Greatest Love and Sacrifice

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to ponder the role of suffering in our invitation to fullness of life as followers of Christ.

Follow in Loving Action

The Reading from Jeremiah presents Jeremiah’s Interior Crisis.

* [20:7] You seduced me: Jeremiah accuses the Lord of having deceived him; cf. 15:18. (Jeremiah, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 63 expresses the intimate relationship between God and the worshiper.

* [Psalm 63] A Psalm expressing the intimate relationship between God and the worshiper. Separated from God (Ps 63:2), the psalmist longs for the divine life given in the Temple (Ps 63:3–6), which is based on a close relationship with God (Ps 63:7–9). May all my enemies be destroyed and God’s true worshipers continue in giving praise (Ps 63:10–11)! (Psalms, PSALM 63 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Letter of Paul to the Romans encourages expressions of Faith in Sacrifice of Body and Mind.

* [12:1–8] The Mosaic code included elaborate directions on sacrifices and other cultic observances. The gospel, however, invites believers to present their bodies as a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1). Instead of being limited by specific legal maxims, Christians are liberated for the exercise of good judgment as they are confronted with the many and varied decisions required in the course of daily life. To assist them, God distributes a variety of gifts to the fellowship of believers, including those of prophecy, teaching, and exhortation (Rom 12:6–8). Prophets assist the community to understand the will of God as it applies to the present situation (Rom 12:6). Teachers help people to understand themselves and their responsibilities in relation to others (Rom 12:7). One who exhorts offers encouragement to the community to exercise their faith in the performance of all that is pleasing to God (Rom 12:8). Indeed, this very section, beginning with Rom 12:1, is a specimen of Paul’s own style of exhortation. (Romans, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew presents Jesus First Prediction of the Passion and The Conditions of Discipleship.

* [16:21–23] This first prediction of the passion follows Mk 8:31–33 in the main and serves as a corrective to an understanding of Jesus’ messiahship as solely one of glory and triumph. By his addition of from that time on (Mt 16:21) Matthew has emphasized that Jesus’ revelation of his coming suffering and death marks a new phase of the gospel. Neither this nor the two later passion predictions (Mt 17:22–23; 20:17–19) can be taken as sayings that, as they stand, go back to Jesus himself. However, it is probable that he foresaw that his mission would entail suffering and perhaps death, but was confident that he would ultimately be vindicated by God (see Mt 26:29).

* [16:21] He: the Marcan parallel (Mk 8:31) has “the Son of Man.” Since Matthew has already designated Jesus by that title (Mt 15:13), its omission here is not significant. The Matthean prediction is equally about the sufferings of the Son of Man. Must: this necessity is part of the tradition of all the synoptics; cf. Mk 8:31; Lk 9:21. The elders, the chief priests, and the scribes: see note on Mk 8:31. On the third day: so also Lk 9:22, against the Marcan “after three days” (Mk 8:31). Matthew’s formulation is, in the Greek, almost identical with the pre-Pauline fragment of the kerygma in 1 Cor 15:4 and also with Hos 6:2, which many take to be the Old Testament background to the confession that Jesus was raised on the third day. Josephus uses “after three days” and “on the third day” interchangeably (Antiquities 7:280–81; 8:214, 218) and there is probably no difference in meaning between the two phrases.

* [16:22–23] Peter’s refusal to accept Jesus’ predicted suffering and death is seen as a satanic attempt to deflect Jesus from his God-appointed course, and the disciple is addressed in terms that recall Jesus’ dismissal of the devil in the temptation account (Mt 4:10: “Get away, Satan!”). Peter’s satanic purpose is emphasized by Matthew’s addition to the Marcan source of the words You are an obstacle to me.

* [16:24–28] A readiness to follow Jesus even to giving up one’s life for him is the condition for true discipleship; this will be repaid by him at the final judgment. (Matthew, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. George Meze, SJ, notes that suffering is something we do not like to take upon ourselves.

Is it not true that God wants to give us manna, the best food of heaven, yet we long for the garlic and onions of Egypt like the Israelites in the desert? As Saint John of the Cross tells us, God’s grace is at times experienced as manna, tasteless to our palate, because we prefer the taste of the sensual body. This experience is perceived as suffering that detaches us from inordinate attachments.

