Providence Parents and Peace

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today present the image of God as a loving parent and exhort us to be loving “parents” in our relationship with the people in our communities.

Parents and Peace

The Reading from the Prophet Hosea presents Disappointment of a Parent in Israel’s response.

* [11:4] I drew them…with bands of love: perhaps a reversal of the yoke imagery of the previous chapter, i.e., not forcing them like draft animals, but drawing them with kindness and affection.

* [11:8] Admah…Zeboiim: cities in the vicinity of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gn 14:2, 8) and destroyed with them (Gn 19:24–25; Dt 29:22). (Hosea, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 80 complains that God has broken down the wall protecting the once splendid vine brought from Egypt.

* [Psalm 80] A community lament in time of military defeat. Using the familiar image of Israel as a vineyard, the people complain that God has broken down the wall protecting the once splendid vine brought from Egypt (Ps 80:9–14). They pray that God will again turn to them and use the Davidic king to lead them to victory (Ps 80:15–19). (Psalms, PSALM 80 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus exhorts the Twelve to share the Word freely.

* [10:8–11] The Twelve have received their own call and mission through God’s gift, and the benefits they confer are likewise to be given freely. They are not to take with them money, provisions, or unnecessary clothing; their lodging and food will be provided by those who receive them.

* [10:13] The greeting of peace is conceived of not merely as a salutation but as an effective word. If it finds no worthy recipient, it will return to the speaker.

* [10:14] Shake the dust from your feet: this gesture indicates a complete disassociation from such unbelievers. (Matthew, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. Andy Alexander, SJ, comments that God loves us with affectionate love, no matter how we stray from that relationship. We can ask for the desire to respond in prayer, asking for the grace to be missioned to love, similar to the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi.

                  

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

          Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

          Where there is injury, pardon.

          Where there is doubt, faith.

          Where there is despair, hope.

          Where there is darkness, light.

          Where there is sadness, joy.

 

  

        O Divine Master,

          grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled,

          as to console;

          to be understood, as to understand;

          to be loved, as to love.

          For it is in giving that we receive.

          It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

          and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

 

May our Lord renew us in an experience of a loving relationship and show us our path in being his disciples in our everyday lives. (Alexander, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes “The gift of power to reign with the Lord,” by Hilary of Poitiers (315-367 AD).

"All the power possessed by the Lord is bestowed upon the apostles! Those who were prefigured in the image and likeness of God in Adam have now received the perfect image and likeness of Christ. They have been given powers in no way different from those of the Lord. Those once earthbound now become heaven-centered. They will proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, that the image and likeness of God are now appropriated in the company of truth, so that all the holy ones who have been made heirs of heaven may reign with the Lord. Let them cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers and cast out devils. Whatever impairment Adam's body had incurred from being goaded on by Satan, let the apostles wipe away through their sharing in the Lord's power. And that they may fully obtain the likeness of God according to the prophecy in Genesis, they are ordered to give freely what they freely have received (Matthew 10:8). Thus a gift freely bestowed should be freely dispensed." (excerpt from commentary ON MATTHEW 10.4) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that Hosea in the earlier prophecy looked at the relationship between husband and wife in imagery to illustrate the nature of God. Now Hosea offers the relationship between a father and a child as has rescued and taught the people and they worshipped pagan gods in rebellion. Hosea declares the answer of “ I am God not a man”. God is always faithful. Sin means we turn away. Conversion is to turn back again. Jesus sent the apostles on a mission and instructed them not to take anything. Show the Kingdom in works and well as words. Trust the hospitality of those to whom we minister. Friar Jude reminds us Faith is a gift from God and if they have not received it yet,  we plant seeds that may not come to fruition in our time. Trust in Providence.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 10:7-15 comments that we truly are members of a glorious family of faith, coheirs to an inheritance that is kept for us in heaven (1 Peter 1:4). We have received—without cost to us—the good news of salvation and the chance to experience new life in Jesus Christ. This unearned, unpurchased gift is of immeasurable value.

