Showing posts with label Lost Sheep. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lost Sheep. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Kingdom of Childlike Greatness

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary, today, the Memorial of Saint Clare, Virgin, present contrast between childlike lifestyle and “adult” understanding of “greatness”.

Care for Our Sheep


The Reading from the Prophet Ezekiel reveals a terrible truth that has a sweet taste.


* [3:3] As sweet as honey: though the prophet must foretell terrible things, the word of God is sweet to the one who receives it. (Ezekiel, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)


Psalm 119 praises God for giving such splendid laws and instruction for people to live by


* [Psalm 119] This Psalm, the longest by far in the Psalter, praises God for giving such splendid laws and instruction for people to live by. The author glorifies and thanks God for the Torah, prays for protection from sinners enraged by others’ fidelity to the law, laments the cost of obedience, delights in the law’s consolations, begs for wisdom to understand the precepts, and asks for the rewards of keeping them. (Psalms, PSALM 119 | USCCB, n.d.)


In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus presents The Greatest in the Kingdom and The Parable of the Lost Sheep.


* [18:1] The initiative is taken not by Jesus as in the Marcan parallel (Mk 9:3334) but by the disciples. Kingdom of heaven: this may mean the kingdom in its fullness, i.e., after the parousia and the final judgment. But what follows about causes of sin, church discipline, and forgiveness, all dealing with the present age, suggests that the question has to do with rank also in the church, where the kingdom is manifested here and now, although only partially and by anticipation; see notes on Mt 3:2; 4:17.

* [18:3] Become like children: the child is held up as a model for the disciples not because of any supposed innocence of children but because of their complete dependence on, and trust in, their parents. So must the disciples be, in respect to God.

* [18:1014] The first and last verses are peculiar to Matthew. The parable itself comes from Q; see Lk 15:37. In Luke it serves as justification for Jesus’ table-companionship with sinners; here, it is an exhortation for the disciples to seek out fellow disciples who have gone astray. Not only must no one cause a fellow disciple to sin, but those who have strayed must be sought out and, if possible, brought back to the community. The joy of the shepherd on finding the sheep, though not absent in Mt 18:13 is more emphasized in Luke. By his addition of Mt 18:10, 14 Matthew has drawn out explicitly the application of the parable to the care of the little ones.

* [18:10] Their angels in heaven…my heavenly Father: for the Jewish belief in angels as guardians of nations and individuals, see Dn 10:13, 2021; Tb 5:47; 1QH 5:20–22; as intercessors who present the prayers of human beings to God, see Tb 13, 12:15, . The high worth of the little ones is indicated by their being represented before God by these heavenly beings. (Matthew, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB, n.d.)


Vivian Amu comments that greatness is not about taking up the most space or being the most recognized, or doing the most; it is about making room for child-like wonder, humility, and having the kind of heart that still knows how to receive. The best leaders know this. The best and holiest people around us know this. Saint Clare knew this.


Saint Clare did not chase greatness, yet greatness found her in her courage, clarity, and quiet authority. She came from privilege, and she could have used her life to secure comfort, admiration, and influence. Instead, she chose a different kind of life—a life stripped down for the sake of love. She wanted Christ without the clutter, and the freedom of belonging completely to God. She invites us to become the kind of people who do not need to dominate a room in order to change it.


Maybe the invitation today is to be more discerning about the strange things the world keeps offering us to consume—status, comparison, a desire to be preferred, fear, noise—and to become a little more like children—open, unpretentious, humble, interested, curious, willing to reach, willing to believe in ideas that fall by the wayside as we get older, willing to be lifted up, willing to be found, ready to be amazed, ready to receive, and maybe like Saint Clare, with a desire to help others see more clearly, and a willingness to let go of what is not essential. The heart becomes, little by little, what it consumes. Many of us are just trying to matter. Many of us are tired of comparing, proving, and managing how we appear. Jesus keeps drawing us away from all that strain. He does not ask us to be impressive. We do not have to be the greatest. We do not have to have everything figured out. (Amu, 2026)


Don Schwager quotes “What it means to become a child a God,” by Epiphanius the Latin (late 5th century)


"Here the Lord not only repressed the apostles' thoughts but also checked the ambition of believers throughout the whole world, so that he might be great who wanted to be least. For with this purpose Jesus used the example of the child, that what he had been through his nature, we through our holy living might become - innocent, like children innocent of every sin. For a child does not know how to hold resentment or to grow angry. He does not know how to repay evil for evil. He does not think base thoughts. He does not commit adultery or arson or murder. He is utterly ignorant of theft or brawling or all the things that will draw him to sin. He does not know how to disparage, how to blaspheme, how to hurt, how to lie. He believes what he hears. What he is ordered he does not analyze. He loves his parents with full affection. Therefore what children are in their simplicity, let us become through a holy way of life, as children innocent of sin. And quite rightly, one who has become a child innocent of sin in this way is greater in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives such a person will receive Christ." (excerpt from INTERPRETATION OF THE GOSPELS 27) (Schwager, n.d.)



