Ordinary Time

This world isn’t just a backdrop against which human salvation takes place and is then abandoned. We’re not saved out of the world; we’re saved with the world. Part of our stewardship and vocation, then, as baptized members of Christ, is to love and engage the world — so that, working through us, God’s grace might bring salvation for all of His creatures. But when the environment in which we live is out of sight, it quickly becomes out of mind. We’re much less motivated to notice environmental decline or to make personal sacrifices for something we don’t love — or even notice. So get outside and notice the world around you. Go for a walk, take it all in, and give thanks to God.
 
Readings at this Mass: Is 5:1–7 | Phil 4:6–9 | Mt 21:33–43

When we receive difficult things, when we're in difficult situations, when we have things that are hard to deal with, let us ask Mary to help us as we pray the Rosary this month. Let us ask her to inspire us to receive those difficult things as coming from God, and to be able to accept them, to embrace them, to say with her over and over again as we repeat this beautiful devotion of the Rosary, "Let it be done to me according to your word."
 
Readings at this Mass: Is 5:1–7 | Phil 4:6–9 | Mt 21:33–43

Living with a resentful heart is a dark place to be. St. Thomas Aquinas described envy as “sorrow over another person’s good.” Envy makes us resent the good that others receive. Gratitude does just the opposite: it teaches us to rejoice in God’s generosity, even toward someone we think doesn’t deserve it. But God’s grace is not measured out according to what we have earned. It is gift: freely and extravagantly given.
 
Readings at this Mass: Ez 18:25–28 | Phil 2:1–11 | Mt 21:28–32

Mercy isn't just about rules; it requires a willingness to change. If we would have God’s life within us, then we, too, must learn to become merciful.
 
Readings at this Mass: Is 55:6–9 | Phil 1:20c–24, 27a | Mt 20:1–16a

Many of us have a gift in at least one of the three areas — Goodness, Truth, and Beauty — but focusing on just one should not negate the others.
 
Readings at this Mass: Ez 33:7–9 | Rom 13:8–10 | Mt 18:15–20

Love is shown in many ways; those forms of love point towards God and heaven. Our love points to God's love for us.
 
Readings at this Mass: Jer 20:7–9 | Rom 12:1–2 | Mt 16:21–27

If we truly know who Jesus is, that knowledge cannot remain only in our minds or on our lips. A relationship with Christ inevitably begins to reshape the way we live. Jesus still asks each of us, "Who do you say that I am?" The most powerful answer will not be the one we give with only our lips — or post online — but the one we give with our lives.
 
Readings at this Mass: Is 22:19-23 | Rom 11:33–36 | Mt 16:13–20

Following Christ requires trust, and trust involves risk. The good news is that, when we follow Jesus, we are never alone; even when we falter, He is there. We may prefer to cling to whatever makes us feel safe — our routines, our plans, our familiar ways of doing things. But sometimes Jesus asks us to let go of those things and trust Him instead.
 
Readings at this Mass: 1 Kgs 19:9a, 11–13a | Rom 9:1–5 | Mt 14:22–33