Care and Compassion

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with our experience of real life loss and the need to re-work our reconnection to our community through the companionship of people who offer care in mourning.

Family and Remembrance

The Reading from the Prophet Jeremiah expresses the expectation that the Lord would reunite Israel and Judah as one kingdom under a just Davidic king.

* [30:1–31:40] These two chapters contain salvation oracles that originally expressed the double expectation that the Lord would return the exiled survivors of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and reunite Israel and Judah as one kingdom under a just Davidic king. They were probably composed early in Josiah’s reign (the reference of v. 9), when he took advantage of Assyria’s internal disintegration and asserted control over northern Israel (cf. 2 Kgs 23:15–17). With the destruction of Jerusalem, the oracles were re-worked to include Judah and their fulfillment along with the renewal of the Davidic dynasty became associated with the eschatological “day of the Lord.”

* [30:21] His leader: cf. v. 9. Approach me: i.e., in the sanctuary of the Temple for worship. This new David is given a priestly function to perform on behalf of the assembly. To approach God on one’s own brings death; cf. Lv 16:1–2. (Jeremiah, CHAPTER 30 |USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 102 recalls God’s venerable promises to save the poor.

* [Psalm 102] A lament, one of the Penitential Psalms. The psalmist, experiencing psychological and bodily disintegration (Ps 102:4–12), cries out to God (Ps 102:1–3). In the Temple precincts where God has promised to be present, the psalmist recalls God’s venerable promises to save the poor (Ps 102:13–23). The final part (Ps 102:24–28) restates the original complaint and prayer, and emphasizes God’s eternity. (Psalms, PSALM 102 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew religious leaders ask why Jesus’ disciples are breaking the tradition of the elders.

* [15:2] The tradition of the elders: see note on Mk 7:5. The purpose of the handwashing was to remove defilement caused by contact with what was ritually unclean.

* [15:1–20] This dispute begins with the question of the Pharisees and scribes why Jesus’ disciples are breaking the tradition of the elders about washing one’s hands before eating (Mt 15:2). …Then with a wider audience (the crowd, Mt 15:10) he goes beyond the violation of tradition with which the dispute has started. The parable (Mt 15:11) is an attack on the Mosaic law concerning clean and unclean foods, similar to those antitheses that abrogate the law (Mt 5:31–32, 33–34, 38–39). After a warning to his disciples not to follow the moral guidance of the Pharisees (Mt 15:13–14)...

* [15:2] The tradition of the elders: see note on Mk 7:5. The purpose of the handwashing was to remove defilement caused by contact with what was ritually unclean.

* [15:13–14] Jesus leads his disciples away from the teaching authority of the Pharisees. (Matthew, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Keeping one's own heart with all watchfulness,” by Origen of Alexandria, 185-254 A.D.

"These things are what 'defiles the person' when they come out from the heart and, after they have gone out from it, go through the mouth. Thus if they did not occur outside of the heart but were held by the person somewhere around the heart, not being allowed to be spoken through the mouth, they would very quickly disappear and the person would not be defiled any longer. Therefore the source and beginning of every sin is 'evil reasonings.' For if these reasonings did not prevail, there would be neither murders nor acts of adultery nor any other of such things. Because of this each one ought to keep one's own heart with all watchfulness. (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 11.14-15) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler shares that the passage from Jeremiah is a lament on the woes of Israel that has not opened a way out of sin. So then God can restore them. He will restore and return them to what He wanted them to be purified and turn back to Him. The one planting will overcome the one harvesting. It will lead to a new Covenant. Jesus and disciples don’t wash before eating and the Pharisees and Scribes, who take the Law to its greatest extent, and wash hands before praying in the Temple also wash hands before eating. What goes into your mouth does not make you unclean. What you do externally means nothing. Superficial acts and not seeking to be transformed makes them Blind Guides not leading to truth. The final editor of the Gospel of Matthew is believed to be a converted Pharisee rejected as being connected to Jesus. Friar Jude suggests this might account for the number of passages where rejecting Pharisees is a means of getting back at his former friends?

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Hebrew Testament scholar Ellen Davis who points out that before Job’s friends launch into their lengthy speeches trying to justify Job’s suffering, their most compassionate action is to simply sit with him in his grief and suffering.

