Tag: Deanna Bartalini

I’m not going to lie, which is good considering I’m writing a reflection on the word of God! I had to look up these verses in the Sacra Pagina commentary. These verses have long perplexed me. Why doesn’t Jesus want the woman to compliment his mother? Jesus loves his mother. As always, there is another layer to his response, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” (Luke 11:28) Some translations say “keep” rather than “observe” which I prefer as it is more direct and clearer.

It is about what we do. Liking Jesus, thinking he’s a good person, serving him when it is convenient – not enough. Our response, in our day to day living out of his word is what we are to be about in this life. As Christians, we follow Christ. Following though, is not as easy as it sounds, but you know this. The world we live in could be the world Joel prophesied to in the First Reading. “The heavens and the earth quake, but the LORD is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the children of Israel.” (Joel 4:16b) The world is shaking, down to its core and there will be judgment. But God is our refuge and Jesus leads us to the Father as the Word made flesh. 

We hear the word of God and when we live it out with humility and kindness, fear and trembling, we know the LORD is our refuge. The world calls us to take refuge in it, not God. When I pray about taking refuge, I am often convicted that I try to find meaning in social media or mindless entertainment. Are these pastimes sinful? Maybe. Each of us must answer that for ourselves with the help of the Word we read and desire to observe. 

In the end, and yes, I mean the end end, we will be judged. My desire is to be found blessed that I heard and observed the word of God. That is what Jesus calls us to, not compliments. 

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Last. Who wants to be last? When I was in elementary school, I was not very athletic; well, that hasn’t changed much to be honest. At any rate, when it was time for games in the schoolyard during recess (yes, I just aged myself), I was often picked last or very close to last. At home, it seemed I was also last because I was the oldest and could wait while my younger brothers and sister could not. Yet here I read the words of Jesus, the greatest, the first shall be last and the servant of all. And I think, servant, really? I have education, experience, knowledge about our faith and the Church… and, and, and…

“So what?” That’s what I hear the Holy Spirit say to me, as well as, “what is the point of what you know if you are not willing to do for others?” Our example is Christ himself. For many years I worked in parish ministry. One of my foundational beliefs about asking others to serve in ministry was to not ask people to do something I was unwilling to do myself. In other words, if the kitchen needed to be cleaned, I didn’t watch the kitchen crew work, I helped clean. For me, there was no saying, “That’s not my job.” Now, compared to what Christ did for us, dying on a cross, I realize cleaning the kitchen is not the same. What is the same though, is the humility we are called to in life and in our vocation. While the circumstances of our life may change, we are always called to humility, called to serve, called to put ourselves last. And we are to do it out of love. 

Now, you may think, “Why do I need to serve and be last? What about other people?” We are all called to serve in the way that we are uniquely called and gifted. The ideal is for each of us to live out our unique calling with others who are doing the same so that what happens is we care for each other. No one person is asked to bear more than is reasonable. Yes, it is an ideal. Can it happen? Possibly with a shift in attitude and behavior. If we were to take Jesus’ words to heart and start living them out, it can happen. And of course, the first person to start is me. That is humility and service, putting the Gospel into practice. That is the way to live not lukewarm.

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Today’s readings are full of instructions on how to live and love and be rewarded. St. Paul starts by giving us a list of virtues he invites us to “put on” and then cover them with love. Why? Because we are God’s chosen ones. We are chosen by God to be followers of His; to believe in His Son, Jesus and to live a life full of his goodness. But we often fail. In my own life there are days when I fail a little bit and days when I fail miserably. Do you ever feel like you don’t want to be around yourself? That’s what I mean by failing miserably to live as God asks and as Jesus tells us in the Gospel.

We are to love; not condemn, not judge, not hold the good we do for others over them. As Jesus points out, we are held to a higher standard because we believe in him. And so, if we say we love Jesus and are his follower, we must behave in the ways he instructs us. If we look at this passage from Luke, we see that it will not be easy to do what Jesus is asking. However, Jesus showed us how to do it. His passion and death point us to the ultimate sacrifice. And after the sacrifice comes the reward. Jesus’ death shows us mercy. He died for us while we were still sinners, which is mercy. Where would we be without mercy?

