Strength Disguised in Weakness

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to meet the challenges of being diminished in status, wealth, or influence as an opportunity to grow even while planted in a difficult field.

Strong and True

The Reading from the Book of Nahum declares Nineveh’s Inescapable Fate

a. [3:1] Is 10:13–14; Hb 2:12. (Nahum, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)

The response from the Book of Deuteronomy is a poetic sermon, having for its theme the Lord’s benefits to Israel.

* [32:1–43] The whole song is a poetic sermon, having for its theme the Lord’s benefits to Israel (vv. 1–14) and Israel’s ingratitude and idolatry in turning to the gods of the nations; these sins will be punished by the nations themselves (vv. 15–29); in turn, the foolish pride of the nations will be punished, and the Lord’s honor will be vindicated (vv. 30–43).

* [32:36] Neither bond nor free: an all-inclusive expression; cf. 1 Kgs 14:10; 2 Kgs 9:8. (Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 32 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus proclaims to deny someone is to disown him (see Mt 10:33; 26:34–35) and to deny oneself is to disown oneself as the center of one’s existence.

* [16:24] Deny himself: to deny someone is to disown him (see Mt 10:33; 26:34–35) and to deny oneself is to disown oneself as the center of one’s existence.

* [16:25] See notes on Mt 10:38, 39.

* [16:27] The parousia and final judgment are described in Mt 25:31 in terms almost identical with these.

* [16:28] Coming in his kingdom: since the kingdom of the Son of Man has been described as “the world” and Jesus’ sovereignty precedes his final coming in glory (Mt 13:38, 41), the coming in this verse is not the parousia as in the preceding but the manifestation of Jesus’ rule after his resurrection; see notes on Mt 13:38, 41. (Matthew, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB, n.d.)

Becky Nickerson reflects there is often a temptation to focus on achievement, recognition, or control. Yet Jesus’ invitation to “deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me” reminds me that true leadership and discipleship begin with humility, trust, and a willingness to let faith guide my actions.

The call to take up my cross is not necessarily about dramatic acts of sacrifice but about the daily choices I make. As a professional, it may mean putting people before projects and leading with integrity rather than seeking personal success. As a family member and friend, it may mean being patient, present, and supportive even when it requires setting aside my own ideas or timeline. In every role I hold, following Christ pushes me to look beyond my own preferences and priorities, choosing instead to lead, serve, and love in ways that place others at the center. Through these daily acts of selflessness, I am continually shaped by God’s grace and grow in my faith. (Nickerson, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Walk as Christ has walked,” by Caesarius of Arles (470-543 AD).

"When the Lord tells us in the Gospel that anyone who wants to be his follower must renounce himself, the injunction seems harsh; we think he is imposing a burden on us. But an order is no burden when it is given by one who helps in carrying it out. To what place are we to follow Christ if not where he has already gone? We know that he has risen and ascended into heaven; there, then, we must follow him. There is no cause for despair - by ourselves we can do nothing, but we have Christ's promise... One who claims to abide in Christ ought to walk as he walked. Would you follow Christ? Then be humble as he was humble. Do not scorn his lowliness if you want to reach his exaltation. Human sin made the road rough. Christ's resurrection leveled it. By passing over it himself, he transformed the narrowest of tracks into a royal highway. Two feet are needed to run along this highway; they are humility and charity. Everyone wants to get to the top - well, the first step to take is humility. Why take strides that are too big for you - do you want to fall instead of going up? Begin with the first step, humility, and you will already be climbing." (excerpt from SERMONS 159, 1.4-6) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler shares a reflection on today's Mass readings. Nathum is a prophet who tends to be vindictive against the Assyrians who were infamous for crimes against humanity. It is one way in which the Hebrew Testament differs from Jesus' Testament. We have to follow Christ in the martyrdom of pinpricks. The Son Of Man will repay each for transgressions and there will be a time of reckoning. Friar Jude invites us to ponder the declaration in the Gospel of Matthew declares that some will not taste death until they will see the transcendent reality of Jesus and the defeat of evil.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 16:24-28 comments Jesus is asking us to follow in his footsteps—not to embrace martyrdom, unless that is the Lord’s will, but to “deny” ourselves and to “lose” our lives as we follow him (Matthew 16:24, 25). Let’s look at a common everyday situation that can help us see how the Lord might be calling us to do this.

