Monday 1 September

1 Cor.2:1-5, Ps.119, Luke 4:16-30

To Know Jesus

Part of the call for all Christians is to spread the Good News, but is it really possible? Surely it is a job for the experts, for priests and scholars; what do we, ordinary people know? Today Paul makes it very clear. To know Jesus, the crucified Christ, is the one essential thing. Neither learning nor oratory can replace personal experience and faith, not in ourselves but in the power and love of God. Do I have that faith today?

Tuesday 2 September

1 Cor.2:10-16, Ps.145, Luke 4:31-37

The Mind of Christ

We live in a world of materialistic values, a world where science is king, yet, as Christians, we are called to live a counter-culture, where, without rejecting the good things science can bring, spiritual values are paramount. We are to be guided by the Holy Spirit and Christ’s Church, no matter how irrational and foolish we may appear to others. Not easy this – it certainly scares me. Only through prayer, humility and openness to the Spirit can we hope to be able to echo Paul’s breathtaking claim “we have the mind of Christ.”

Wednesday 3 September

St Gregory the Great - 1 Cor.3:1-9, Ps.33, Luke 4:38-44

To be served and to serve.

Jesus must have been tired after a day of ministry, longing to rest when he arrived at Peter’s house, but still he responded to the need before him. He was always ready to help and to heal one more person who had need of him. Peter’s mother-in-law has something to teach us too - she didn’t just lie there and enjoy her healing, she got up and immediately began to serve Jesus and his friends. May God give us today the grace to use whatever health and strength is given to us, in the service of others.

Thursday 4 September

1 Cor. 3:18-23, Ps.24, Luke 5:1-11

Obedient Faith

‘Put out your nets for a catch’ – Peter knew it was useless; he was, after all, the expert, the one who earned his living as a fisherman; he knew, but he believed Jesus, so he obeyed and not only did he make a huge catch but his life was changed forever. Paul tells us that the wisdom of the world is foolishness to God. Let’s pray for the grace to believe and to obey, even when it seems absurd, to be willing to be fools for Christ because ‘we belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God.’

Friday 5 September

1 Cor.4:1-5, Ps.37, Luke 5:33-39

An Open Mind

New fabric is strong and supple. Old, much-used and laundered it becomes less elastic, weaker. Jesus tells us the leather wineskins wear in the same way, so the gases given off by new wine, which is still fermenting, will destroy old stiff skins. As I grow older I find my mind can be like an old wineskin; the temptation is to cling to the things I know, to believe old ways are best and to reject change and new ideas. Jesus calls me to be open to the possibility that I may be wrong and the new wine may be better than the old.

Saturday 6 September

1 Cor.4:6-15, Ps.145, Luke 6:1-5

Scruples

Scruples are a very Catholic affliction, sometimes a painful and destructive one. A person becomes worried and tied-up over small things, and can lose all sense of proportion. For anyone who suffers in this way, today’s gospel may be helpful. The Pharisees were horrified that Jesus was breaking the Sabbath law, but Jesus replied by reminding them how their revered King David did the same, because there was a need. Laws and rules are necessary, but mercy and a loving response to human need are always paramount.

Sunday 7 September

Ezekiel 33:7-9, Ps.95, Romans 13:8-10, Matthew 18:15-20

Praying Together

We need three sorts of prayer in our lives: prayer alone, the expression of our personal relationship with God; Prayer in the Body of Christ, the Church, where we are nourished by the Sacraments and find strength in belonging to the people of God, and the third type of prayer, which is sometimes neglected, prayer with a small group. This prayer has its own special quality, it is family prayer, the prayer of people of one heart and mind, united in their need for, and love of, Jesus – and the gospel today assures us that wherever such a group is gathered Jesus will be in their midst.

Monday 8 September

Birth of Mary. - Micah 5:1-4 or Romans 8:28-30, Ps.13, Matthew.1:1-16,18-23

Happy Birthday!

A happy day indeed, for all of us. Just as we celebrate with love and gratitude our own human mothers’ birthdays, let us rejoice in our prayer today, thanking Our Lord for the wonderful gift of the one who is his mother and ours.