You received your faith without cost—so give it away! Look for a chance to share the good news with someone, and trust God to give you the right words to say. It could be as simple as sharing an insight from Mass with your coworker or asking a friend how you can pray for them. Whatever it is, have confidence that the Lord has anointed you to give what he has freely given you.

“Lord, help me to share your good news today!” (Meditation on Matthew 10:7-15, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, connects righteousness with justice. The peace activist John Dear, who has spent his life working for nonviolence, writes about this beatitude.

How do we hunger and thirst for justice? By making global justice a priority in our lives. This beatitude requires us to join a grassroots movement that fights one or two issues of injustice and to get deeply involved in the struggle. Since all issues of injustice are connected, fighting one injustice puts us squarely in the struggle against every injustice. As Martin Luther King Jr. said over and over again, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Befriend the victims of systemic injustice, side with them, listen to their stories, let their pain break your heart, join the movements to end injustice, tithe your money to the cause, and commit yourself to the struggle….

While [it] may take a long time, our nonviolent persistence and truth-telling will eventually win out and bear the good fruit of justice. Truth is on our side; God is on the side of justice. “The arc of the moral universe is long,” Martin Luther King Jr. said famously, “but it bends toward justice.” [2] (Rohr, n.d.)

We are assured that the Spirit supports and empowers our mission to serve the people on our journey in Jesus Way trusting in Providence.

References

Alexander, A. (2026, July 9). Daily Reflection July 9, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved July 9, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-july-9-2026 

Hosea, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 9, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/hosea/11? 

Matthew, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 9, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10? 

Meditation on Matthew 10:7-15. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved July 9, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/07/08/1610528/ 

Psalms, PSALM 80 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved July 9, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/80?2 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Thirsting for Justice. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 9, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/thirsting-for-justice/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Freely Have You Received - Freely Give. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 9, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Looking deep for beauty truth and love

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today highlight truth love and soul as aspects of our connection to God who gives us an invitation to an eternal relationship.

The passage from 2nd Chronicles reviews the history of the relationship of God with Israel and the difficulties encountered by the people when they had forgotten God.

* [36:22–23] These verses are identical with those of Ezr 1:1–3a and were to prevent the work from ending on a note of doom.

In the text from Ephesians, Paul speaks of justification: by grace, through faith as the gift of God and not from works.

* [2:1–10] The recipients of Paul’s letter have experienced, in their redemption from transgressions and sins, the effect of Christ’s supremacy over the power of the devil (Eph 2:1–2; cf. Eph 6:11–12), who rules not from the netherworld but from the air between God in heaven and human beings on earth. Both Jew and Gentile have experienced, through Christ, God’s free gift of salvation that already marks them for a future heavenly destiny (Eph 2:3–7). The language dead, raised us up, and seated us…in the heavens closely parallels Jesus’ own passion and Easter experience. The terms in Eph 2:8–9 describe salvation in the way Paul elsewhere speaks of justification: by grace, through faith, the gift of God, not from works; cf. Gal 2:16–21; Rom 3:24–28. Christians are a newly created people in Christ, fashioned by God for a life of goodness (Eph 2:10).

The famous Gospel passage John 3:16 speaks of Jesus as a gift in the incarnation and in the crucifixion.

* [3:16] Gave: as a gift in the incarnation, and also “over to death” in the crucifixion; cf. Rom 8:32.

Edward Morse alerts us to unlikely sources of mercy and initial interpretations.

Today’s gospel reading contains a famous passage from John’s gospel — John 3:16 — which many know by heart.  It is part of a larger narrative in which Jesus tells Nicodemus about his saving mission. I once read this passage as validation of the prominent role of faith in our salvation, but I now see that works matter, too.  Indeed, this gospel warns those who think they can believe but persist in doing wrong.
Our faith should not stay in our head.  It should be reflected in our hearts, arms, legs, fingers, and toes as we do works that proceed from love of God and love of neighbor, which St. Augustine

Don Schwager believes that If our love is guided by what is true, and good and beautiful then we will choose for God and love him above all else.