As you do, the Holy Spirit enables you to step back from your strong reaction and viewpoint, and you begin to see things differently. Maybe you realize that you have a very different personality and way to approach life’s circumstances than the other person. Your upbringing and life experience—both positive and negative—are different from the other person’s. And the opportunities that you’ve been given—whether many or few—have given you a lens through which you view many situations, including this one.

This perspective helps you. Now you see that the best approach to the conflict is to choose humility. You resolve in your heart to “deny” yourself and “lose” your life a little bit. You decide to deny the drive to defend yourself and you lose the urge to be proven right at all costs. You decide to apologize, if necessary, and to see the good in the other person. Being right isn’t the point; following Jesus is.

How is Jesus leading you to follow in his footsteps of humility? (Meditation on Matthew 16:24-28, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, reflects on Job’s story as a source of wisdom about the path of transformation. Every movement toward union with God will feel like a loss of self-importance and self-control. We are realigned with truth when the real person meets the real God—which is exactly the stuff of spirituality, good theology, and transformation.

The book of Job ultimately assures us that faith can forever be found, like the hill of Calvary, “outside the walls.” In fact, that is where it finds its most ready soil—at the bottom, the broken, the edges of things.

If no meaning can be given to human suffering, if our wounds are not capable of becoming sacred wounds, the human project is surely doomed to a blaming war of all against all. The future, like the past, will be full of scapegoats and victims. This is no peripheral question the book of Job pursues.

Without the response from God in the whirlwind—what we might call today the sacred or transcendent dimension—life will surely be “nasty, brutish, and short” for most people in the twenty-first century. There will be no place to go to make our wounds sacred, but they will still be wounds, sore and bleeding. If there is no voice from the whirlwind, no calming eyes in the heart of the tempest, humanity can only “sit on its dung heap picking at its sores.” But in Job and in Jesus, we have heard a story that is always true, a story that makes all our wounds sacred. (Rohr, n.d.)

We implore the inspiration of the Spirit to accept that true leadership and discipleship begin with humility, trust, and a willingness to let faith guide our actions as we seek to demonstrate that strength can be disguised in weakness.

References

Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 32 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 7, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/deuteronomy/32?35 

Matthew, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 7, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/16?24 

Meditation on Matthew 16:24-28. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved August 7, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/08/07/1640975/ 

Nahum, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 7, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/nahum/0 

Nickerson, B. (n.d.). Daily Reflection August 7, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved August 7, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-august-7-2026 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). From Suffering to Sacred Wounds. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 7, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/from-suffering-to-sacred-wounds/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Whoever Loses His Life for My Sake Will Find It. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 7, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Self Denial and Wickedness

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, the memorial of the Dedication of Santa Maria Maggiore, alert us to ponder our response to the wickedness in the world as we renew our commitment to surrender to the Will of God.

Near Santa Maria Maggiore

The reading from the Prophet Nahum describes the destruction of the wicked city of Nineveh where ruin is imminent and Inevitable.

* [2:1] For never again will destroyers invade you: prophets are not always absolutely accurate in the things they foresee. Nineveh was destroyed, as Nahum expected, but Judah was later invaded by the Babylonians and (much later) by the Romans. The prophets were convinced that Israel held a key place in God’s plan and looked for the people to survive all catastrophes, always blessed by the Lord, though the manner was not always as they expected; the “fallen hut of David” was not rebuilt as Am 9:11 suggests, except in the coming of Jesus, and in a way far different than the prophet expected. Often the prophet speaks in hyperbole, as when Second Isaiah speaks of the restored Jerusalem being built with precious stones (Is 54:12) as a way of indicating a glorious future. (Nahum, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

The response from the Book of Deuteronomy declares Israel’s ingratitude.