Perhaps, if we were to lovingly accept our crosses by savoring and making the effort to acquire the taste of manna, we would experience an abundance of grace. We pray for His grace to accept the manna with, “a peaceful loving attentiveness towards God.” (Meze, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “This shall never happen to you,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD)

"Peter was examining the issue by human and earthly reasoning. He thought it disgraceful to Jesus as something unworthy of him. Jesus responded sharply, in effect saying, 'My suffering is not an unseemly matter. You are making this judgment with a carnal mind. If you had listened to my teachings in a godly way, tearing yourself away from carnal understanding, you would know that this of all things most becomes me. You seem to suppose that to suffer is unworthy of me. But I say to you that for me not to suffer is of the devil's mind.' So he repressed Peter's alarm by contrary arguments. Remember that John, accounting it unworthy of Christ to be baptized by him, was persuaded by Christ to baptize him, saying, 'Let it be so now' (Matthew 3:15). So we find Peter as well, forbidding Christ to wash his feet. He is met by the words, 'If I do not wash you, you have no part in me.' Here too Jesus restrained him by the mention of the opposite, and by the severity of the reproof he repressed his fear of suffering." (excerpt from the THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 54.6) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the texts today. The passage from Jeremiah is one of the “Confessions of Jeremiah” not about guilt but a challenge to God. Jeremiah was called to be a prophet but he feels he has been duped and the people blame Jeremiah for their troubles but he asserts that the Word burned in his bones regardless. In Romans 12, Paul refers to our bodies as a living sacrifice that we must treat with respect by not using it in inappropriate ways, but as the Temple of the Holy Spirit. We treat the gift of life as precious. Peter recognizes Jesus Christ as the Son of the Living God in a very positive proclamation.  After Jesus' prediction of His passion, Peter is told to “Get behind Me Satan”. Peter has become a tremper of Jesus, Friar Jude comments that all followers have to take up the Cross. We all have to hit the wall and surrender to Jesus and the Cross for peace.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 16:21-27 comments that what Peter didn’t yet understand was that Jesus would reveal his love to the fullest through his death. It was by submitting to his Father’s will—even if it meant surrendering to his opponents’ plan to kill him—that he would overturn sin and open the way to God for all who believe. This is love in action, and God forbid anyone should try to stop him!

This is the measure of Jesus’ love for us. It’s a love that scandalized Peter at first but that he would later embrace when he opened his arms and allowed himself to be crucified upside down. It’s a love available to each of us as we gaze upon our crucified Lord. God forbid that we ever lose sight of that love!

“Jesus, I am in awe of the depth of your sacrifice for me!” (Meditation on Matthew 16:21-27, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr reflects on how discipleship ultimately leads to the cross and identifying with the pain of the world. We still largely turned Christianity into a religion where the operative agenda was some personal moral perfection, our attaining some kind of salvation, “going to heaven,” converting others rather than ourselves, and acquiring more health, wealth, and success in this world. In that pursuit, we ended up largely aligning with empires, wars, and colonization of our planet, instead of with Jesus or the powerless. It has all caught up with us in the twenty-first century. [1] 

A spirituality of descent frees us to surrender our often-messy lives to God. It is about honoring the human journey, loving it, and living it in all its wonder and tragedy. There is nothing really supernatural about love and suffering. It is completely natural, taking us through the deep interplay of death and life, surrender and forgiveness, in all their basic and foundational manifestations. 

Authentic Christianity is not so much a belief system as a life-and-death system that shows us how to give away our life, how to give away our love, and eventually how to give away our death. Basically, how to give away—and in doing so, to connect with the world, with all other creatures, and with God. [2]  (Rohr, n.d.)

We implore the Spirit to enlighten our understanding of love and sacrifice as it applies to our journey today and our Baptismal anointing as priest, prophet, and leader for our community.

References

Jeremiah, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/20? 

Matthew, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/16?21 

Meditation on Matthew 16:21-27. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/08/30/1656797/ 

Meze, G. (n.d.). Daily Reflection August 30, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-august-30-2026 

Psalms, PSALM 63 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Following in Jesus’s Footsteps. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/63?2 

Romans, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/12?1 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Take up Your Cross Daily and Follow Jesus Christ. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/

Hope and Healing of our Masks

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to avoid defending and living with the masks with which we try to avoid truth and healing.

Time to Drop the Mask

The Prophet Jeremiah declares deliverance for Judah,—oracle of the LORD.

h. [1:16] Is 2:8.

i. [1:18] Jer 6:27; 15:20; Ez 3:8. (Jeremiah, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 71 pleads for help on the basis of hope.