Friar Jude Winkler comments that Ezekiel has a vision of being given a scroll and he eats it. It is possible Ezekiel has a mental illness but, in his time, this may have been considered as being touched by God. The taste of the Word becomes sour. The Word is often proclaimed with sweetness but we find the response to be unacceptable to us. In the Gospel we are called by using the example of children, to become humble, trusting, simple, and without motivations that are not fitting for followers of Christ. Traditionally “their little one” was pointing to the guardian angel to guide us and call us to conversion. The habit of giving the Guardian Angel a name raises a concern about a helper like a pet but we realize God protects us even through spiritual beings. Friar Jude observes that 99 argues about the focus to the broken one who needs the most attention. We all, at one time, need the personal attention of Jesus to bring us back again.



The Word Among Us Meditation on Ezekiel 2:8–3:4 comments that if we can see that a loved one is on the brink of making a bad decision. Do you say something? If so, what and how?


The key to knowing how to respond is in consuming God’s word on a daily basis. As we “eat” his word, it begins to form us. Our minds and hearts are changed, and we start to see things the way the Lord does. The Scriptures can help us begin to grasp God’s thoughts and share in his love for his people. Instead of considering it a harsh message, we can find the sweetness in communicating with love a message that will be for the good of our hearers.


So spend time reading God’s word. Let it change you. Listen for his direction in situations when you’re not sure which way to go. Let his love guide your words when you don’t know how to stand up for what is right—even if it means being direct. You can find the sweetness that Ezekiel tasted as he proclaimed the Lord’s word. And that sweetness can sustain you, just as it did for him!


“Lord, help me to welcome your word so that I can find sweetness in speaking the truth in love.” (Meditation on Ezekiel 2:8–3:4, n.d.)



Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Sister Margaret Carney who tells of the radical trajectory of Clare of Assisi’s life, who left behind wealth and social standing under cover of night in exchange for a simple life devoted to God. In one of Clare’s letters, we sense the depth of her contemplative life.


Place your mind before the mirror of eternity! Place your soul in the brilliance of glory! Place your heart in the figure of the divine substance, and through contemplation, allow your entire being to be transformed into the image of the Godhead itself, so that you may feel what friends feel, and taste the hidden sweetness that God has reserved for His lovers. [2]


This profound quote, that could only emerge as a fruit of contemplation, along with her very frequent use of the mirror metaphor in her writings, communicates to me that Clare experientially understood prayer as an actual transformation of the self, a reflected glory, even daring to speak of “allowing your entire being to be transformed into the image of the Godhead itself.” This was surely not common Catholic language in the Western Church at that time and would have seemed presumptuous or even heretical to many (as it may even seem today).


Clare directly expresses what the Eastern Church held onto under the name of divinization (theosis). Theosis was understood as a true, objective sharing and growing in our divine nature, which was then reflected and received in humans as in a mirror. All we can really do is polish our own mirror to reflect the gift of this Godself more perfectly. Thus the objectively given “image” at our conception becomes subjective “likeness” over time, building on the foundational metaphors that we were created in both the image and the likeness of God. [3] (Rohr, n.d.)


We call upon the Holy Spirit to guide our practice of “greatness” as children anointed with Baptismal vocations as priest, prophet, and leader in our communities to be examples of fullness of life in Christ.



References

Amu, V. (2026, August 11). Daily Reflection August 11, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved August 11, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-august-11-2026 

Ezekiel, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 11, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ezekiel/3 

Matthew, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 11, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/18

Meditation on Ezekiel 2:8–3:4. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved August 11, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/08/11/1643649/ 

Psalms, PSALM 119 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 11, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/119?14 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Saint Clare of Assisi: Reflecting the Image of God. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 11, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/saint-clare-of-assisi-reflecting-the-image-of-god/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Who Is the Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 11, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/


Thursday, November 6, 2025

Searching and Saving

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to search for the things in life that complement our necessary need for completeness as children of God.