And they lifted up their eyes from a distance but could hardly recognize him. And they lifted up their voices and wept, and each one tore his robe and they threw dust over their heads into the air. And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights without speaking a word to him, for they saw how great was his pain. (Job 2:12–13)

Those seven days of silence are surely one of the most influential acts of pastoral care ever performed. The Jewish practice of “sitting shiva” (literally “sitting seven,” when friends come to sit with mourners at home over the period of a week) memorializes the friends’ wise compassion in this long moment of shared grief. More than twenty-five hundred years after the book of Job was written, this one act of Job’s companions is imitated on a daily basis by comforters all over the world. Silence kept with others has a special quality. It is like a fine veil, preserving separateness, yet strangely heightening mutual awareness. Silence requires us to be present to the unexpressed needs of others, needs of which they may themselves not yet know. It is a powerful means of fostering mutual encouragement among us, whom God has entrusted to one another in this wilderness of pain and doubt. (Rohr, n.d.)

We are grateful for the comfort, counsel, and contemplation offered through the Spirit when we share the distress and concern of the people we encounter through our openness to join them in sorrow and to accompany their return to the rhythm of daily life.

References

Jeremiah, CHAPTER 30 |USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Reflections. Retrieved August 4, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/30?1 

Matthew, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 4, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/15? 

Memorial of Saint John Vianney, Priest | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 4, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/080426.cfm 

Psalms, PSALM 102 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 4, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/102?16 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Suffering and Silence. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 4, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/suffering-and-silence/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). It Is What Comes Out of the Mouth That Defiles. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 4, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Relationships of Love

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to accept the nature of Love which is most available to all when it is activated by our relationship with Christ.

Love and Life

The Reading from the Second Book of Kings presents the connection between Elisha and the Shunammite’s Son.

b. [4:10] 1 Kgs 17:9.

c. [4:16] Gn 18:9–15. (2 Kings, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 89 laments the defeat of the Davidic king.

* [Psalm 89] The community laments the defeat of the Davidic king, to whom God promised kingship as enduring as the heavens (Ps 89:2–5). (Psalms, PSALM 89 | USCCB, n.d.)

 

The Reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans connects Freedom from Sin and Life in God.

* [6:1–11] To defend the gospel against the charge that it promotes moral laxity (cf. Rom 3:5–8), Paul expresses himself in the typical style of spirited diatribe. God’s display of generosity or grace is not evoked by sin but, as stated in Rom 5:8 is the expression of God’s love, and this love pledges eternal life to all believers (Rom 5:21). Paul views the present conduct of the believers from the perspective of God’s completed salvation when the body is resurrected and directed totally by the holy Spirit. Through baptism believers share the death of Christ and thereby escape from the grip of sin. Through the resurrection of Christ the power to live anew becomes reality for them, but the fullness of participation in Christ’s resurrection still lies in the future. But life that is lived in dedication to God now is part and parcel of that future. Hence anyone who sincerely claims to be interested in that future will scarcely be able to say, “Let us sin so that grace may prosper” (cf. Rom 6:1). (Romans, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus presents some Conditions of Discipleship.

* [10:38] The first mention of the cross in Matthew, explicitly that of the disciple, but implicitly that of Jesus (and follow after me). Crucifixion was a form of capital punishment used by the Romans for offenders who were not Roman citizens.

* [10:39] One who denies Jesus in order to save one’s earthly life will be condemned to everlasting destruction; loss of earthly life for Jesus’ sake will be rewarded by everlasting life in the kingdom. (Matthew, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)

Amy Turbes shares her relationship with God is lived through others

 

As is the case with most of humanity, I live among people. If I focus all of my attention and love on one person or group of people, then I am forgetting that God is the love at the center. Jesus is inviting me to know and accept God’s unconditional love so nothing else is more important. That love can be witnessed in the relationships I have with others. If God’s love is the spring from which all my love flows then all of my thoughts, words, and actions can come from that love. Christ’s words are an invitation for me to put God first and to accept the patience, compassion and love while sharing it with others. (Turbes, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes “A well-ordered love,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).

