our ills and troubles. So here’s the question we all need to sit with: can we find peace living in an imperfect world filled with imperfect people? Can you be patient and trusting with the ups and downs, the insults and injuries, even the tragedies of life, trusting that God will accompany you through them all and, in the end – somehow – draw good from them?
 
Readings at this Mass: Jer 20:10–13 | Rom 5:12–15 | Mt 10:26–33

God's Unconditional Love Comes First

Sometimes, we slip into the mindset that Catholicism is just a strict recipe: a bunch of rules we must execute perfectly to get God to love us. Many of us still imagine that God operates transactionally. But God's love doesn't react to our behavior — it precedes our very existence. He does not love us only when we finally clean up our lives; we are only capable of changing our lives because He loved us first. Let's obey God's laws not out of a fearful desire to earn His love, but out of a joyful, overflowing gratitude because we are already loved.
 
Readings at this Mass: Ex 19:2–6a | Rom 5:6–11 | Mt 9:36—10:8

Bread and Wine

Christ is not inviting us to excess or self-indulgence, but in making Himself bread and wine, He is blessing the ordinary and the extraordinary. Sustenance and celebration. He comes to us through symbols of the fullness of life in every stage and season. And these elements of bread and wine become not only our life-giving food, but much more. When we eat this bread and drink this wine we receive Christ’s life – the life of the Trinity that is self-giving, self-emptying love, a love that gives everything and contains all suffering and sorrow as well as all happiness and joy.
 
Readings at this Mass: Dt 8:2-3, 14b-16a | 1 Cor 10:16-17 | Jn 6:51-58

Love x3

The way to protect our hearts from ever being broken is to seal them off and never take the risk of love; to close ourselves off. And that is the opposite of what the Trinity is. The Trinity is outpouring, complete self-giving. And that means being broken. It means taking a risk. Love means we are going to be hurt, but love doesn't care. Love is willing to take the risk. And love knows that life is better, that everything is better, when we pour ourselves out in love, even though that is painful and difficult.
 
Readings at this Mass: Ex 34:4b–6, 8–9 | 2 Cor 13:11–13 | Jn 3:16–18

Letting God work on our hearts

Friends, letting God work on our hearts is a dangerous and difficult business — because it means giving up control. It means saying 'yes' to people and to situations that you would never have chosen yourself. Most of us are terrible when it comes to changing our own hearts, so here’s my encouragement: give your heart to God. Submit to the slow and often painful work of His grace, and trust that He’ll get you where you need to be. 
 
Readings at this Mass: Sir 15:15–20 | 1 Cor 2:6–10 | Mt 5:17–37

Salt & Light to the Nations

When Jesus says, "You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world," He's not flattering us — he's giving us a mission. Just as salt prevents corruption and light dispels darkness, your life – lived in communion with God – is meant to preserve what is good and push back what is false or destructive. If someone acts only for recognition, then that recognition is the whole reward — and it lasts only as long as the spotlight is on them. But when a person uses their gifts with humility, gratitude, and faith – when their excellence becomes an offering – their performance points beyond themselves, becoming a witness to the glory of God.
 
Readings at this Mass: Is 58:7–10 | 1 Cor 2:1–5 | Mt 5:13–16

The Practice of the Presence of God

If we have the presence of God within us, if we bring the presence of God to every situation we encounter, if we're filled with the presence of God so much so that we don't think of ourselves — that's humility. Humility is not thinking less of myself; it's thinking of myself less. It's being filled with the presence of God, so that that presence of God might overflow into every situation that I encounter. And in this world of polarization, as Christians we are called to practice the presence of God: to bring the presence of God with love and understanding to every disagreement and to every situation.
 
The book Fr. Dominic refers to in his homily is The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection.
 
Readings at this Mass: Zep 2:3; 3:12–13 | 1 Cor 1:26–31 | Mt 5:1–12a

Becoming an instrument of God's love

When we allow God to work on us — when we shift the focus from "what do I want God to do in my life/this person's life" to "what does God want to do in my life" — there’s a whole different energy that comes. Less fear, nagging, and anxiety; more trust, joy, acceptance, and a deep sense of peace. And for our loved ones who have no use for the Church in their lives — that’s how we ourselves become church for them, becoming instruments and images of God’s love for them.
 
Readings at this Mass: Is 8:23—9:3 | 1 Cor 1:10–13, 17 | Mt 4:12–23