Family Blessings


In the Reading from the Letter to the Romans, Paul exhorts us to Live and Die for Christ.


* [14:8] The Lord: Jesus, our Master. The same Greek word, kyrios, was applied to both rulers and holders of slaves. Throughout the Letter to the Romans Paul emphasizes God’s total claim on the believer; see note on Rom 1:1. (Romans, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB, n.d.)


Psalm 27 declares “I believe” (Ps 27:13), echoing “I trust”


* [Psalm 27] Tradition has handed down the two sections of the Psalm (Ps 27:16; 714) as one Psalm, though each part could be understood as complete in itself. Asserting boundless hope that God will bring rescue (Ps 27:13), the psalmist longs for the presence of God in the Temple, protection from all enemies (Ps 27:46). In part B there is a clear shift in tone (Ps 27:712); the climax of the poem comes with “I believe” (Ps 27:13), echoing “I trust” (Ps 27:3). (Psalms, PSALM 27 | USCCB, n.d.)


In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus teaches using the Parable of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin.


* [15:132] To the parable of the lost sheep (Lk 15:17) that Luke shares with Matthew (Mt 18:1214), Luke adds two parables (the lost coin, Lk 15:810; the prodigal son, Lk 15:1132) from his own special tradition to illustrate Jesus’ particular concern for the lost and God’s love for the repentant sinner. (Luke, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB, n.d.)


Rev. Andy Alexander, SJ, comments that Jesus stories in Luke have four things in common. Something/someone precious is lost. An intense search begins. The lost is found. A celebration breaks out.


This marvelous story is a gift for you and me today. Our hearts are warmed to see Jesus as the defender of the sinner. We’re touched to hear how precious we are, and how much Jesus longs to offer us a joyous return. And, it just might help us to be aware of any tendency we might have to judge others or to resent how merciful Jesus is. Finally, a fresh reading of this story might lead us to speak with our Lord, with gratitude, tenderness, and joy. (Axexander, n.d.)



Don Schwager quotes “Joy over the fallen sinner restored in God's image,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).


"This second parable compares what was lost to a drachma (Luke 15:8-9). It is as one out of ten, a perfect number and of a sum complete in the accounting. The number ten also is perfect, being the close of the series from the unit upwards. This parable clearly shows that we are in the royal likeness and image, even that of God over all. I suppose the drachma is the denarius on which is stamped the royal likeness. We, who had fallen and had been lost, have been found by Christ and transformed by holiness and righteousness into his image... A search was made for that which had fallen, so the woman lighted a lamp... By the light, what was lost is saved, and there is joy for the powers above. They rejoice even in one sinner that repents, as he who knows all things has taught us. They keep a festival over one who is saved, united with the divine purpose, and never cease to praise the Savior's gentleness. What great joy must fill them when all beneath heaven is saved and Christ calls them by faith to acknowledge the truth? They put off the pollution of sin and freed their necks from the bonds of death. They have escaped from the blame of their wandering and fall! We gain all these things in Christ."(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 106) (Schwager, n.d.)



The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 15:1-10 comments that to our God, there is no more or less value between people we might call “sinners” and those we might call “saints.” God loves each of us, not because of our good deeds, but out of his own goodness.


You were created to behold God and to be united with him in joy! This is the only thing that can truly fulfill you, and it’s also what makes repentance so worthwhile. So turn and “gaze on the loveliness of the Lord” today (Psalm 27:4). Listen to him tell you your value.


“Thank you, Lord, for the joy of belonging to your family!” (Meditation on Luke 15:1-10, n.d.)


Friar Jude Winkler comments that, in Romans 14, Paul declares we live for the Lord and life and death can not divide us from the Lord, We are brothers and sisters. We should not judge. We may counter self destruction. God decides on good or evil, not us. Jesus speaks of compassion to sinners, the lost sheep, one of a hundred, followed by a woman's story, a common structure in Luke. Losing coins in the style of housing of dirt and straw floors was likely. God does not want the condemnation of sinners. God wants the return of sinners. God loves us as beloved sinners. Friar Jude reminds us that when we sin we are poisoning ourselves and that is not what God wants. 


