We all have busy schedules. Between work, school, responsibilities and social lives, where can we squeeze in the time to focus on developing a deeper relationship with Our Heavenly Father? That’s why St. Juliana Parish has brought you the one spot where you can pray, learn and reflect!
But I shall show you a still more excellent way.
If I speak in human and angelic tongues
but do not have love,
I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.
And if I have the gift of prophecy
and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge;
if I have all faith so as to move mountains,
but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I give away everything I own,
and if I hand my body over so that I may boast
but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind.
It is not jealous, love is not pompous,
it is not inflated, it is not rude,
it does not seek its own interests,
it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,
it does not rejoice over wrongdoing
but rejoices with the truth.
It bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.
If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing;
if tongues, they will cease;
if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.
For we know partially and we prophesy partially,
but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.
When I was a child, I used to talk as a child,
think as a child, reason as a child;
when I became a man, I put aside childish things.
At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror,
but then face to face.
At present I know partially;
then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.
So faith, hope, love remain, these three;
but the greatest of these is love.
R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten stringed lyre chant his praises.
Sing to him a new song;
pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
For upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
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.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance.
We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.’
For John the Baptist came neither eating food nor drinking wine,
and you said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said,
‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”
– – –
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Feast date: Sep 18
On September 18, the Church celebrates the life of St. Joseph of Cupertino, a mystic who was perhaps most famous for his ability to fly. His father, a poor carpenter, died before his birth and his mother, who was unable to pay the debts, lost her home and gave birth to Joseph in a stable at Cupertino, Italy on June 17, 1603.
Joseph began having mystical visions when he was seven, and was often so lost to the world around him that the other children made fun of him giving him the nickname, “open-mouthed” for his gaping manner.
He had an irascible temper and read very poorly, giving others the impression that he was dumb and good for nothing. Aside from that, he was so continually drawn into ecstasy that it was impossible for him to be attentive to the tasks at hand. Thus, when he secured a job, he lost it very quickly.
He finally managed to obtain a post taking care of a stable in a Franciscan convent near Cupertino. Upon realizing his holiness and aptitude for penance, humility, and obedience, it was decided that he could begin studying for the priesthood.
Joseph was a very poor student, however during his final examination, the examiner happened to ask him a question on the one topic he knew well. He passed and was admitted into the priesthood
It was also soon recognized that though he knew little by way of worldly knowledge and had little capacity to learn, Joseph was infused with a divine knowledge that made him capable of solving some of the most intricate theological quandaries.
For the last 35 years of his life as a priest he was unable to celebrate Mass in public because he would often, without being able to help it, be lifted up into the air when he went into an ecstatic state, which happened at nearly every Mass. It took only the slightest reference of anything having to do with God in order for this state to be induced in him.
Despite being moved from one friary to another, because of the disruption he caused by his ecstasies and the persecutions he endured from some of his brothers who were envious of his gifts, he remained profoundly inundated by the joy of abandoning himself to Divine Providence.
He died on September 18, 1663 and was canonized in 1767 by Pope Clement XIII. He is the patron of air travelers and students preparing for exams.
St. Paul’s discourse on love in today’s first reading might be the most famous discussion of love in the world, and far more learned people than I have reflected on it throughout the ages. There’s probably nothing worthwhile that I could ever add to that great collection of reflections and analyses, but I will say this: Paul has not only outlined for us what true love is like, but what it actually is. And we human beings rarely, if ever, measure up to it because such true love resides in God alone, who is love and who gives love unceasingly.
However, our failure to measure up should never keep us from trying and continuing to try. To love completely, the way God loves, is His goal for each of us. He knows our faults and our weaknesses, and He is ready to help us if we only ask for the love and grace we need to love as He loves. It may take our whole lives, it might not even happen by the time we reach our deathbed, but to love and love and love and to keep on trying to love is all we can do, and all we should do. And our greatest example, of course, is Jesus.
In today’s Gospel from Luke, Jesus is almost scolding the people who, like children, won’t dance to a happy tune or weep to a sad one. He is basically calling them out for indifference, for not caring enough to react to what’s really happening. He also calls them out for treating John the Baptist’s ascetic way as if it were evil, and His way of engaging with people where they are as if it were a character flaw. Being indifferent or critical of something is an easy way out, to keep us from engaging, to keep us from thinking. It keeps us from looking within and really analyzing ourselves. Are we good people? Are we loving and giving? Or do we think only about ourselves? Or, maybe worst of all, are we nihilistic, rejecting things of meaning, value, knowledge and holiness?