Tuesday 9 September

1 Cor.6:1-11, Ps.149, Luke 6:12-19

Chosen to be Friends.

Jesus had many followers, many admirers, but just twelve became his intimate friends. They were a very diverse group, including fishermen, a tax-collector, and a Zealot (a militant nationalist). People who would have had very little in common but who were united in their friendship with Jesus; very ordinary people, unimportant in the eyes of the world. Jesus still calls ordinary people to be his friends. No-one is excluded, no-one. Can we really believe this? Believe that everyone is acceptable to Jesus. Can I believe that I am acceptable, called to that wonderful friendship? Perhaps that is a good starting-point for our prayer today.

Wednesday 10 September

1 Cor.7:25-31, Ps.45B, Luke 6:20-26

The Charter of the Kingdom

In these few brief gospel words Jesus turns the values of the world upside down and shakes us loose from all our comfortable securities. Can I bear it? Can I live like that? Frequently the honest answer is ‘no’, and I succumb to fear and fail to stick to my principles. Again and again I need to repent and ask for the strength to try again. It will never be easy. Someone once said ‘Jesus promised his followers three things – they would be completely fearless, absurdly happy, and in constant trouble’! Help me Lord to live like that.

Thursday 11 September

1 Cor.8:1-7,11-13, Ps.139, Luke 6:27-38

Love Your Enemies

What does this really mean? Should I feel guilty because I do not feel the same about someone I dislike, someone who may have hurt or offended me, as I do about a beloved friend? I think not. What Jesus is calling us to is ‘agape’, an active desire for the good of the other, a willingness to go the extra mile to offer kindness and help. It is a matter of both will and heart. The will leads and the heart must follow. One thing is certain, we need God’s grace.

Friday 12 September

1 Cor.9:16-19,22-27, Ps.84, Luke 6:39-42

Running for Victory

Paul is very clear about what the call to follow Jesus entails, and maybe in our time, when athletes are so publicized and admired, his image is a helpful one. We see them as people with clear goals, willing to give up anything, to do anything that will help them attain victory. We Christians also have a goal, and the way to reach it is hard and costly; it involves training, self-denial, and, above all, a single-minded desire. Is the goal worth it, to me? Do I have such a passionate desire?

Saturday 13 September

St. John Chrysostom - 1 Cor.10:14-22, Ps.116, Luke 6:43-49

God’s Gifts

Sometimes, I think, we go through life never recognizing the gifts God has given us. Perhaps it is due to false humility ‘I don’t have any gifts’, or an equally false inflated idea of my own importance ‘anything so dull and simple isn’t a gift’. Perhaps I want to be someone different, to be like so-and-so, to share their gifts, so I don’t accept my own. Today let us ask God for the discernment to recognize our true gifts, and the courage and freedom to use them, as St. John Chrysostom did in his time.

Sunday 14 September

Triumph of the Holy Cross - Numbers 21:4-9, Ps.78, Philippians.2:6-11, John 3:13-17

God Loved the World So Much

Today’s readings lead us to the one supreme and wonderful truth: God doesn’t love just the saints, God doesn’t love just the good people, nor just the Catholics, nor just Christians, nor one country or nation – God loves the World, the whole, messy, imperfect, suffering world. God loves each person individually, each one is precious, and God loves the earth itself, created by God. Just to stay with this truth in prayer is surely enough, not only for today, but for many days.

Monday 15 September

Our Lady of Sorrows - Hebrews 5:7-9, Ps.31, John 19:25-27

The loss of a child is terrible. Any bereavement is heartbreak to the one who remains without their beloved, but for a child to die before the parents seems not only tragic but wrong. In this anguish, the knowledge that Mary endured even this is a real consolation. I know of one mother whose only son had drowned and who was near to despair, when, in prayer, (and she was not a Catholic and had no devotion to Our Lady) she experienced the presence of Mary who said to her, “your son drowned, mine died in agony, hanging on a cross.” As we remember Our Lady of Sorrows, with grateful love today, let us pray for other bereaved and suffering people and ask Mary to bring them comfort.

