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The Bethany family of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus knew Jesus well. They loved him as a good friend. They had faith in what he taught and in what he could do. Jesus calls us to know him, to be friends with him, to have faith in him as well. How have I responded?
“What does it matter where we go? Wherever we go, won’t we be serving God there?” —Solanus Casey
Blessed Stanley Rother grew up in Oklahoma on his parents’ farm in what could be described as a normal environment. Life changed radically for him when he was ordained a priest in 1963, and again in 1968, when he volunteered for the missions in Guatemala. But the final change came when civil war reached his parish in 1980. He was assassinated on July 28, 1981.
Jesus describes “the kingdom of God” as a net thrown into the sea. And as expected, the net catches all kinds of fish that eventually need to be sorted out. But in the end all will be judged.
“How happy we would be simply in our creation and the faculties we are endowed with and the divine promises of eternal reward.” —Solanus Casey
“There were many women there . . . who had followed Jesus from Galilee”—Matthew 27:55. Try to imagine these holy Galilean women at various scenes. Try to conceptualize how they may have felt, how they reacted. They are not often depicted, but they were there!
A mild-mannered Dutch Carmelite professor, Saint Titus Brandsma became a fierce critic of the Nazi movement and was put to death by lethal injection at the Dachau concentration camp in 1942.
In today’s Gospel Jesus invites us to ponder what are the true riches in human life. Jesus teaches that those who rely solely on material goods and allow them to control their existence to the point of greed and possessiveness are storing up treasures that will not last.
In today’s Gospel we’re given another image of the “kingdom of heaven.” Jesus speaks of a treasure buried in a field, but it is discovered by chance. This is Jesus’ way of saying that for those who believe, the gift of faith is far more valuable than any earthly or material treasure.
“The Blessed Virgin Mary! Next to Jesus Himself, and always with Him, may she ever be our refuge and our stay during this pilgrimage on earth.” —Solanus Casey