"See how great is the impairment to those who have an exaggerated love for their own life. And how great is the blessing to those who are ready to give up their lives for a well-ordered love! So he bids his disciples to be willing to give up parents, children, natural relationships, kinships, the world and even their own lives. How onerous are these injunctions! But then he immediately sets forth the greater blessings of rightly ordered love. Thus these instructions, Jesus says, are so far from harming that they in fact are of greatest benefit. It is their opposites that injure. He then counsels them, as he so often does, in accord with the very desires that they already possess. Why should you be willing to give up your life? Only because you love it inordinately. So for the very reason of loving it ordinately, you will scorn loving it inordinately, and so it will be to your advantage to the highest degree. You will then in the truest sense love your life. Jesus does not reason in this way only in the case of the love of parents or children. He teaches the same with regard to your very life, which is nearest to you of all." (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 35.2) (Chrysostom & Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 10:37-42 comments that Jesus' disciples understood that Jesus was telling them to be willing to give up everything to follow him and witness to him—even their lives, if necessary. It’s not so different from what Jesus had said just before this: whoever loves father or mother, son or daughter more than him is not worthy of him (Matthew 10:37). Even important family ties must be second to our commitment to Jesus.

This is not an easy message. But consider who is asking it of us. Jesus is not merely a teacher or philosopher. He’s not simply a compassionate wonder-worker or dedicated advocate for the poor. He is God himself. Of course we should have nothing above God in our lives!

Consider also that the One who asks this of us lived out this command perfectly. He humbled himself and laid down his life to free us from sin and death and restore us to the Father. How could we respond with anything less?

Today, hear Jesus’ demanding call. Ask him for the grace to follow him wholeheartedly.

“Jesus, I embrace this hard saying. Help me to put you first in every area of my life.” (Meditation on Matthew 10:37-42, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the texts for today. In the passage from 2 Kings, the story of Elisha, a disciple of Elijah, has a relationship with a woman of influence who cares for him. Elisha is grateful and he promises a child to the woman. This emphasizes the importance of hospitality and gratitude. The text of Romans 6 speaks of life and death in terms of keeping the commandments or dying in sin. We are called to die to sin and live to the commandments. We belong to Christ by living His life. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus' disciples are instructed to leave everything to take up their crosses. Friar Jude compares the difference in language about leaving mother and father in Matthew and in Luke where “hate” your parents is a characteristic of the Aramaic language that expresses decisions in extreme forms. Our service of God has to be total even to separate us from the ones we love. Jesus knows many would be rejected by family. We have to have Christ at the centre of our life. Friar Jude notes that giving to those in need in His name is a form of prayer that is lifted to the heavens . When we serve the poor it is a form of prayer of action. We reach out and become instruments of God’s love.

 Father Richard Rohr invites us to accept with humility that we are chosen by God. Paul also says that "chosenness" is for the sake of experiencing mercy (see Romans 11:30–31). Ancient Israel’s "chosenness" is not so they can feel superior and saved, which is where immature religion always stops. Rather, Paul says very clearly that we experience "chosenness" so that we can know what it feels like to be God’s beloved and experience God’s mercy.

I think religion is the best thing and the worst thing. It can create the most narrow-minded, petty, self-protective, racist people who stop at that first stage of: “We’ve got it right. We’re elect. We’re chosen.” But their faith really hasn’t transformed them, so they don’t know how to communicate "chosenness" to anyone else. Without a love relationship with God, religion doesn’t keep us moving or growing. It doesn’t keep transforming. It becomes a sideshow for elitism, that’s all.

The biblical tradition begins with "chosenness" for a few, but it always moves toward egalitarian "chosenness" for everyone. And the only people who are equipped to communicate the inclusivity and the boundless abundance of God are people who first experience that boundless abundance in themselves. (Rohr, n.d.)

We are inspired by the Spirit to live in the depth of love and service in which we are invited to exercise our Baptismal anointing as priest, prophet, and leader.

References

Chrysostom, J., & Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Reading. He Who Loves Father and Mother More Than Me Is Not Worthy of Me. Retrieved June 28, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Matthew, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved June 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10?37 

Meditation on Matthew 10:37-42. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved June 28, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/06/28/1601859/ 

Psalms, PSALM 89 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/89?2 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Called and Sent. CAC.org. Retrieved June 28, 2026, from https://cac.org/https://cac.org/daily-meditations/called-and-sent/ 

Romans, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/6? 

