Fruit Of Faithfulness

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to examine our faithfulness and ponder the fruit that results from the seeds we plant in life.

Bread for Life

In the Reading from the Second Letter to the Corinthians, Paul exhorts them to be grounded in God’s own pattern of behavior.

* [9:8–10] The behavior to which he exhorts them is grounded in God’s own pattern of behavior. God is capable of overwhelming generosity, as scripture itself attests (2 Cor 9:9), so that they need not fear being short. He will provide in abundance, both supplying their natural needs and increasing their righteousness. Paul challenges them to godlike generosity and reminds them of the fundamental motive for encouragement: God himself cannot be outdone. (2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 112 details the blessings received by those who remain close to God

* [Psalm 112] An acrostic poem detailing the blessings received by those who remain close to God by obedience to the commandments. Among their blessings are children (Ps 112:2), wealth that enables them to be magnanimous (Ps 112:3, 5, 9), and virtue by which they encourage others (Ps 112:4). The just person is an affront to the wicked, whose hopes remain unfulfilled (Ps 112:10). The logic resembles Ps 1; 111. (Psalms, PSALM 112 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of John proclaims The Coming of Jesus’ Hour.

* [12:24] This verse implies that through his death Jesus will be accessible to all. It remains just a grain of wheat: this saying is found in the synoptic triple and double traditions (Mk 8:35; Mt 16:25; Lk 9:24; Mt 10:39; Lk 17:33). John adds the phrases (Jn 12:25) in this world and for eternal life.

* [12:25] His life: the Greek word psychē refers to a person’s natural life. It does not mean “soul,” for Hebrew anthropology did not postulate body/soul dualism in the way that is familiar to us. (John, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. Larry Gillick, SJ, reflects upon the phrase, “hate his life” or “Loves his life”, what can that mean! Try this on for further thoughtfulness and prayer.

Now imagine a person who loves his/her life so isolatedly that she/he holds the self apart from giving life, but only taking it in. This is not exactly “love”, but absorption. Yes, self-creation is not creation, but destruction. The seed has a built-in longing for its being more than a seed, but for fruit and life. The seed in one sense, “hates” itself for not being able to be fruitful merely by its “seedishness”. It needs the earth, the sun and the rains, quite dependent on that little seed.

We, as with the martyrs, have our interior battles between loving the self enough to hate radical self-preoccupation, self-establishness, and hiding. Like the seed, we love what God’s faithful love will bring to the lives of others by bringing life to, and so, through each of us. The great life to come is not a reward, but the final produce of a productive and creative life through our dying to our self-centered un-creational existence. Rather it will be a continuation of God’s creative love within, around and with us. God’s love, like the nourishing soil, sun and rains, serves us and so we serve God, in Christ, by serving God’s people. After all, serving others is a graceful way of loving the goodness of ourselves, good enough to live and give away. We cannot do it alone! (Gillick, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “The seed must die before being resurrected,” by Irenaeus, 135-202 A.D.

"A cutting from the vine planted in the ground bears fruit in its season, or a kernel of wheat falling into the earth and becoming decomposed rises and is multiplied by the Spirit of God, who contains all things. And then, through the wisdom of God, it serves for our use when, after receiving the Word of God, it becomes the Eucharist, which is the body and blood of Christ. In the same way our bodies, being nourished by it, and deposited in the earth and suffering decomposition there, shall rise at their appointed time. The Word of God grants them resurrection to the glory of God, even the Father who freely gives to this mortal immortality, and to this corruptible incorruption (1 Corinthians 15:53). This is so because the strength of God is made perfect in weakness (1 Corinthians 15:43; 2 Corinthians 13:4) in order that we may never become puffed up, as if we had life from ourselves, or become exalted against God with ungrateful minds."(excerpt from AGAINST HERESIES 5.2.3) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments in this letter to the Corinthians, Paul makes an appeal to help the poor in Palestine. The Gentiles will remember the poorer Palestinians than they in Greece and Turkey. God loves a cheerful giver who is generous without grudge or resentment. Some scholars have expressed that which is in excess is robbed from poor. The Gospel of John reminds us that the grain of wheat has to die. The Israelites had a ceremony for the death of the seed and our willingness to be generous. By generosity we are already living in eternal life. Friar Jude reminds us it is a measure of how caring and loving we are.

