August 16, 2009
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time
God Dazzles Us Each Day
Fear the Lord, you his holy ones, for nought is lacking to those who fear him. Psalm 34:10
“Fear of the Lord” is a misunderstood gift of the Holy Spirit. It doesn’t mean we shake from alarm before God. Rather, it means we stand in wonder and awe before our God who is eager to dazzle us each day. How does God dazzle us? Truthfully, anything can be a door to divine bedazzling: the scent of pine, the hooting of an owl, the sweetness of a peach, the laughter of a child, the kindness of a stranger, the embrace of a friend, a line from Scripture, the brightness of the stars at night.
There is a paradox here: if we truly fear the Lord, we need not fear anything else. Why? Because our God is not only almighty, but also all-loving. In fact, God’s almighty power is chiefly expressed as loving kindness and gentleness toward all.
Loving God, help me to be more open to all the ways you wish to dazzle me with your love today.
Sr. Melannie Svoboda, S.N.D.
Living Faith, Daily Catholic Devotions © 2009

August 23, 2009
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Transformed by Jesus’ Words
Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” John 6:67-68
The alternatives are many, as anyone who has ever seriously considered finding something to take the place of Jesus knows. Not only are there other religions and other teachers, many are the distractions and obsessions that can draw upon our mental and physical resources. Those alternatives may not have eternal life, but in the meantime, they can be quite absorbing.
If we count ourselves among those who, like Peter, can’t imagine anywhere else to go, that doesn’t quite settle the matter either. Jesus asks about our hearts, about what we want. If we stay but really want to leave, then we stay halfheartedly. We remain lukewarm, Christian in name only.
If, on the other hand, we really believe Jesus has the words of eternal life, then we will be transformed by those words into genuine disciples and drawn into full union with Christ.
Lord, make a wholehearted believer out of me.
Mark Neilsen
Living Faith, Daily Catholic Devotions © 2009


August 30, 2009
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Looking into the Mirror
Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. James 1:22
Helping a teenager stay on task is no easy matter, especially when she’s working on a computer hooked to the internet. I always tell her I can tell if she’s working or not by how fast she’s typing. If the fingers are racing, that means she’s chatting, not working. And it’s true.
So I get frustrated with her and talk about her own goals and what she is capable of accomplishing and how she really needs to be more disciplined. I wonder when she will get the picture. And then I look down at my own computer, four or five browser windows open to various blogs and news sites and online magazines. While my word processing screen with work half-done sits quietly, having been waiting unattended for some time now.
How can I expect her to do what I’ve not mastered? How many other things can I speak easily about – like the importance of prayer, charity and love – deluding myself that I don’t need a talking-to as well?
Lord, help me confront my own weaknesses.
Amy Welborn
Living Faith, Daily Catholic Devotions © 2009


September 6, 2009
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Not By Appearances…
My brothers, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. James 2:1
It was a few days before Christmas. Dad stopped at an out-of-town orphanage run by religious sisters to give a monetary gift. He was wearing his old work clothes with a shapeless hat and shoes that had never been introduced to polish. He asked to speak to the mother superior. She invited him into her office and offered him a chair. They had a short but very friendly conversation. Dad then wrote and handed her a check for a thousand dollars. That evening at supper he told us that because she treated him with kindness and respect, he made the check a little more generous.
Saint James says we judge falsely when we assess the quality of people by the clothes they wear or by their exterior appearance. Then outward is only a veneer that can disguise both the genuine and the superficial. We all know, but can easily forget, that the real person is the one that lives within.
Fr. James McKarns
Living Faith, Daily Catholic Devotions © 2009

September 13, 2009
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Love Makes The Difference
He 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.” Mark 8:34
I have a friend who is very generous with his time and money, yet never calls attention to himself by mentioning his many good works. I have to admit that I am a little envious of his freedom. Giving without wanting gratitude or praise is a challenge for most of us. It takes a certain purity of heart and willingness to let go of the desire to prove how “good” we are to give without needing others to take notice.
One thing that has struck me in recent years is the little deaths Jesus embraced throughout his life. Long before be surrendered his entire being on the cross, he died to the inordinate need for the approval, popularity and attention we humans so often crave. Jesus knew in the depth of his being that he was loved by God, and that made all the difference. I suspect the same is true for my friend.
Dear Jesus, teach me to live selflessly.
Terri Mifek
Living Faith, Daily Catholic Devotions © 2009

September 20, 2009
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Questions Lead To Wisdom
But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him. Mark 9:32
It is easy to understand why the disciples were reluctant to question Jesus’ strange teachings about being killed and then raised from the dead. Are you ever afraid to question God? Are you fearful of questioning others? Questions are tools for wisdom and learning. They are an admission that we are willing to admit we don’t always have the answers. Questions are good companions for the spiritual journey.
When you find yourself fearful of questioning, turn and learn from the child within you. Jesus brought a child before the disciples. He put his arms around that child, insisting that we must all become like children. He identified with the child. As I picture the scene of Jesus and the child, it occurs to me that children are generally not afraid to ask questions. They are naturally inquisitive and eager to learn.
Jesus, the child in me wants to ask you a question: Do you who are mighty know what it is to be small?
Sr. Macrina Wiederkehr, O.S.B.
Living Faith, Daily Catholic Devotions © 2009

September 27, 2009
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
We’re In This Together
There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. Mark 9:39-40
We have a natural tendency to think in terms of us and them. We’re right, of course, and they – well, they’re wrong, at least to one degree or another. We’re better than they are.
But Jesus didn’t think in terms of us and them. As long as they were not overtly and obviously against him, as far as Jesus was concerned, they were for him.
Notice, however, that Jesus uses the first person plural: us. He doesn’t say me. Jesus talks about himself here only in terms of his relationship with his disciples. For Jesus there was no me and them. He talks about himself in the context of his community of disciples. We might well do the same. To coin a phrase: We’re all in this together.
Lord Jesus, help me to think of myself more as a member of your body, the Church.
Mitch Finley
Living Faith, Daily Catholic Devotions © 2009