* [Psalm 71] A lament of an old person (Ps 71:9, 18) whose afflictions are interpreted by enemies as a divine judgment (Ps 71:11). The first part of the Psalm pleads for help (Ps 71:1–4) on the basis of a hope learned from a lifetime’s experience of God; the second part describes the menace (Ps 71:9–13) yet remains buoyant (Ps 71:14–16); the third develops the theme of hope and praise. (Psalms, PSALM 71 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Mark declares the hatred of Herodias toward John parallels that of the Jewish leaders toward Jesus.

* [6:17–29] Similarities are to be noted between Mark’s account of the imprisonment and death of John the Baptist in this pericope, and that of the passion of Jesus (Mk 15:1–47). Herod and Pilate, each in turn, acknowledges the holiness of life of one over whom he unjustly exercises the power of condemnation and death (Mk 6:26–27; 15:9–10, 14–15). The hatred of Herodias toward John parallels that of the Jewish leaders toward Jesus. After the deaths of John and of Jesus, well-disposed persons request the bodies of the victims of Herod and of Pilate in turn to give them respectful burial (Mk 6:29; 15:45–46).

* [6:19] Herodias: see note on Mt 14:3. (Mark, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)

Gladyce Janky comments that Herod experienced what Ignatius called consolation: a pull toward the good, a desire to protect the prophet. But early stirrings of consolation do not make a disciple. Truth requires nurturing for it to take root and grow within the human heart. It asks for one faithful choice at a time, pushing aside impulses that lead to death instead of life.

When we contemplate this scene, we may feel appalled at the brutality. John’s death is senseless, cruel, and deeply unjust. Yet the Gospel does not present it as an ancient anomaly. It reveals how human beings behave when fear, pride, and the hunger for influence eclipse God’s voice. Acts of disregard for human life continue today. People still cling to power at any cost. Leaders still silence truth-tellers, protect their reputations through violence and exclusion, and respond with exaggerated indignation when their wrongdoing is exposed, insisting loudly on their innocence to preserve their public image.

Ignatian contemplation asks us to notice where we stand in this story. Are we tempted, like Herod, to protect our image rather than our integrity - choosing what is easy, not what is right? Are we tempted, like Herodias, to defend our position rather than open ourselves to conversion? Or are we called, like John, to speak truth with courage, even when it is costly? (Janky, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes The Weakness of the Tyrant and the Power of the Beheaded, by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD)

"Note well the weakness of the tyrant compared to the power of the one in prison. Herod was not strong enough to silence his own tongue. Having opened it, he opened up countless other mouths in its place and with its help. As for John, he immediately inspired fear in Herod after his murder - for fear was disturbing Herod's conscience to such an extent that he believed John had been raised from the dead and was performing miracles (Mark 6:14-16)! In our own day and through all future time, throughout all the world, John continues to refute Herod, both through himself and through others. For each person repeatedly reading this Gospel says: 'It is not lawful for you to have the wife of Philip your brother' (Mark 6:18). And even apart from reading the Gospel, in assemblies and meetings at home or in the market, in every place... even to the very ends of the earth, you will hear this voice and see that righteous man even now still crying out, resounding loudly, reproving the evil of the tyrant. He will never be silenced nor the reproof at all weakened by the passing of time." (excerpt from ON THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD 22.8-9) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the texts today. In the text from the alternate first reading for today for today from First Corinthians, Paul addresses the arrogant and the proud and asserts that  God spoke to the poor and slaves, the ones with nothing to lose. The self-sufficient did not accept Christ. We should boast in the Lord and accept that everything we have is a gift. The  Gospel of Mark declares Herodias was illegally married to Herod. One day the dance of Solome generates a promise from Herod to do whatever she asks. Herodias hated John and sought John's head. The Baptist is a prophet on morality and the need to stand in the truth. Friar Jude notes our need to live faith where we perceive it is uncomfortable and speak the truth when appropriate.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 6:17-29 comments that Herod acknowledged that John was “a righteous and holy man” (Mark 6:20), and he liked to listen to him preach. But Herodias, Herod’s wife, hated John for having condemned their marriage as adulterous. So during Herod’s birthday celebration, she prompted her daughter to ask for the head of the Baptist.