Fr. Mike Schmitz points out how easy it is to take good things and make idols out of them, setting them up as God's rivals for our hearts. We can discover these rivals by noticing the things we prioritize over spending time with God. The readings are 2 Maccabees 13, Wisdom 15-16, and Proverbs 25:15-17.



Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Theologian Megan McKenna who focuses on the way Luke’s Gospel presents Jesus and the Beatitudes, known as the “blessings and woes.”


In Luke [6:17–35], Jesus … comes down with [the disciples] to a level place that is crowded with hordes of people from all parts of the region and beyond to the coastal cities: believers, unbelievers, outsiders, and probably many not welcome in religious society.  


Before he teaches, he heals; or perhaps as he heals, he teaches. Those who have come to him are ill, diseased, troubled by evil spirits, despised by society. They are desperate, seeking to touch him…. The scene is one of motion, reaching, grabbing, and we are told simply that “the power which went out from him healed them all.” This power, his spirit and presence, is healing, comforting, soothing, calming, promising. But the most startling line of all is the last one: “Then lifting up his eyes to his disciples, Jesus said….”  


He lifts up his eyes: he is positioned below them, probably kneeling on the ground, tending to those in pain and suffering, attentive to the needs of those reaching for him…. He is in a position of vulnerability, of solidarity with the masses of people in need. From this position he speaks the beatitudes: the blessings and the woes…. In Luke’s Gospel Jesus is more comfort-giver than teacher; more attentive than discursive; more tender than instructive; more embracing of the pain of others than distant as law-giver. (Rohr, n.d.)


We are searchers and we seek the Wisdom of the Spirit to continue to search for full life in a Way of love, mercy, care, and compassion even as we contend with counter narratives that use the valuation of the world to guide our activity.



References

Axexander, A. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved November 6, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-november-6-2025 

Luke, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 6, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/15?1 

Meditation on Luke 15:1-10. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved November 6, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/11/06/1422913/ 

Psalms, PSALM 27 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 6, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/27?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. CAC.org. Retrieved November 6, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-healer-teaches/ 

Romans, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 6, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/14?7 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 6, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 



Tuesday, August 12, 2025

Humility and Shepherding

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to learn from Jesus' example of leadership that focuses on the needs of the community we are called to serve as a good shepherd.


Humility of the Good Shepherd


The Reading from the Book of Deuteronomy proclaims the Lord’s Leadership and the Call of Joshua.


a. [31:2] Dt 1:37; 3:2328; 4:2124; 34:7; Gn 6:3; Ex 7:7; Nm 20:12; Acts 7:23, 30.

b. [31:3] Dt 1:3033; 3:22, 28; 9:3.

c. [31:4] Dt 2:263:7; 3:2122; Nm 21:2135.

d. [31:5] Dt 7:15; 20:1618.

e. [31:6] Dt 1:29; 20:34.

f. [31:78] Dt 1:21; 31:23; Jos 1:69; 10:25.

g. [31:8] Ex 3:12; Jos 1:5, 17; 3:7; 2 Sm 7:9. (Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 31|USCCB, n.d.)


The response is from Deuteronomy 32.


* [32:143] The whole song is a poetic sermon, having for its theme the Lord’s benefits to Israel (vv. 114) and Israel’s ingratitude and idolatry in turning to the gods of the nations; these sins will be punished by the nations themselves (vv. 1529); in turn, the foolish pride of the nations will be punished, and the Lord’s honor will be vindicated (vv. 3043). (Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 32|USCCB, n.d.)


In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches about The Greatest in the Kingdom and The Parable of the Lost Sheep.


* [18:1014] The first and last verses are peculiar to Matthew. The parable itself comes from Q; see Lk 15:37. In Luke it serves as justification for Jesus’ table-companionship with sinners; here, it is an exhortation for the disciples to seek out fellow disciples who have gone astray. Not only must no one cause a fellow disciple to sin, but those who have strayed must be sought out and, if possible, brought back to the community. The joy of the shepherd on finding the sheep, though not absent in Mt 18:13 is more emphasized in Luke. By his addition of Mt 18:10, 14 Matthew has drawn out explicitly the application of the parable to the care of the little ones.

* [18:10] Their angels in heaven…my heavenly Father: for the Jewish belief in angels as guardians of nations and individuals, see Dn 10:13, 2021; Tb 5:47; 1QH 5:20–22; as intercessors who present the prayers of human beings to God, see Tb 13, 12:15, . The high worth of the little ones is indicated by their being represented before God by these heavenly beings.