Turbes, A. (2026, June 28). Daily Reflection June 28, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved June 28, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-june-28-2026 

2 Kings, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2kings/4? 

Mark the Word

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary, today, the Feast of Saint Mark, evangelist, is an opportunity to reflect on the events in our lives that have re-focused our experience of love and devotion through encounter with people and Nature.

In the Name of St. Mark

The Reading from the First Letter of Peter proclaims Advice to the Community.

* [5:5–11] The community is to be subject to the presbyters and to show humility toward one another and trust in God’s love and care (1 Pt 5:5–7). With sobriety, alertness, and steadfast faith they must resist the evil one; their sufferings are shared with Christians everywhere (1 Pt 5:8–9). They will be strengthened and called to eternal glory (1 Pt 5:10–11).

* [5:5] Younger members: this may be a designation for office-holders of lesser rank.

* [5:12] Silvanus: the companion of Paul (see 2 Cor 1:19; 1 Thes 1:1; 2 Thes 1:1). Jews and Jewish Christians, like Paul, often had a Hebrew name (Saoul, Silas) and a Greek or Latin name (Paul, Silvanus). On Silvanus’s possible role as amanuensis, see Introduction.

* [5:13] The chosen one: feminine, referring to the Christian community (ekklēsia) at Babylon, the code name for Rome in Rev 14:8; 17:5; 18:2. Mark, my son: traditionally a prominent disciple of Peter and co-worker at the church in Rome, perhaps the John Mark referred to in Acts 12:12, 25; 13:5, 13; and in Acts 15:37–39, a companion of Barnabas. Perhaps this is the same Mark mentioned as Barnabas’s cousin in Col 4:10, a co-worker with Paul in Phlm 24 (see also 2 Tm 4:11). (1 Peter, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 89 laments the defeat of the Davidic king.

* [Psalm 89] The community laments the defeat of the Davidic king, to whom God promised kingship as enduring as the heavens (Ps 89:2–5). The Psalm narrates how God became king of the divine beings (Ps 89:6–9) and how the Davidic king became king of earthly kings (Ps 89:20–38). Since the defeat of the king calls into question God’s promise, the community ardently prays God to be faithful to the original promise to David (Ps 89:39–52).

* [89:3–5] David’s dynasty is to be as long-lasting as the heavens, a statement reinforced by using the same verbs (establish, stand) both of the divine love and loyalty and of the Davidic dynasty and throne, cf. Ps 89:29–30.

* [89:7] The sons of the gods: “the holy ones” and “courtiers” of Ps 89:6, 8. These heavenly spirits are members of God’s court.

* [89:11] Rahab: a mythological sea monster whose name is used in the Bible mainly as a personification of primeval chaos, cf. Jb 9:13; 26:12; Ps 74:13–14; Is 51:9.

* [89:13] Zaphon and Amanus: two sacred mountains in northern Syria which came to designate the directions of north and south. Tabor: a high hill in the valley of Jezreel in northern Israel. Hermon: a mountain in Lebanon, forming the southern spur of the Anti-Lebanon range. (Psalms, PSALM 89 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Longer Ending to the Gospel of Mark presents The Commissioning of the Eleven.

* [16:9–20] This passage, termed the Longer Ending to the Marcan gospel by comparison with a much briefer conclusion found in some less important manuscripts, has traditionally been accepted as a canonical part of the gospel and was defined as such by the Council of Trent. Early citations of it by the Fathers indicate that it was composed by the second century, although vocabulary and style indicate that it was written by someone other than Mark. It is a general resume of the material concerning the appearances of the risen Jesus, reflecting, in particular, traditions found in Lk 24 and Jn 20. (Mark, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB, n.d.)