The Word Among Us Meditation on 2 Corinthians 9:6-10 comments that, like all martyrs, St. Lawrence received seeds of hope from the Lord, which grew into a harvest of heroism and a witness that has inspired millions.

Don’t think you have to keep scrounging in a dwindling interior silo. Instead, develop the habit of returning to your Creator. He takes joy in giving you all you need for a rich harvest of love and generosity.

“Father, give me all I need so that I am able to give to others!” (Meditation on 2 Corinthians 9:6-10, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, explores how Franciscan mysticism invites us to encounter divine presence in our concrete, specific lives. People all over the world are rejecting the ideological (top-down) form of religion—and they should, because this is not the path of Christ himself.

By taking the mystery of the Incarnation absolutely seriously and gradually extending it to its logical conclusions, the seeming limitations of space and time are once and for all overcome in Francis. The Christ Mystery refuses to be vague or abstract and is always concrete and specific. When we stay with these daily apparitions, we see that everything is a revelation of the divine—from rocks to rocket ships. There are henceforth no blind spots in the divine disclosure, in our own eyes, or in our rearview mirrors. The only hindrance to our seeing is our own lack of fascination, humility, curiosity, awe, and willingness to be allured forward.

Franciscan spirituality emphasizes a real equivalence and mutuality between the one who sees and what can be seen. There is a symbiosis between the mind and heart of the seer—and to what they will then pay attention. Francis had a unique ability to call others—animals, planets, and elements —“brother” and “sister” because he himself was a little brother. He granted other beings and things mutuality, subjectivity, “personhood,” and dignity because he first honored his own dignity as a son of God. The world was a transparent two-way mirror for him, which some of us would call a fully “sacramental” universe.” (Rohr, n.d.)

We implore the insight of the Spirit as we ponder the truth that full life requires a death to our focus on ourselves and our surrender to the Plan of God that we are seeds that will nurture our environment in our death to self.

References

Gillick, L. (n.d.). Daily Reflection August 10, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-august-10-2026 

John, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/12? 

Meditation on 2 Corinthians 9:6-10. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/08/10/1643161/ 

Psalms, PSALM 112 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/112?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). The Infinite in the Finite. Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-infinite-in-the-finite/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). If It Dies, It Bears Much Fruit. Daily Scripture Readings. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2026&date=aug10a 

2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/9?6 

Providence and Paradox

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to apply our faith to the reality of the environment in which we live imperfectly called to be salt and light when the paradox of fear and trembling might be our experience.

Salt and Light

The Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah presents Reasons for Judgment.

* [58:6–12] Fasting is not genuine without reforming one’s way of life. A true social morality will ensure prosperity. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 58 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 112 is an acrostic poem detailing blessings.

* [Psalm 112] An acrostic poem detailing the blessings received by those who remain close to God by obedience to the commandments. Among their blessings are children (Ps 112:2), wealth that enables them to be magnanimous (Ps 112:3, 5, 9), and virtue by which they encourage others (Ps 112:4). The just person is an affront to the wicked, whose hopes remain unfulfilled (Ps 112:10). The logic resembles Ps 1; 111. (Psalms, PSALM 112 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians proclaims weakness* and fear and much trembling.

 

* [2:1] The mystery of God: God’s secret, known only to himself, is his plan for the salvation of his people; it is clear from 1 Cor 1:18–25; 2:2, 8–10 that this secret involves Jesus and the cross. In place of mystery, other good manuscripts read “testimony” (cf. 1 Cor 1:6).

