Proclaim the Wonder of God

09-26-2021Weekly Reflection© J. S. Paluch Company

The gift of the Spirit is given freely, not according to human expectations, but according to the generosity of God. Joshua wants Moses to stop Eldad and Medad from prophesying in the camp, when they were not with the others as the spirit was bestowed on them. Moses, so close to God’s mind in the matter, wishes everyone could possess the spirit of God and proclaim it to the nations.

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The Meaning of Discipleship

09-19-2021Weekly Reflection© J. S. Paluch Company

The geography of today’s Gospel is significant. Jesus is completing his ministry in Galilee and beginning his journey to Jerusalem, where he will meet both death and resurrection. The prediction of his death placed here is the second of three in Mark’s Gospel, and as usual it is the occasion for an important teaching on the part of Jesus. Today that lesson is tied to the need for his disciples to embrace a ministry of service. A play on words in Aramaic would have linked the words “child” and “servant,” thus turning Jesus’ gesture of placing a child in their midst into an illustration of his understanding of himself as the Servant of the Lord.

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It's All About Control

09-12-2021Weekly Reflection© J. S. Paluch Company

From toddlerhood to old age, we grow in mastery of our own lives, our bodies, and our destiny. This mastery is hard won, and we don’t let go of autonomy easily. Much of this self-mastery involves the avoidance of pain or discomfort, so when we hear things like “take up your cross” and “lose your life,” we tend to resist the message.

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Remembering

09-05-2021Weekly Reflection© J. S. Paluch Company

When Jesus broke the bread on the night before he died, he told his disciples, “do this in memory of me” (Luke 22:19). Christians have been faithful to that solemn command. Our eucharistic remembering is not nostalgia, nor is it merely historical, recalling events and facts of long ago. In the liturgy, remembering is action. “Do this,” Jesus said. In the Eucharist, we remember by doing. And as we remember, the sacrifice of Jesus is renewed, truly made present, no longer then, but now.

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Doers of the Word

08-29-2021Weekly Reflection© J. S. Paluch Company

The second reading for today begins a five week series of selections from James, a letter that is classified among the so-called “catholic” (or universal) epistles because they are addressed to a general audience rather than to one particular community. Today’s text offers important advice for Christians of every generation. God is first cited as the author of all gifts, and in particular, reference is made to the gift of baptism by which we have been made the “first fruits” of the new creation.

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Decisions

08-22-2021Weekly Reflection© J. S. Paluch Company

There is an axiom that states, “Not to decide is to decide.” This saying was popular in the turbulent times of the Vietnam War. It urged us not to allow others to answer the moral questions raised by our nation’s involvement in that terrible conflict, but to decide for ourselves.

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The Destiny of All Mortal Flesh

08-15-2021Weekly Reflection© J. S. Paluch Company

The celebration of today’s feast on a Sunday is unusual on our Roman Catholic calendar. Our observance of the Lord’s Day is held in such high esteem that few other feasts replace it. Occasionally there is a feast—usually of one of the saints—in which the saving power of God in Christ is so uniquely focused that the Roman rite deems it worthy of celebration on the Lord’s Day.

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Civil Discourse

08-08-2021Weekly Reflection© J. S. Paluch Company

“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.” These words bring us up short! What could we be doing to grieve the Holy Spirit? Alas, the same things that the Ephesians were doing in the time of Paul, that is, fighting, shouting, reviling each other with fury, anger, and malice.

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The Bread of Life

08-01-2021Weekly Reflection© J. S. Paluch Company

Today’s Gospel has the crowd asking Jesus three questions. First, “When did you get here,” to which Jesus responds by rebuking them for their failure to grasp his miracle as a “sign,” an occasion to put faith in him. Their second question about accomplishing the “works of God” has Jesus respond that faith is the “work” that God wishes.

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One Lord, One Faith

07-25-2021Weekly Reflection© J. S. Paluch Company

Do you suppose the authors of the four Gospels were aware of today’s first reading from the second book of Kings? Of course they were. The prophet Elisha fed a hundred men with twenty barley loaves in order to prove God’s power. This same miracle, now multiplied by more people fed by fewer loaves, is attributed to Jesus in all four Gospels.

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Feast of Faith: The Prayer Over the Offerings

07-18-2021Weekly Reflection© J. S. Paluch Company

In the liturgy of the 1570 Missal, this prayer was called the “secret” prayer. It was “secret” not because its content was mysterious, but because it was prayed in silence by the priest, who only recited the conclusion aloud: ...per omnia saecula saeculorum. With the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, we again hear these rich prayers spoken aloud. They remind us to prepare ourselves for what is to happen in the Eucharistic Prayer, for it is not only the bread and wine that will be transformed.

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God Chose Us

07-11-2021Weekly Reflection© J. S. Paluch Company

Who chose first, God or you? That is the question explored in today’s three readings. The second reading, from Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, reads almost like a hymn. It praises God for choosing us, for calling us to serve, and for blessing us in our service. Paul makes it clear how honored we are and how special is the call to live as children of God. This is through no doing of our own.

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No Bad News

07-04-2021Weekly Reflection© J. S. Paluch Company

There are many times when we say, “Tell me what I want to hear, and don’t confuse me with facts.” And we don’t take kindly to someone who might be bold enough to snuff out our expectations.

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