Hilary of Poitiers, 315-367 A.D.
"God, who loved the world, gave his only begotten Son as a manifest token of his love. If the evidence of his love is this, that he bestowed a creature on creatures, gave a worldly being on the world's behalf, granted one raised up from nothing for the redemption of objects equally raised up from nothing, such a cheap and petty sacrifice is a poor assurance of his favor toward us. Gifts of price are the evidence of affection: the greatness of the surrender is evidence of the greatness of the love. God, who loved the world, gave no adopted son but his own, his only begotten [Son]. Here is personal interest, true sonship, sincerity; not creation, or adoption, or pretence. Here is the proof of his love and affection, that he gave his own, his only begotten Son." (excerpt from ON THE TRINITY 6.40.27)

Mary M. McGlone invites us to look at our prayer, our belief and our life and to ask ourselves: How does our prayer form our belief? What image of God is in our heart when we hear that God so loved the world that he sent his only Son? And perhaps most importantly, how is our prayer and our image of God made manifest in our daily interactions?


On this Fourth Sunday of Lent, we are invited to look at our prayer, our belief and our life and to ask ourselves: How does our prayer form our belief? What image of God is in our heart when we hear that God so loved the world that he sent his only Son? And perhaps most importantly, how is our prayer and our image of God made manifest in our daily interactions?
When Jesus speaks of his being lifted up as our salvation, as a light and a path to life, we begin to realize that he is talking about the cross as the ultimate revelation of love. Instead of compensating to God for human sin, Jesus reveals God's self-offering to humanity, God's unceasing love. No matter what we do to reject that love, God continually offers us eternal life. All we have to do is accept it.

Friar Jude Winkler reviews the quick overview of how God heard and rescued the people of Israel in Chronicles. The free gift from God who knows our sinfulness yet nevertheless plans to rescue us as John declares in the Gospel.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, quotes Pope Francis and “geologian” Fr. Thomas Berry about the theology of scarcity that led us to believe that we did not have enough love left to cover all of humanity!

When you love something, you grant it soul, you see its soul, and you let its soul touch yours. You must love something deeply to know its soul. Before the resonance of love, you are largely blind to the meaning, value, and power of ordinary things to “save” you—to help you live in union with the source of all being. In fact, until you can appreciate and even delight in the soul of other things, even trees and animals, I doubt if you have discovered your own soul either. Soul knows soul.

References


(n.d.). 2 Chronicles, chapter 36 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved March 11, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/2chr/36:162

(n.d.). Ephesians, chapter 2 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved March 11, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/ephesians/2

(n.d.). John 3:16-17. Retrieved March 11, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/john3.htm

(n.d.). Online Ministries - Creighton University. Retrieved March 11, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/online.html

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 11, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(2018, March 10). Fourth Sunday of Lent: Living in God's love | National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved March 11, 2018, from https://www.ncronline.org/news/spirituality/scripture-life/fourth-sunday-lent-living-gods-love

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 11, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

Popular citation leads to great truth

Giving with Impact

The 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, in the Roman Catholic Lectionary, offers us a comparison between the arrogant behavior of some and the simple humility of others. Luke places Jesus at the entrance to the Temple after He warns His disciples not to imitate the Scribes. The gift of the widow, all she had, is brought to the attention of the disciples. She has given more. We can recognize the generosity of some among us who give their time, talent and treasure without reserve. The giver is the one who realizes their own giftedness. Giving all is the response to knowing “all is gift”. Professional fund raising organizations know that “givers give”. The more economically disadvantaged areas of Canada are, per capita, the more generous.

Decision and Division NSTU and NSCC

The Roman Catholic Lectionary for today presents decision to people. The psalmist suggests there are two ways. Paul in addressing the Romans offers sin and death or the Free Gift and life. NSTU members are considering a decision too. If the tentative agreement is accepted, it brings “life” to the College, the Students and the NDP. Rejection means that the retirees and the those who plan long service at the College may have another chance to reduce the “missed” revenue as it compounds over the years from this settlement. Does this settlement set a precedent for the NDP? For the NSTU? Is it a healthy precedent?