When I am failing at loving I try to recall the endless mercy I have received and then ask if I am sharing that mercy? Sometimes it is hard to be merciful and loving. The reasons vary, but I’m going to propose that it happens when our tank is empty. If there is an inability on your part to share God’s love and mercy, may I suggest 2 things: confession and praying with Scripture. Start with the today’s readings, read a few verses, and then ask the Holy Spirit to reveal what is good and what is lacking. Go through the a few verses each day and write out what you hear, what stirs you, what convicts you. Remember, when we are convicted of wrong, it is so we can right it, not be shamed by it. This prayerful reading with Scripture will help you re-focus and be refilled and reminded of all Jesus has done for us. And then, we will be able to live out what Jesus asks us to do in the Gospel.

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Is Jesus asking us to renounce all our worldly goods? Maybe. Jesus suggests the ideal, give up house and family and land for his name. He certainly would like us to be less attached to them in return for the promise of eternal life. Jesus wants us to know the ideal and do our best to live it out. And we live it out in the world, with families and jobs and things we need and use. How do we use our worldly goods? Do we take care of them and keep them in their proper place? For example, when it’s time to consider purchasing a new car do you want the latest and greatest model with all the possible upgrades, never considering purchasing an older or used model? 

Or how about that smartphone? Is it traded in every time you can upgrade, or do you use it until it is necessary to purchase a new one?

Let’s face it, we live in a world where consumerism can be a way of life and this will not help us get to heaven. St. Ignatius taught frequently about detachment, not only from things but from desiring specific outcomes. In the Spiritual Exercises, he offers these thoughts, “I desire and choose poverty with Christ poor rather than wealth; contempt with Christ laden with it rather than honors. Even further, I desire to be regarded as a useless fool for Christ, who before me was regarded as such, rather than as a wise or prudent person in this world.” (Spiritual Exercises #167)

St. Ignatius was not the only saint to suggest we give up the trappings of the world; St. Francis of Assisi, St. Clare, St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Maximillian Kolbe – the list is really endless, since all saints give up themselves for the greater good of the glory of God.

This is the question this Gospel raises in me; am I holding on so tightly to my things, my needs, my desires that I am missing what God wants to give me? Consider that as you go about your day and see what happens. And, if you’d like to chat about it, email me.

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This is such an interesting Gospel, it begins with Jesus preaching and the people who hear him are astonished, they acknowledge his wisdom. But that mood quickly changes as they realize who Jesus is and his credibility is lost. Now the people are less amazed and more wondering, “Who does he think he is?” and “Isn’t he one of our neighbors, no one special?” 

And because of their lack of ability to see Jesus with the eyes of faith, what Jesus offers them is lost. He knows their lack of faith. He knows our lack of faith too. And that is what this passage leads me to consider – where do I lack faith? 

On the nights insomnia strikes, my mind races toward my worries. Most of those worries are not in my control – so with great effort, I pull back from the worries, find the rosary beads on my night table and begin to pray. Sometimes it is a Divine Mercy Chaplet, a rosary, or the surrender prayer on repeat. As the beads pass through my fingers I mention a prayer request. Often then I am lulled back to sleep. If not, I move to gratitude, again holding my beads, each one counted not with a prayer or petition but of thanksgiving of something I am grateful for.

Worry is not a part of faith, but it is often part of our human condition. Fear can also be part of our human condition. Fear of the future or the unknown or sickness can all impact our faith. Again, the question, where do I lack faith? Today, sit with that question a bit, asking for the Holy Spirit to reveal it to you. And then, pray to have more faith, to have your worry or fear replaced with faith. 

Jesus has mighty deeds to do for us and through us, my prayer is that I never allow my lack of faith to prevent those mighty deeds. When we turn our fear over to Jesus, we will have a greater faith in him. 

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Three simple words that begin a short list of things Jesus tells us to not worry about  – food, drink, clothes. I do not worry about those things, I have more important things to worry about – meaningful work, health, my aging parents, my children and grandchildren. Have you ever thought that as you read this passage? Your “to-worry about” list may look different than mine but there it is nonetheless.

How though, do we allow our faith and trust in God’s love and care for us to stand side by side with worry? I realize it’s not easy to not worry. In my family, worry is how love is expressed. I choose not to worry. It is very conscious on my part. I make this choice as I try to do this in my life, “But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides” (Mt 6:33).  

I don’t always succeed in not worrying, but as I focus on what God has done and continues to do in my life, I realize none of it happened as a result of worry. Rather, it happened when there was trust and surrender on my part. I’ll give you an example: many years ago, my husband and I were buying a house. Everything was moving along and then he lost his job; no problem, I still had mine. And then, there went my job. By some miracle (GOD) it all moved forward and happened anyway. I have many stories of God’s intervention in my life. You do too! Today, spend time looking at your life and writing down all the times problems worked out without worry, how things worked out by the grace of God who will provide for you.

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