* [2:3] The weakness of the crucified Jesus is reflected in Paul’s own bearing (cf. 2 Cor 10–13). Fear and much trembling: reverential fear based on a sense of God’s transcendence permeates Paul’s existence and preaching. Compare his advice to the Philippians to work out their salvation with “fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12), because God is at work in them just as his exalting power was paradoxically at work in the emptying, humiliation, and obedience of Jesus to death on the cross (Phil 2:6–11).

* [2:4] Among many manuscript readings here the best is either “not with the persuasion of wisdom” or “not with persuasive words of wisdom,” which differ only by a nuance. Whichever reading is accepted, the inefficacy of human wisdom for salvation is contrasted with the power of the cross. (1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew presents The Similes of Salt and Light.

* [5:13–16] By their deeds the disciples are to influence the world for good. They can no more escape notice than a city set on a mountain. If they fail in good works, they are as useless as flavorless salt or as a lamp whose light is concealed.

* [5:13] The unusual supposition of salt losing its flavor has led some to suppose that the saying refers to the salt of the Dead Sea that, because chemically impure, could lose its taste. (Matthew, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. Andy Alexander, SJ, comments that it is fair to say that many of us would say we don’t feel like the salt of the earth or the light of the world. Jesus is, in fact, telling us that we are gifted and called to be salt and light for our world.

We can read Isaiah 58 carefully as an aid to help us name the desires we have for our Lenten journey. This may be what God wants to give us during Lent. We can ask for these graces, and they can be our Lenten practices. We can ask to be renewed in this call, in our relationship with the poor, in our interaction with the most vulnerable, even in the way we advocate for those seeking justice, and in the way we discern how we will cast our vote.

We won’t let our salt lose its taste. We won’t hide our light under a bushel basket. (Alexander, 2025)

Don Schwager quotes “The Light of Truth,” by Chromatius (died 406 AD).

The Lord has already called his disciples the "salt of the earth" because they seasoned with divine wisdom the hearts of the human race which had been made tasteless by the devil. Now he also calls them the "light of the world." For, illumined by his very own self who is the true and eternal light, they too become light within the darkness. For since he himself is the sun of righteousness, he rightly also calls his disciples "light of the world." Through them, as if through shining rays, he poured the light of his knowledge on the entire world. For by showing the light of truth, the Lord's disciples made the darkness of error flee from people's hearts. (excerpt from TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 19.1.1-2)

[Note: Chromatius was an early Christian scholar and bishop of Aquileia, Italy. He was a close friend of John Chrysostom and Jerome. He died in 406 AD. Jerome described him as a "most learned and most holy man."] (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 comments that Paul never tired of reminding the Corinthians that the wisdom and power of God were their foundation. He would say the same to us because he knows how easy it can be to rely only on our own strength and wisdom. We need to look to Jesus, risen and victorious, and place our trust in him.

So let’s expand our thinking today and step out, trusting in our mighty God. Let’s turn to him first when we’re concerned about our loved ones. Let’s pray boldly for God to work in their lives. And if it takes time to see an answer, let’s keep praying! God’s power can change hearts far beyond what we can do on our own. Our best preaching or persuading, or even the witness of our lives, can’t compare with what the power of God can do. To begin, we need only to trust and pray—and watch to see what he will do.

“Lord, I trust in your power and love!” (Meditation on 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that the first reading is from Third Isaiah after the Exile when they arrived back in a depleted Israel and the text says the fault is theirs. Because they are not living the practice of sharing and helping the homeless. Faith is both vertical, in a relationship with God and horizontal in relationship with people. Paul speaks about weakness and preaching Christ crucified after his rejection in Athens by the Greek philosophers who believed the soul had to be rescued from the body. The Gospel of Mattthew presents two Wisdom sayings in the Sermon on the Mount that remind us that if salt lost its flavour it would be thrown out and we should give public witness like a lamp that is not hidden. Friar Jude notes that a later admonition in the Gospel about not letting our right hand know is a reference to our motivation in letting others witness our actions.

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, identifies how the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3 is a metaphor for the loss of innocence that we all experience.