* [18:11] Some manuscripts add, “For the Son of Man has come to save what was lost”; cf. Mt 9:13. This is practically identical with Lk 19:10 and is probably a copyist’s addition from that source. (Matthew, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB, n.d.)


Tamora Whitney comments that children are innocent and trusting. And Jesus insists that the disciples welcome children and other humble powerless people in Jesus’ name. They are specifically warned against turning away anyone who would seem unimportant.


A shepherd with a big herd who found one of his sheep missing would search for that one sheep, even though he had 99 more, and rejoice at finding that lost sheep. A sheep, childlike, is lowly, and is also trusting. It’s the shepherd’s job to keep track of the sheep and keep them safe. Even if the shepherd might not feel the loss of one sheep out of a hundred, what would happen to the sheep that went astray? It would be in danger, out of the protection of its community. The shepherd has a responsibility to protect all the flock. The shepherd who finds and regains the lost sheep not only feels joy at regaining his property that might be lost but also relief in knowing that the sheep is now safe with the others.


God rejoices in the return of one of his own who was thought to be lost but is returned. But it’s not only because God wants a bigger following, but because he realizes that we, like sheep, out of our community are lost and in danger. Returned to the fold we can be safe in his protection in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Whitney, 2025)



Don Schwager quotes “What it means to become a child of God,” by Epiphanius the Latin (late 5th century).


"Here the Lord not only repressed the apostles' thoughts but also checked the ambition of believers throughout the whole world, so that he might be great who wanted to be least. For with this purpose Jesus used the example of the child, that what he had been through his nature, we through our holy living might become - innocent, like children innocent of every sin. For a child does not know how to hold resentment or to grow angry. He does not know how to repay evil for evil. He does not think base thoughts. He does not commit adultery or arson or murder. He is utterly ignorant of theft or brawling or all the things that will draw him to sin. He does not know how to disparage, how to blaspheme, how to hurt, how to lie. He believes what he hears. What he is ordered he does not analyze. He loves his parents with full affection. Therefore what children are in their simplicity, let us become through a holy way of life, as children innocent of sin. And quite rightly, one who has become a child innocent of sin in this way is greater in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives such a person will receive Christ." (excerpt from INTERPRETATION OF THE GOSPELS 27) (Schwager, n.d.)




Friar Jude Winkler reflects on the texts of today. The Deuteronomy reading is a commendation of Moses to the people of Israel reminding them of the good the Lord has done . They are urged to be strong and steadfast even if Moses is going away. To receive the Kingdom, we have to trust, be innocent and meek with wonder and awe and we will be able to embrace the kingdom. The idea of the Guardian Angels assigned to protect us from material and moral danger is resonant in the Gospel. Friar Jude suggests the 99 could complain about seeking the lost sheep.  The lost one needs help. The broken need the attention calling Jesus to go out of His way to save our brother and sister. We are called to the same compassion.



Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, writes of conversion as an experience of participating in divine reality. 


A participatory theology says, “I am being chosen, I am being led, I am being used.” After conversion, you know that your life is not about you; you are about life! You are about God. You’re an instance of both the agony and the ecstasy of God that is already happening inside of you, and all you can do is say yes to it. That’s conversion and it changes everything.


True union does not absorb distinctions, but actually intensifies them. The more we give of ourselves in creative union with another, the more we become our authentic self. This is mirrored in the Trinity: perfect giving and perfect receiving between three persons who are all still completely themselves. The more we become our True Self, the more capable we are of not overprotecting the boundaries of the false self. We have nothing to protect after transformation, and that’s the great freedom and the great happiness we see in converted people like Paul. As Paul puts it, “Because of Christ, I now consider my former advantages as disadvantages.… All of it is mere rubbish if only I can have a place in him” (Philippians 3:7–8). (Rohr, n.d.)


We invoke the Spirit to illuminate our action in response to our Baptismal Anointing as priest, prophet, and especially leader who loves and cares for his sheep.



References

Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 31|USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved August 12, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/deuteronomy/31?1 

Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 32|USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved August 12, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/deuteronomy/32?3 

Matthew, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 12, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/18?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Paul’s Conversion and Our Own. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 12, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/pauls-conversion-and-our-own/  

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Who Is the Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 12, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=aug12 

Whitney, T. (2025, August 12). Daily Reflection August 12, 2025 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved August 12, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-august-12-2025