Tuesday 16 September

Sts Cornelius and Cyprian - 1 Cor.12:12-14,27-31, Ps.100, Luke 7:11-17

A healing God

Today’s gospel shows us the compassion Jesus had for human suffering. We don’t know why Jesus chose to heal the son of this particular widow; we can’t know, but it does reveal the tender compassion of Jesus, particularly for the weak and powerless. Jesus was not detached and above the widow’s suffering, he was moved to the depth of his heart. This is our God, not a remote uncaring deity, but one to be approached with confidence both in his love and compassion and in his power to heal.

Wednesday 17 September

1 Cor.12:31 -13:13, Ps.33, Luke 7:31-35

Perversity

All small children have days when nothing is right. If a game is suggested, they want to play something else; a visit to friends, they want to stay at home. The Scribes and Pharisees were like this, and it’s easy to condemn them – but am I really in a position to throw stones? Sometimes I fall into this trap too; nothing is right, the church is too conservative, unwilling to change, but then again it’s too liberal in another area. So it goes on, instead of looking for and rejoicing in the good, I see only the bad. Lord, change my heart today.

Thursday 18 September

1 Cor.15:1-11, Ps.118, Luke 7:36-50

Washing Jesus’ Feet

This story is so vivid and so beautiful it seems to me the best way to pray with it is to use the imagination. Put yourself into the story, who are you - the woman perhaps, or maybe the Pharisee, or one of the guests looking on? How does it feel, how do you react? Relax and let it happen, then perhaps talk to Jesus about the experience and what you can learn from it. Don’t be afraid of imagination, God can use it, it is God’s gift after all.

Friday 19 September

1 Cor.15:12-20, Ps.17, Luke 8:1-3

The Dead shall be Raised

When a loved one dies – and I speak from immediate experience – it can be hard to hold onto one’s faith. Grief and loss are overwhelming, prayer is difficult and God seems far away. Today’s first reading is a wonderful help at such a time, firm ground on which to stand. Paul is so utterly certain in his faith, he looks at the consequences if Jesus had not been raised, and then that wonderful triumphant final sentence – But Christ has in fact been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep. Let’s pray for anyone who is in need of that faith.

Saturday 20 September

1 Cor.15:35-37,42-49, Ps.56, Luke 8:4-15

The Seed is Sown

How sad, to think of all that wasted seed. Sometimes the heart is too hard to receive it, sometimes the seed (the word of God) is heard, but not truly accepted and lived out, sometimes it is choked by all the cares and concerns of the world. I know all these things can happen to the seed in my heart. But perhaps we can look at the reading a little differently. Perhaps Jesus is encouraging us, reminding us that although some of the seed is lost, some will grow so we need never be discouraged. The harvest is sure. Let’s pray for a good harvest in our hearts, and the hearts of all who hear the word.

Sunday 21 September

Isaiah 55:6-9, Ps.145, Philippians.1:20-24,27, Matthew 20:1-16

God’s ways are not our ways

Today’s gospel is a salutary reminder that our human thinking, good as it may be, will not always comprehend the mind of God. The people who worked one hour being paid the same as those who worked all day! It offends all our ideas of justice. Well, our ideas of justice are the best we can do, but perhaps we need to keep open minds and accept we may not know it all. However one thing we can safely take from this parable, and pray for the grace to emulate, is the infinite generosity of our God

Monday 22 September

Proverbs 3:27-34, Ps.15, Luke 8:16-18

Visible Christianity

Most of us have an instinctive fear of being different. We are expected to conform. Even in the animal kingdom, being different usually means being shunned by the group, often being killed. Hard though it is, being different is what Jesus calls us to today. It is so easy to find good reasons not to flaunt our Christianity to the world. Not flaunt perhaps, but we are called never to be ashamed of who we are and who we serve, to be willing to stand up and be counted. Am I brave and faith-filled enough to be a visible Christian?