The text states, “the eyes of both of them were opened” (3:7). What they were opened to was a split universe. Teachers of prayer call it the “subject-object split.” This happens whenever we stand over and against things, apart and analytical, and can no longer know things by affinity, likeness, or natural connection. Instead, we merely know them as objects out there, subject to our suspicion and doubt.  

This move of “leaving the garden” begins in all human beings somewhere around seven years of age. Before that time, like Adam and Eve in the garden, we exist in unitive consciousness. It’s where we all begin, when “the father and I are one” (John 10:30), or my mother and I are one—as many of us enjoy in the first years of life.  

Eventually the split happens. It has to happen. We will eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and suffer the “wound of knowledge.” We will get suspicious of ourselves and of everything else. We will doubt. That’s called the state of alienation, and many live their whole lives there. (Rohr, n.d.)

We implore the Wisdom of the Spirit as we take on our mission to be good flavour in our environment as light against fear and despair.

References

Alexander, A. (2025, February 8). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved February 8, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-february-8-2026 

Isaiah, CHAPTER 58 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 8, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/58? 

Matthew, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 8, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5?13 

Meditation on 1 Corinthians 2:1-5. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved February 8, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/02/08/1496114/ 

1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 8, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/2? 

Psalms, PSALM 112 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 8, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/112?4 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). A Story for All Time. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 8, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-story-for-all-time/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). You Are the Salt of the Earth and Light of the World. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 8, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Humility Serves All

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to resolve contradictions in our call to action as Christians to address special needs of some communities and at the same time offer our loving service to all people in our community.

Serving All

 

In the Reading from Romans Paul declares Love Fulfills the Law.

* [13:8–10] When love directs the Christian’s moral decisions, the interest of law in basic concerns, such as familial relationships, sanctity of life, and security of property, is safeguarded (Rom 13:9). Indeed, says Paul, the same applies to any other commandment (Rom 13:9), whether one in the Mosaic code or one drawn up by local magistrates under imperial authority. Love anticipates the purpose of public legislation, namely, to secure the best interests of the citizenry. Since Caesar’s obligation is to punish the wrongdoer (Rom 13:4), the Christian who acts in love is free from all legitimate indictment. (Romans, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 112 declares blessings are received by those who remain close to God.

* [Psalm 112] An acrostic poem detailing the blessings received by those who remain close to God by obedience to the commandments. Among their blessings are children (Ps 112:2), wealth that enables them to be magnanimous (Ps 112:3, 5, 9), and virtue by which they encourage others (Ps 112:4). The just person is an affront to the wicked, whose hopes remain unfulfilled (Ps 112:10). The logic resembles Ps 1; 111. (Psalms, PSALM 112|USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus presents Sayings on Discipleship.

* [14:25–33] This collection of sayings, most of which are peculiar to Luke, focuses on the total dedication necessary for the disciple of Jesus. No attachment to family (Lk 14:26) or possessions (Lk 14:33) can stand in the way of the total commitment demanded of the disciple. Also, acceptance of the call to be a disciple demands readiness to accept persecution and suffering (Lk 14:27) and a realistic assessment of the hardships and costs (Lk 14:28–32).

* [14:26] Hating his father…: cf. the similar saying in Mt 10:37. The disciple’s family must take second place to the absolute dedication involved in following Jesus (see also Lk 9:59–62). (Luke, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB, n.d.)

A Member of Creighton University Community asks us to face the fact that total commitment is not part of our culture. We change jobs frequently, we move from one place to another rather often (and often enough across long distances), and few of us can look back at a family home that we have had for generations and can still call ours. Marriage is only temporary for too many of our brothers and sisters, and among the young, sex is so casual and uncommitted that often enough the two don’t even know each other’s names. Change is a constant in our lives on many levels, if not most of them.

The Lord asks us to commit ourselves to him fully, and many of us try to do so, but none of us is able to reach the absolute commitment of Mary. If we really do put ourselves out, however, as prudently and wisely as today’s reading suggests, the Three Persons will each work to support us and we will win through, but we need to pay attention, to truly discern just what God is asking and how serious we are.