* [32:1–43] The whole song is a poetic sermon, having for its theme the Lord’s benefits to Israel (vv. 1–14) and Israel’s ingratitude and idolatry in turning to the gods of the nations; these sins will be punished by the nations themselves (vv. 15–29); in turn, the foolish pride of the nations will be punished, and the Lord’s honor will be vindicated (vv. 30–43). (Deuteronomy 32, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus describes the conditions of discipleship including the Cross and Self-Denial.

* [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.

* [16:24] Deny himself: to deny someone is to disown him (see Mt 10:33; 26:34–35) and to deny oneself is to disown oneself as the center of one’s existence.

* [16:25] See notes on Mt 10:38, 39.

* [16:27] The parousia and final judgment are described in Mt 25:31 in terms almost identical with these.

* [16:28] Coming in his kingdom: since the kingdom of the Son of Man has been described as “the world” and Jesus’ sovereignty precedes his final coming in glory (Mt 13:38, 41), the coming in this verse is not the parousia as in the preceding but the manifestation of Jesus’ rule after his resurrection; see notes on Mt 13:38, 41. (Matthew, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB, n.d.)

Kimberly Grassmeyer worried that any words she might write in response to the death and destruction noted in the first reading and response would be far from generous and uplifting.

Holding back, in frustration, serves no one - not others who need our gifts, and certainly not ourselves. Rather, giving of ourselves, in love to others, provides us the blessed opportunity to experience the fullest expression of ourselves. In that way, we live in Christ, and He in us. With this idea on my heart today, I simply offered my arm to an elderly woman shuffling into the Ace Hardware store that I was departing. She was surprised but pleased by the offer, then let me know I was a blessing to her. "Oh no, Ma'am: you are a blessing to me!" And she truly was. For just a brief moment, she gave me the opportunity to lose myself in Christ today, and I was grateful for it. Let's not let death win! Let's answer Christ's call, to 'lose' our lives for his sake. Amen. (Creighton's Online Ministries Home Page, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Walk as Christ has walked,” by Caesarius of Arles (470-543 AD).

"When the Lord tells us in the Gospel that anyone who wants to be his follower must renounce himself, the injunction seems harsh; we think he is imposing a burden on us. But an order is no burden when it is given by one who helps in carrying it out. To what place are we to follow Christ if not where he has already gone? We know that he has risen and ascended into heaven; there, then, we must follow him. There is no cause for despair - by ourselves we can do nothing, but we have Christ's promise... One who claims to abide in Christ ought to walk as he walked. Would you follow Christ? Then be humble as he was humble. Do not scorn his lowliness if you want to reach his exaltation. Human sin made the road rough. Christ's resurrection leveled it. By passing over it himself, he transformed the narrowest of tracks into a royal highway. Two feet are needed to run along this highway; they are humility and charity. Everyone wants to get to the top - well, the first step to take is humility. Why take strides that are too big for you - do you want to fall instead of going up? Begin with the first step, humility, and you will already be climbing." (excerpt from SERMONS 159, 1.4-6) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 16:24-28 comments that God doesn’t usually ask for something earth-shattering. Maybe he wants us to give up some time catching up on the news in the morning so that you meet him in prayer first. Maybe he is asking us to refrain from office gossip and use that time to listen to a colleague who is going through a hard time.

Spend some time today thinking about what you might need to “lose” in order to find more of your life in Christ. Even if it seems difficult, remember whom you are giving it up for. You can trust this great wonder-working God. He won’t ask you to give up something without giving you something much better in return. He is a good God, and he wants nothing but good for you!