Both in his life and his death, John showed himself to be a model disciple of Jesus. Even to the very end, when he was called to pay the ultimate price, he remained steadfast and faithful to the Lord. So as we commemorate his passion and death today, let’s seek to imitate him by fulfilling our call to announce that the kingdom is at hand!

“St. John the Baptist, pray for us!” (Meditation on Mark 6:17-29, 2026)

Father Richard Rohr introduces Buddhist teacher Tara Brach who tells a story to awaken us to the ways we confuse our true self with the masks we wear.

If we move through life trapped behind these masks, we miss out on connection and intimacy with our world. In relating to ourselves and others, we forget the awareness and love that animates our true being.

The blessing of remembering comes with mindful awareness as we witness the changing thoughts, feelings, and emotions that live through us. In the stillness and clarity of presence, we see our masks for what they are: temporary (and sometimes useful) personas but not our essential Being. And with presence we see past the masks of others to the consciousness looking out through their eyes, the tenderness residing in their hearts. (Rohr, n.d.)

We ask the Spirit to stir our experience of tyrants, who silence truth-tellers to protect their reputations through violence and exclusion, and who respond with exaggerated indignation as we seek the Wisdom to join the Way, as the Baptist shows, of Faith, Truth, and Love. 

References

Janky, G. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved August 29, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-august-29-2026 

Jeremiah, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 29, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/1?17 

Mark, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 29, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/6? 

Meditation on Mark 6:17-29. (2026, August 29). The Word Among Us. Retrieved August 29, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/08/29/1656334/ 

Psalms, PSALM 71 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 29, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/71?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). True Self and False Self: Weekly Summary. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 29, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/true-self-and-false-self-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Herod Feared John - a Righteous and Holy Man. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 29, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Paradox and Preparation

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, Memorial of Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, challenge us to ponder paradox and preparation as principles that are part of our journey to fullness of life.

Preparing the Journey

The Reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians presents the Paradox of the Cross.

* [1:17b] Not with the wisdom of human eloquence: both of the nouns employed here involve several levels of meaning, on which Paul deliberately plays as his thought unfolds. Wisdom (sophia) may be philosophical and speculative, but in biblical usage the term primarily denotes practical knowledge such as is demonstrated in the choice and effective application of means to achieve an end. The same term can designate the arts of building (cf. 1 Cor 3:10) or of persuasive speaking (cf. 1 Cor 2:4) or effectiveness in achieving salvation. Eloquence (logos): this translation emphasizes one possible meaning of the term logos (cf. the references to rhetorical style and persuasiveness in 1 Cor 2:1, 4). But the term itself may denote an internal reasoning process, plan, or intention, as well as an external word, speech, or message. So by his expression “ouk en sophia logou" in the context of gospel preaching, Paul may intend to exclude both human ways of reasoning or thinking about things and human rhetorical technique. Human: this adjective does not stand in the Greek text but is supplied from the context. Paul will begin immediately to distinguish between sophia and logos from their divine counterparts and play them off against each other.

* [1:21–25] True wisdom and power are to be found paradoxically where one would least expect them, in the place of their apparent negation. To human eyes the crucified Christ symbolizes impotence and absurdity. (1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 33 invites the Just to praise God.

* [Psalm 33] A hymn in which the just are invited (Ps 33:1–3) to praise God, who by a mere word (Ps 33:4–5) created the three-tiered universe of the heavens, the cosmic waters, and the earth (Ps 33:6–9). Human words, in contrast, effect nothing (Ps 33:10–11). The greatness of human beings consists in God’s choosing them as a special people and their faithful response (Ps 33:12–22). (Psalms, PSALM 33 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew presents The Parable of the Ten Virgins.

* [25:1–13] Peculiar to Matthew.

* [25:1] Then: at the time of the parousia. Kingdom…will be like: see note on Mt 13:24–30.

* [25:2–4] Foolish…wise: cf. the contrasted “wise man” and “fool” of Mt 7:24, 26 where the two are distinguished by good deeds and lack of them, and such deeds may be signified by the oil of this parable.

* [25:11–12] Lord, Lord: cf. Mt 7:21. I do not know you: cf. Mt 7:23 where the Greek verb is different but synonymous.

* [25:13] Stay awake: some scholars see this command as an addition to the original parable of Matthew’s traditional material, since in Mt 25:5 all the virgins, wise and foolish, fall asleep. But the wise virgins are adequately equipped for their task, and stay awake may mean no more than to be prepared; cf. Mt 24:42, 44. (Matthew, CHAPTER 25 | USCCB, n.d.)