Tuesday 23 September

St. Padre Pio - Proverbs.21:1-6,10-13, Ps.119A, Luke 8:19-21

To hear the Word of God and do it

It is a breathtaking promise, those who hear and act on the word are “my mother and my brothers”. Padre Pio was one such man, one who accepted the word of God and did it, no matter what the consequences, and there always are consequences. To live like this requires single-mindedness, ‘a condition of complete simplicity, costing not less than everything’. But what a reward!

Wednesday 24 September

Proverbs.30:5-9, Ps.119H, Luke 9:1-6

Travelling Light

Have you ever travelled, weighed-down with too much baggage? I have, and it’s awful. Jesus knew that those who travel light can go fast and far and have few worries to hold them back. This, perhaps, is the reason the author of Proverbs prays for neither wealth nor poverty, but just enough to give him the freedom to serve God. What baggage do I carry? Is Jesus calling me to get rid of some? Or is there some anxiety which prevents me from freely following the Lord? Let’s pray today for the discernment to recognize such obstacles to our journey.

Thursday 25 September

Ecclesiastes 1:2-11, Ps.90, Luke 9:7-9

Who is this?

The author of Ecclesiastes sounds like someone who has seen all life has to offer and is weary of it all. King Herod was somewhat similar, sated with all the world could give, but unwilling to relinquish anything. He was interested, despite himself, in Jesus. Here was someone different, someone outside his experience. Who was this man? He was also a little fearful, had his sins, in the shape of John the Baptist come back to haunt him? Herod was curious, but not open to change, his was an idle curiosity, born of boredom. Perhaps we should pray never to become so hardened and world-weary.

Friday 26 September

Ecclesiastes.3:1-11, Ps.144, Luke 9:18-22

Who do you say I am?

This is probably the most important question any one of us will have to answer, yet the response may well vary in different times and seasons in our lives. Hopefully we can honestly say with Peter ‘the Christ of God’, but the greatness of Jesus has many facets. At times I will perceive Jesus primarily as friend and guide, at others as my all-powerful Lord, sometimes as saviour or comforter, and all these things are true and valid. Jesus is big enough to answer all our needs. Who is Jesus for me today?

Saturday 27 September

St. Vincent de Paul - Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:8, Ps.90, Luke 9:43-45

Suffering

Today’s readings make us aware of the transitoriness of life, the inevitability of suffering. We can enjoy the good things of life, but the bad times will surely come, this is the human condition. St. Vincent de Paul was one who could live among the rich yet remain deeply conscious of the poverty and suffering all around, and determined to do something himself and persuade others to join him in working with and for the poor. Am I also called to work in this way?

Sunday 28 September

Ezekiel 18:25-28, Ps.25, Philippians 2:1-ll, Matthew 21:28-32

Life in Christ

The second reading today spells out clearly what life as a Christian requires. It sounds simple, yet in practice it is so difficult. No competition, no good opinion of oneself, be united, with a common purpose. Easy in theory, until that tiresome person with different ideas from mine starts to talk, or is elected to a position I secretly felt should have been mine. It is difficult for an individual, It is also difficult for a group or organisation. Is there some way, for instance, I can encourage co-operation between my parish and other denominations? Is there something I am called to do?

Monday 29 September

Sts Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Archangels - Daniel 7:9-10,13-14, or Apocalypse 12:7-12, Ps.138, John 1:47-51

A rumour of Angels

Angels, romantic, new-age type angels, are popular today. The archangels we encounter in today’s readings are very different, majestic figures, messengers of God, heavenly warriors. Jesus tells Nathanael that, because he believes, he will see the angels of God. Does Jesus mean with bodily eyes I wonder? I don’t know, but as believers we do come into a relationship with these heavenly beings, and maybe we need to be constantly open to their presence as guardians, and as messengers of God.

Tuesday 30 September

St. Jerome - Job3:1-3,11-17,20-23,Ps.88, Luke 9:51-56

Anger and Grief

Can one be bad-tempered and be a saint? Well Jerome certainly was, even his brethren found him difficult to live with. Job (with good reason) was driven to express his grief and anger at God. There are times when such emotions are the reality in our lives, and I believe God wants us to be real. God is big enough to take it! Far better to pray out of the anger and grief we are feeling than to pretend everything is all right. God loves us exactly as we are today.