"Take up Your Cross (the Saviour Said)"

As we continue our Sunday celebration, I offer this version of "Take up Your Cross (the Saviour Said)":

 

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today the Church celebrates the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time The assigned readings for the Mass during the day are Jeremiah 20:7-9, Romans 12:1-2, and Matthew 16:21-27. The Responsorial Psalm is from Psalm 63 (Psalm 63:2-6, 8-9).

For one version of the Responsorial Psalm set to music, please visit:

YouTube: Responsorial Psalm /Ps 63: For You my soul is thirsting, O Lord, my God/ 22nd Sun in ODT/ Year A

The Gospel reading is as follows:

Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, "God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you." He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory, and then he will repay all according to his conduct."

Reflections related to these readings:

Community in Mission: Trademarks of the True Messiah - A Homily for the 22nd Sunday of the Year (29 AUG 26) 

Benedictine College: This Sunday, What Jesus Reveals Rewrites World History (27 AUG 26)

Word on Fire: A Living Sacrifice (Cycle A * Ordinary Time * 22nd Week)

The Pilot: Echoes: Scott Hahn: For your life (28 AUG 26)

The Quiet Corner: From Fisherman to First Bishop (20 AUG 26)

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of good priests and for those who pray for them.

Lucia Silecchia on the Dignity of Labor

"Labor Day is, for many, the best of times and the worst of times.

"Alas, it is summer's unofficial end, an unwelcome herald of shorter days and the harbinger of a busier pace. However, it is also a happy return to autumnal routines, the fresh beginning of new school years, and the resumption of activities paused for the summer.

"Labor Day is also an opportunity to honor the myriad contributions of workers to the nation's social and economic life and to reflect, gratefully, on efforts by so many to advance the dignity of workers. It was in 1894 that President Grover Cleveland signed the bill establishing our federal Labor Day."

In a recent commentary , writer/Professor Lucia A. Silecchia reflected on the relationship of Labor Day to Pope Leo XIII's 1891 encyclical,'R'erum Novarum' and on how the Church's reflections on the role of work are quite timely.

To access Professor Silecchia's complete post, please visit:

The Pilot: Echoes: Lucia A. Silecchia: The dignity of labor (19 AUG 26)

Reflection Starter from Pope Leo XIV

"It is not always easy to understand and accept God's ways, especially when they are very far from our own.  Then the temptation arises - against all the reasoning of faith - to think that the Lord is the one who is wrong, or worse still, that he is not listening to us or is not concerned about us.." - Pope Leo XIV

Johnny Tillotson: "Poetry In Motion"

As this blessed week draws to a close, I offer this version of Johnny Tillotson presenting "Poetry In Motion":

 

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the blessings you have been and are bestowing on us during this summer season.

Rose Bryan on Faith at the County Fair

"Despite sweltering triple-digit heat, an annual county fair buzzed with activities in the quaint town of Washington, Missouri. The Washington Town and Country Fair has been held nearly 100 years, starting in 1929, and includes livestock shows, carnival rides and booths much like those you’d see at farmers' markets or craft shows. However, this year had a rather unusual booth: a Catholic Country Confessional started by Fr. Ryan Truss."

In a recent commentary, writer Rose Bryan reflected on the success of this initiative, especially among young people.

To access Ms. Bryan's complete post, please visit:

Aleteia: Rose Bryan: Faith at the county fair: Could this be a new trend? (27 AUG 26)

Reflection Starter from St. Augustine of Hippo

"A Christian is: a mind through which Christ thinks, a heart through which Christ loves, a voice through which Christ speaks, and a hand through which Christ helps." - Attributed to Saint Augustine of Hippo

"Thou Art Worthy"

As we continue to live this week, I offer this version of "Thou Art Worthy":

 

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for creating each of us and for calling each of us to be a blessing to those we encounter each day.

The Wisdom of St. Clare of Assisi

August 11th is the Feast of Saint Clare of Assisi, who was born in 1194, about 12 years after the birth of Saint Francis of Assisi. She was an early follower of Saint Francis and became the first woman to write a set of monastic guidelines. In a letter to Blessed Agnes of Prague, a Bohemian princess who abandoned her royal status to establish a convent, Clare wrote, "We become what we love and who we love shapes what we become."

It's a piece of wisdom that Clare acquired through her own journey from wealth and status to a renunciation of worldly things, and she passed this wisdom on, just as Francis had passed it on to her after his own journey of renunciation.

When she was a teenager, Clare heard Francis preach and was so inspired that she decided to follow in his footsteps by committing herself to a simple life devoted to God. Francis helped her find a home in a convent, and Clare's sister, Catarina, soon joined her in religious life. Their family objected to this path and tried to persuade both sisters to return home and pursue the type of strong marital alliance that was expected of their high social status.

But Clare and her sister had found what Francis found in renouncing the things of this world to devote themselves completely to God. They found peace in detachment and an ability to love others completely and unconditionally. Clare immersed herself in cultivating a way of life for the women who came to join her order, known today as the Order of Poor Clares, a name that pays homage to her as the foundress and to the vow of poverty at the heart of her rule.

The Poor Clares are in the Franciscan tradition because Clare modeled her rule after the rule established by Francis. The vow of poverty was essential to this tradition because both Francis and Clare viewed it as the surest response to Christ's teaching, when He said in Luke 14:33, "Whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be My disciple."

In following this rule and encouraging others to do the same, Francis and Clare charted a path in the footsteps of Christ. And just as Francis had done, Clare modeled humility through a quiet and unassuming approach to leadership. Clare viewed her role as one of service, and it is said that she only gave orders to others in the most humble manner. In this way, she sowed seeds of virtue in all who bore witness to her actions and to all who were so blessed as to take her counsel.

Clare's letters to Blessed Agnes of Prague exemplify the help and support she provided to others who sought her counsel. The wisdom she shared with Agnes demonstrates that loving Christ allows Him into our hearts to shape our souls, and that is how we continually grow closer to Him.

Clare died on August 11th, 1253, just one day after having the rule she wrote for her order approved by Pope Innocent IV. On her deathbed, she is reported to have said, "Blessed be You, O God, for having created me."

In this final expression, Clare demonstrated the hard-won reward for the life of detachment she chose. In letting go, Saint Clare of Assisi was able to live in full appreciation for the simplest gifts of life - and for the gift of life itself.

This essay is this week's "Light One Candle" column, written by Fr. Edward Dougherty, M.M, of The Christophers' Board of Directors; it is one of a series of weekly columns that deal with a variety of topics and current events.)

Background information:

The Christophers