Edward Morse comments that Father James Schall, S.J., was particularly fond of Saint Augustine, for whom we celebrate this feast day. 

Father Schall wrote that Augustine’s City of God contemplates a human existence based, “not upon the ‘survival’ of future generations but on the quality of the spiritual choices of persons within the context of their histories and lives that will normally and necessarily be lived in very imperfect states and human conditions.” Our messy world will survive. We should do our best to clean up the messes, especially those of our own making. But we must start with the cross, or those efforts will be in vain. (Morse, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “The Kingdom of God compared with ten maidens,” by Hilary of Poitiers (315-367 AD)

"The whole story is about the great day of the Lord, when those things concealed from the human mind will be revealed through our understanding of divine judgment. Then the faith true to the Lord's coming will win the just reward for unwavering hope. For in the five wise and five foolish virgins (Matthew 25:2), a complete separation between the faithful and unfaithful is established... The wise virgins are those who, embracing the time available to them, were prepared at the first onset of the coming of the Lord. But the foolish were those who were lax and unmindful. They troubled themselves only over present matters and, forgetting what God said, did not direct their efforts toward hope for resurrection." (excerpt from the commentary ON MATTHEW 27.3,5) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the texts today. In the First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul is preaching the good news of the Cross. He is proclaiming the Good News, the message about Jesus born, died, raised from the dead. In Athens, Paul tried to preach to the philosophers who accepted an invisible Creator and the idea of One body. However the Greeks believe the body is part of the fallen material world and receiving the body back in resurrection is not sensible. The parable of the ten virgins in the Gospel of Matthew presents the rendering at the end of time. The wise brought extra oil but the foolish have run out. The wise were prepared. The idea of the parable is to be ready for the accounting and store up good deeds. The wise are not actually selfish. Friar Jude notes this is not the point of the parable, but it is to remind us that we should always be prepared.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 25:1-13 comments that we can stay close to Him by building a regular daily prayer time into our schedule rather than simply hoping that we will find time to pray when we get a spare moment. In our quiet times with God, we can ask him for the grace and strength we need to do his will throughout our day, whether that’s helping someone in need or caring for our family.

We can also make sure that we are never too busy to worship the Lord and receive his Body and Blood each week at Mass. And when we stray, we can get right with the Lord by confessing our sins and receiving his mercy as soon as possible.

When you do these things as part of your regular routine, you can be at peace. You will be ready to enter the great heavenly wedding feast with enough “oil” to burn brightly before the Lord!

“Jesus, help me to see what I need to do to be ready to joyfully greet you when you come again!” (Meditation on Matthew 25:1-13, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr teaches that true religion leads us to an experience of our true self and undermines our false self. The false self is characterized by separateness. Jewish and Christian traditions call this state of disconnectedness “sin.” When we’re separated from our deepest being, we are in a state of sin or alienation. When we are disconnected from our true self in God, we look for various false and addictive ways to fill our emptiness. The small or false self is who we think we are, but our thinking does not make it so. It is our identity created through culture, education, class, race, friends, gender, clothes, and money.

The true self is characterized by communion and deep contentment. It’s okay, right here, right now. The true self is the realigned self; and religion’s main purpose is to lead us to experience this self, which is who we are in God and who God is in us. It has to do with participating in a Universal Being that is beyond our being. Ultimately, our lives are not about us. We are about life! That doesn’t mean we stay in the true self twenty-four hours a day. Life is three steps forward and two steps backward. Yet once we know the big picture, we will never be satisfied with the little picture. (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek the enlightenment of the Spirit as we live in the paradox of life in death and the perception of preparation sometimes being in tension with our mission to address the needs of people living today.

References

Matthew, CHAPTER 25 | USCCB. (n.d.). Retrieved August 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/25?1 

Meditation on Matthew 25:1-13. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved August 28, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/08/28/1655837/ 

Morse, E. (n.d.). Daily Reflections. Creighton Online Ministry. Retrieved August 28, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-august-28-2026 

1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/1?17 

Psalms, PSALM 33 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/33?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Realigned with the True Self. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 28, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/realigned-with-the-true-self/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Foolish Will Miss Heaven's Wedding Feast. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 28, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/