God is waiting for our decision, which is absolutely necessary, and if we stand in fear we need to remember that Christ also says “Come to me all you who labor and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light“ (Matthew 11:29).

So what demands is he asking of me in particular? And what is my response? (Member of the Creighton University Community, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Jesus permits us to love family but not more than God,” by Cyril of Alexandria, 375-444 A.D.

"He says, 'He that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. He that loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me' (Matthew 10:37). By adding 'more than me,' it is plain that he permits us to love, but not more than we love him. He demands our highest affection for himself and that very correctly. The love of God in those who are perfect in mind has something in it superior both to the honor due to parents and to the natural affection felt for children." (excerpt fromCOMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 105) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Romans 13:8-1 comments that we all tend to want to take care of ourselves and those closest to us. But love involves more than our feelings. It’s a choice to do something for someone else even when we don’t feel like it. And that’s where the Holy Spirit comes in.

In each of these situations, the Spirit is bringing God’s own love to life in you and empowering you to share it! As you experience God’s love, the Holy Spirit is forming that love in your heart. You start to care for people as you have been cared for. You begin to look upon everyone, even those you might consider enemies, through the lens of the love you’ve received. And that perspective changes the way you treat people. It moves you to look out for their needs and place a priority on their good. You are learning to love the way that God does. And that means you are fulfilling the law!

“Holy Spirit, teach me to love today!” (Meditation on Romans 13:8-1, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that, in Romans, Paul sums the commandments in love of God and love of neighbour. In speaking to a community of Jewish Christians, Paul is challenged to show Love is the basis of our actions rather than adherence to laws. Luke presents Jesus' expression of hating in a very Jewish way of making a point unlike Matthew who softens the words. Luke, a Gentile, tends to quote Jesus exactly to avoid criticism. Friar Jude underlines the importance of knowing the cost of discipleship. We should know the cost is everything and our love has Jesus as the centre of our life.

Fr. Mike Schmitz breaks down the doctrine of purgatory as we read about Judas Maccabeus and his army praying for the dead in 2 Maccabees 12. We learn that purgatory is a process of purification that our hearts need in order to be ready to love God and to enter into his presence. In our reading of Wisdom today, Fr. Mike emphasizes the insanity of worshipping idols and how it's more tempting to make idols out of good things rather than evil things. Today's readings are 2 Maccabees 12, Wisdom 13-14, and Proverbs 25:11-14.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, recalls that in 1942, Clarence Jordan established Koinonia Farm in Georgia as a pacifist, interracial “demonstration plot” for the kingdom of God. Jordan understood the gospel as something Christians must consciously choose to live out. What does Jesus mean by “poor in spirit”? In Luke’s account it is simply “you poor.” What kind of poverty is he talking about? If you have a lot of money, you’ll probably say spiritual poverty. If you have little or no money, you’ll probably say physical poverty. The rich will thank God for Matthew; the poor will thank God for Luke. Both will say, “He blessed me!” Well, then, who really did get the blessing?

It is neither wealth nor poverty that keeps people out of the kingdom—it is pride.  

So the poor in spirit are not the proud in spirit. They know that in themselves—in all people—there are few, if any, spiritual resources. They must have help from above. They desperately need the kingdom of heaven. And feeling their great need for the kingdom, they get it. (Rohr, n.d.)

We are sadly aware of our tendency to restrict our attention and action to those who are in our social and political silos even as we seek the Wisdom of the Spirit to ponder Jesus teaching that we need to expand our love to the point of rejection of the limits we have placed through priorities on our care and compassion.

References

Luke, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 5, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/14?25 

Meditation on Romans 13:8-1. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved November 5, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/11/05/1422417/ 

Member of the Creighton University Community. (n.d.). Daily Reflections. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved November 5, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-november-5-2025 

Psalms, PSALM 112|USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved November 5, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/112?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 5, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/not-for-the-proud/ 

Romans, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 5, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/13?8 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). The True Cost of Discipleship. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 5, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/