Jay Carney comments that Mark’s gospel is marked (no pun intended) by nothing if not breathless urgency. As I tell my undergraduate students, the Greek term “euthus”, typically translated in English as “immediately,” dominates Mark’s gospel. Mark’s Jesus is a man of action, healings, exorcisms, and confrontation with the powers of his day, the agent of the reign of God that is now “at hand” (Mark 1:14). Jesus’ coming demands an immediate and personal response of discipleship. The dramatic nature of Mark’s proclamation of Jesus Christ continues in today’s gospel, thought by many scholars to be a later addition.

I write this reflection from Kenya where I have been moved by the faith of lay-led Small Christian Communities (SCCs) which provide the grassroots foundation of the Catholic Church in eastern Africa. Meeting in homes, these communities share on the upcoming Sunday gospel, pray the Rosary, reflect on their social context, and provide charitable support for each other. What strikes me are the faith and trust members express in God’s saving power, often expressed in what today’s psalm calls a “joyful shout,” even as these “brothers and sisters throughout the world undergo the same sufferings” (1 Peter 5:9). As one woman in a rural SCC proclaimed, “by showing love to one another, we create peace where there is no peace.” This is surely a message our church and world need to hear today. (Carney, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes The Gospel proclaimed to all creation, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"The command to the apostles to be witnesses to him in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and even to the uttermost parts of the earth (Acts 1:8) was not addressed exclusively to those to whom it was immediately spoken. They alone would not be the only ones who would carry such an enormous task to completion. Similarly he seems to be speaking to the apostles very personally when he says: 'Behold I am with you even to the end of the world' (Matthew 28:20), yet who does not know that he made this promise to the universal church which will last from now even to the consummation of the world by successive births and deaths?" (excerpt from LETTER 199,TO HESYCHIUS 49) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Peter 5:5-14 notes about Mark: “What a journey!” Mark could have given up after his embarrassment with Paul and Barnabas. He could have returned home to Jerusalem and settled in with his mother and the believers who gathered in her home (Acts 12:12). But the message of the gospel was too compelling; Mark had to keep sharing it. 

So he went from being a failed missionary to the adopted “son” of the first pope, to the author of the first Gospel, to the founder of Christianity in one of the greatest cities in the world.

Jesus didn’t give up on Mark, and he won’t give up on you. So don’t let your past mistakes define you. Keep trusting in the Lord and his perfect plan for your life.

“Jesus, thank you for being as faithful to me as you were to St. Mark!” (Meditation on 1 Peter 5:5-14, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that Peter ends the first letter with a paranesis, a series of instructions for a good life. Live in humility, be sober and vigilant in his final greeting from “Babylon” a pseudonym for Rome. He sends a greeting from Mark “my son” who was travelling with Peter. Most of Mark’s Gospel is from Peter. Ironically in Ch 16 the longer ending of Mark’s Gospel is proclaimed today. This was likely not written by Mark himself. The “shorter ending” concludes the Gospel with the women leaving the tomb. This first ending was not satisfactory. The passage for today was inspired by Matthew. Friar Jude notes we consider it to be inspired, written in the name of Mark.

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces co-founder of the Wild Church Network and Seminary of the Wild, Victoria Loorz, who writes of love as intimacy with another, whether with a person or part of the created world.

To quote farmer and poet Wendell Berry, “People exploit what they have merely concluded to be of value, but they defend what they love….” [1]

This is a courtship of the particular. Of the many others in the world, some—or maybe just one—will choose you. Pursue you, even. We love all by authentically loving the one or the few who are near us: those who give themselves to us to whom we open our hearts and love back. To regard a wild one as a sacred other, one who has her own wisdom and relationships and concerns beyond our encounters with her—this is entering into conversation as a practice of love, which is participation in the presence of the sacred, of Christ. (Rohr, n.d.)

We are inspired by the Spirit, in the tradition of Mark, to be humble and brave as we share the fullness of life as followers of Jesus Way.

References

Carney, J. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved April 25, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-april-25-2026 

Mark, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved April 25, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/16?15 

Meditation on 1 Peter 5:5-14. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved April 25, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/04/25/1549976/ 

1 Peter, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 25, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1peter/5?5 

Psalms, PSALM 89 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 25, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/89? 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). For Love of the Earth: Weekly Summary. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 25, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/for-love-of-the-earth-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Go and Preach the Gospel to the Whole Creation. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 25, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/