Pope Francis

October 18, Twenty-ninth
Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Cycle B. Readings:
1) Isaiah 53:10-11
Psalm 33:4-5, 18-20, 22
2) Hebrews 4:14-16
Gospel) Mark 10:35-45
By Jeff Hedglen
well-known adage says that
A only two things are guaranteed
in life: death and taxes.
I would like to offer a third certainty
— struggle. If my own life
is not evidence enough, the daily
newspaper and my Facebook
newsfeed confirm the truth that
we all go through hard times.
Another adage says that it is
how we respond to adversity that
defines our character. I would
suggest that this also speaks to our
life of faith. It is easy to believe in
God in the times of blessing, but
it is another thing entirely to cling
to Him in times of struggle.
When my mother died, I was
26 years old, and I wrote these
lines in my journal:
“Faced with an enemy and run,
it will follow;
Faced with an enemy and turn
and embrace, one will melt.
Love is stronger than fear but
the fear of love comes close.”
I wrote this because I was
struggling to embrace the reality
of the loss of my mother. I wanted
WORD TO LIFE
“So let us confidently
approach the throne of
grace to receive mercy
and to find grace for
timely help.”
— Hebrews 4:16
to run from my feelings and “be
strong,” but I was failing at this.
So my only alternative was to
embrace the struggle and, well,
struggle!
Jesus gives us the perfect
example of the power of embracing
struggle when He tells his
Father that He wishes the “cup”
of his suffering and death to pass
by Him. But, as we know, He
surrenders to the Father’s will and
embraces the perceived enemy of
suffering and death, and through
that act He brings about the salvation
of the world.
In this week’s readings, the
author of the Letter to the Hebrews
tells us: “We do not have
a high priest who is unable to
sympathize with our weaknesses,
but one who has similarly been
tested in every way.... So let us
confidently approach the throne
of grace to receive mercy and to
find grace for timely help.”
The fact that our High Priest
knows what it is like to suffer
gives us a reason to be confident
in coming to Him in prayer in our
own suffering.
To be sure this does not usually
take the suffering away, but it
does give us strength to bear the
load and make it through our own
suffering all the way to new life.
QUESTIONS:
How have the struggles of your life helped you grow in faith? How does
knowing that Jesus suffered help you in your own struggles?
October 25, Thirtieth
Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Cycle B. Readings:
1) Jeremiah 31:7-9
Psalm 126:1-6
2) Hebrews 5:1-6
Gospel) Mark 10:46-52
By Sharon K. Perkins
In the popular Lerner and
Loewe musical, “My Fair Lady,”
Eliza Doolittle — tiring of her
suitor’s flowery declarations of
devotion — impatiently sings,
“Don’t talk of stars, burning
above; if you’re in love, show me!”
A popular adage similarly suggests,
“Actions speak louder than
words.” Today’s readings offer
several illustrations of just how
loudly God’s actions proclaim his
love for his people.
Jeremiah the prophet conveys
to the exiled remnant of Israel
a vivid description of all the
ways that God their Father will
rescue them from enslavement
and restore them to their home.
“The Lord has
done great things
for us; we are glad
indeed.”
— Psalm 26:3
Verbs such as “deliver,” “gather,”
“console,” “guide,” and “lead”
make it clear that their God is one
of action.
In the Gospel, Jesus encounters
a blind man who begs for
pity. Jesus doesn’t merely pat the
beggar on the back, mumble a few
platitudes, and continue on his
way. He asks, “What do you want
me to do for you?” and then He
does it.
On Dec. 8 this year, the Extraordinary
Jubilee
Year of Mercy will
commence with the
opening of the Holy
Door at St. Peter’s
Basilica, inviting
all to enter it as a
“Door of Mercy.”
Pope Francis’
explanation of the
jubilee, “Misericordiae Vultus,”
describes how God’s mercy — or
his “loving concern for each one
of us” — is indicated by “God’s
action toward us. He does not
limit Himself merely to affirming
his love, but makes it visible and
tangible. Love, after all, can never
be just an abstraction. By its very
nature, it indicates something
concrete.”
The Holy Father goes on to
say that “this is the path that the
merciful love of Christians must
also travel. As the Father loves,
so do his children. Just as He is
merciful, so we are called to be
merciful to each other.”
How can flawed and sinful
human beings be vessels of the
Father’s great mercy? The writer
of Hebrews gives us a clue by
observing that the high priest, a
human being also, “is able to deal
patiently with the ignorant and
erring for he himself is beset by
weakness.” We open our doors
of mercy toward others when we
honestly and sincerely recall our
own need for God’s mercy — and
then act accordingly, in the way
that God acts toward us.
QUESTIONS:
How have you most recently experienced God’s mercy and loving
concern for you? To whom is God inviting you to show mercy through
concrete action?
PAGE 37 NORTH TEXAS CATHOLIC SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2015