“Jesus, help me to let go of anything in my life that leads me away from you.” (Meditation on Matthew 16:24-28, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler fleshes out the details of the writing of the minor prophet Nathum on the defeat of the Assyrians by the Babylonians. The ultimate price to be paid by Israelites for being in opposition to the Roman occupiers was death by crucifixion. Friar Jude reminds us of Jesus' connection to Daniel 7 and the Suffering Servant of Isaiah as He prepares to enter His Kingdom on Easter morning.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares about the freedom we gain from “letting go” of any false images of ourselves as totally innocent or pure. We find the courage to be who we are in God and to join God in the flow of grace.

Letting go is different than denying or repressing. To let go of it, we have to admit it. We have to own it. Letting go is different than turning it against our self. Letting go is different than projecting onto others. Letting go means that the denied, repressed, rejected parts of our own self which are nonetheless true are seen for what they are, but not turned against self or against others, so letting go is not denial. It’s not pretend. The religious word for letting go is the word “forgiveness.” This is the positive way to deal with our own woundedness. We see it and we hand it over to God. We hand it over to history. . . .

The mode of weeping, of crying, is different than fixing. It’s different than understanding. That’s why we often cry when we forgive. . . . When we can’t fix it, when we can’t explain it, when we can’t control it, when we can’t even understand it, we can only forgive it. Let go of it, weep over it. It’s a different mode of being. . . .

I can see why forgiveness is almost the heart of the matter, and Jesus’ prerequisite for being forgiven by God is simply to forgive one another. . . . Jesus said we will receive the forgiveness of God to the degree that we can be conduits of forgiveness for one another. In other words, forgiveness is of one piece. Those who give it can receive it. Those who receive it can give it. If we’re in the conduit of love, if we’re in the ocean of mercy, frankly, it’s the only thing that makes sense. (Rohr, n.d.)

The Holy Spirit invites us to let go of our attachments to self aggrandizing and satisfaction as we move to the humility and charity that emulates Jesus.

References

Creighton's Online Ministries Home Page. (n.d.). Online Ministries. Retrieved August 5, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/online.html 

Deuteronomy 32. (n.d.). Deuteronomy. Retrieved August 5, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/deuteronomy/32?35 

Matthew, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 5, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/16?24 

Meditation on Matthew 16:24-28. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved August 5, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/08/05/462321/ 

Nahum, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 5, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/nahum/2?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Letting Go of Our Innocence. Daily Meditations Archive: 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/letting-go-of-our-innocence-2022-08-05/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Whoever Loses His Life for My Sake Will Find It. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved August 5, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=aug5 

What has been done

 

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite contemplation of the situation of people experiencing severe persecution who seek justice.

A look back

 

The reading from the Book of Nahum describes the destruction of the Wicked City declaring the ruin to be imminent and inevitable.

 * [2:2] One who scatters has come up against you: the enemy is about to crush Nineveh, dispersing and deporting its people (v. 8; 3:18).1

The Book of Deuteronomy celebrates the care of the Lord for the people. 

 Indeed the Lord will vindicate his people,

   have compassion on his servants,2

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus presents the connection between the Cross and self-denial.

* [16:24] Deny himself: to deny someone is to disown him (see Mt 10:33; 26:34–35) and to deny oneself is to disown oneself as the center of one’s existence.3

Angela Maynard comments that we are familiar with the gravity of dying by the cross, consider the act of denying oneself and following one who was less than popular. To her, this is the ultimate act of humility. Humility is defined as freedom from pride or arrogance: the quality or state of being humble. We are living in a very troubled world and as she reflects on today’s reading she concludes that lack of humility is a root cause of many troubles. For example, who determines that a group of people are less than?  Who decides that one cause or agenda is paramount, even though harm to others may result?

For today:

Take some time to reflect on what it actually means to die by the cross.  Jesus did this to save us!

Consider the position the disciples were in if they continued to follow Christ.

How does pride or arrogance stand in the way of my relationships?

How does pride impact the decisions I make?  Personally, professionally, and as a community member?

“The most powerful weapon to conquer the devil is humility. For, as he does not know at all how to employ it, neither does he know how to defend himself from it.”