Jesus came to tell us that life does have meaning and purpose. It has value when we love, when we give of ourselves for the sake of others, when we engage with each other and care about each other’s well-being — even those who might not engage with or care about us. Today’s Gospel ends with the line “But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” We who believe know that Jesus Christ himself is true wisdom, and He and His teachings of love of the Father and service to others are vindicated — that is, proven true — by those who follow Him, because the reward of true love and true wisdom is heavenly indeed. Let’s all keep trying to love as Jesus our wisdom calls us to love.
El discurso de San Pablo sobre el amor en la primera lectura de hoy podría ser el más famoso del mundo sobre el amor, y muchas personas más eruditas que yo han reflexionado sobre él a lo largo de los siglos. Probablemente no haya nada que valga la pena que pueda agregar a esa gran colección de reflexiones y análisis, pero diré esto: Pablo no sólo nos ha descrito cómo es el verdadero amor, sino también lo que realmente es. Y nosotros, los seres humanos, rara vez, o nunca, estamos a la altura, porque ese amor verdadero reside únicamente en Dios, que es amor y que da amor incesantemente.
Sin embargo, nuestra incapacidad para estar a la altura nunca debería impedirnos intentarlo y seguirlo intentando. Amar completamente, como Dios ama, es su objetivo para cada uno de nosotros. Él conoce nuestras faltas y nuestras debilidades, y está dispuesto a ayudarnos si sólo le pedimos el amor y la gracia que necesitamos para amar como Él ama. Puede que nos lleve toda la vida, puede que ni siquiera suceda cuando lleguemos al lecho de muerte, pero amar, amar, amar y seguir intentando amar es todo lo que podemos hacer y todo lo que debemos hacer. Y nuestro mayor ejemplo, por supuesto, es Jesús.
En el Evangelio de hoy según Lucas, Jesús casi está regañando a las personas que, como los niños, no bailan con una melodía alegre ni lloran con una triste. Básicamente los está llamando la atención por su indiferencia, por no preocuparse lo suficiente como para reaccionar ante lo que realmente está sucediendo. También los critica por tratar la manera ascética de Juan el Bautista como si fuera mala, y su manera de relacionarse con las personas donde están como si fuera un defecto de carácter. Ser indiferente o crítico con algo es una salida fácil, para impedir que nos involucremos, para impedirnos pensar. Nos impide mirar hacia dentro y analizarnos realmente a nosotros mismos. ¿Somos buenas personas? ¿Estamos amando y entregándonos? ¿O pensamos solamente en nosotros mismos? O, quizás lo peor de todo, ¿somos nihilistas y rechazamos las cosas que tienen significado, valor, conocimiento y santidad?
Jesús vino a decirnos que la vida sí tiene significado y propósito. Tiene valor cuando amamos, cuando nos entregamos por el bien de los demás, cuando nos relacionamos unos con otros y nos preocupamos por el bienestar de los demás, incluso de aquellos que quizás no se relacionen con nosotros ni se preocupen por nosotros. El evangelio de hoy termina con la frase “Pero sólo aquellos que tienen la sabiduría de Dios, son quienes lo reconocen.” Nosotros, los que creemos, sabemos que Jesucristo mismo es la verdadera sabiduría, y que Él y Sus enseñanzas de amor al Padre y servicio a los demás son vindicados (es decir, probados como verdaderos) por aquellos que lo siguen, porque la recompensa del verdadero amor y la verdadera sabiduría es realmente celestial. Sigamos todos intentando amar como Jesús nuestra sabiduría nos llama a amar.
Mike Karpus is a regular guy. He grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, graduated from Michigan State University and works as an editor. He is married to a Catholic school principal, raised two daughters who became Catholic school teachers at points in their careers, and now relishes his two grandchildren, including the older one who is fascinated with learning about his faith. He also has served on a Catholic school board, a pastoral council and a parish stewardship committee. He currently is a lector at Mass, a Knight of Columbus, Adult Faith Formation Committee member and a board member of the local Habitat for Humanity organization. But mostly he’s a regular guy.
Feature Image Credit: Worshae, unsplash.com/photos/a-person-reading-a-book-on-a-couch-uN4Mv7pjL0Q