--Saint Vincent de Paul4

Don Schwager quotes “Walk as Christ has walked,” by Caesarius of Arles (470-543 AD).

"When the Lord tells us in the Gospel that anyone who wants to be his follower must renounce himself, the injunction seems harsh; we think he is imposing a burden on us. But an order is no burden when it is given by one who helps in carrying it out. To what place are we to follow Christ if not where he has already gone? We know that he has risen and ascended into heaven; there, then, we must follow him. There is no cause for despair - by ourselves we can do nothing, but we have Christ's promise... One who claims to abide in Christ ought to walk as he walked. Would you follow Christ? Then be humble as he was humble. Do not scorn his lowliness if you want to reach his exaltation. Human sin made the road rough. Christ's resurrection leveled it. By passing over it himself, he transformed the narrowest of tracks into a royal highway. Two feet are needed to run along this highway; they are humility and charity. Everyone wants to get to the top - well, the first step to take is humility. Why take strides that are too big for you - do you want to fall instead of going up? Begin with the first step, humility, and you will already be climbing." (excerpt from SERMONS 159, 1.4-6)5

The Word Among Us Meditation on Nahum 2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7 comments that if we want to experience this promise of victory, we need to identify our enemies. What is the real evil in each situation?

 Is my real enemy the person who slighted me when I expected praise? Or is it my resentment as I hold on to the insult? Is my real enemy a challenging circumstance, such as illness, unemployment, or loneliness? Or is it the anxiety that makes it impossible for me to entrust these situations to God and experience the comfort of his presence? In every circumstance, God promises to act on our behalf—but our enemy, the devil, uses these circumstances to entice us to give up and slip away from God.6

Friar Jude Winkler fleshes out the conflict between Israel and Assyria and the role of the Babylonian Empire. The Gospel contradiction is to save our lives we must lose it. Friar Jude reminds that our choice to sin brings its own consequences.

 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares that Matthew Fox has studied, written, and taught on theology and the mystics for decades. In one of his books on Meister Eckhart, Fox writes:

 

In the soul, Eckhart maintains, there is “something like a spark of divine nature, a divine light, a ray, an imprinted picture of the divine nature.” [1] . . . But we have to make contact with this divine spark by emptying ourselves or letting go. And then we will know the unity that already exists. [2]7

Fr. Richard writes:

Meister Eckhart was frequently criticized by his contemporaries (and still is by some people today) because his language was far too unitive. We like our distinctions! We don’t want to hear that we have the same soul as our enemies, not our personal ones and certainly not our cultural or global ones! We want to hate them, don’t we? And far too often our religion seemingly gives us permission to do so. But mystics don’t hate anyone. They simply can’t. They pray, as Jesus does on the cross, “Father forgive them, they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). The mystic knows the other person doesn’t know. It’s not malice as much as ignorance and unawareness. And, of course, it’s a burden to know; it’s a responsibility to know, because once we know that God has inhabited all that God has created, then all of our distinctions are silly. They are just ways to create self-importance and superiority for ourselves and put down someone else. We’ve played this game since grade school!7

Persecution and death that are part of our salvation history are countered when, like the mystics, we don’t hate anyone. We pray, as Jesus does on the cross, “Father forgive them, they do not know what they are doing.”

 

References

1	(n.d.). Nahum, chapter 2. Retrieved August 7, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/nahum/2
2	(n.d.). Deuteronomy, chapter 32. Retrieved August 7, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/deuteronomy/32:10
3	(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 16. Retrieved August 7, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/16
4	(n.d.). Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries .... Retrieved August 7, 2020, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture .... Retrieved August 7, 2020, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/
6	(n.d.). The Word Among Us. Retrieved August 7, 2020, from https://wau.org/meditations/2020/08/07/174770/
7	(2020, August 7). Spark of the Divine — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 7, 2020, from https://cac.org/spark-of-the-divine-2020-08-07/