Committed to Journey in Love

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge and reassure us that Love is the essential element in our journey to full life.

The Narrow Gate

The Reading From the Letter of Paul to the Romans declares God’s Indomitable Love in Christ.

* [8:28–30] These verses outline the Christian vocation as it was designed by God: to be conformed to the image of his Son, who is to be the firstborn among many brothers (Rom 8:29). God’s redemptive action on behalf of the believers has been in process before the beginning of the world. Those whom God chooses are those he foreknew (Rom 8:29) or elected. Those who are called (Rom 8:30) are predestined or predetermined. These expressions do not mean that God is arbitrary. Rather, Paul uses them to emphasize the thought and care that God has taken for the Christian’s salvation.

* [8:28] We know that all things work for good for those who love God: a few ancient authorities have God as the subject of the verb, and some translators render: “We know that God makes everything work for good for those who love God….”

* [8:29] Image: while man and woman were originally created in God’s image (Gn 1:26–27), it is through baptism into Christ, the image of God (2 Cor 4:4; Col 1:15), that we are renewed according to the image of the Creator (Col 3:10). (Romans, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 13 expresses a heartfelt prayer and passes on a statement of trust,

* [Psalm 13] A typical lament, in which the psalmist feels forgotten by God (Ps 13:2–3)—note the force of the repetition of “How long.” The references to enemies may suggest some have wished evil on the psalmist. The heartfelt prayer (Ps 13:4–5) passes on a statement of trust (Ps 13:6a), intended to reinforce the prayer, and a vow to thank God when deliverance has come (Ps 13:6b). (Psalms, PSALM 13 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus exhorts us to choose the Narrow Door that separates Salvation and Rejection.

* [13:22–30] These sayings of Jesus follow in Luke upon the parables of the kingdom (Lk 13:18–21) and stress that great effort is required for entrance into the kingdom (Lk 13:24) and that there is an urgency to accept the present opportunity to enter because the narrow door will not remain open indefinitely (Lk 13:25). Lying behind the sayings is the rejection of Jesus and his message by his Jewish contemporaries (Lk 13:26) whose places at table in the kingdom will be taken by Gentiles from the four corners of the world (Lk 13:29). Those called last (the Gentiles) will precede those to whom the invitation to enter was first extended (the Jews). See also Lk 14:15–24. (Luke, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)

Vivian Amu comments that as Jesus made his way towards Jerusalem, he took the opportunity to inform the disciples that entry into the kingdom of God is not automatic, and even just being familiar with him was not enough.

Entry requires effort, intentionality, discipline, humility, repentance, genuine sorrow over sin, and turning from it. All of these seem non-negotiable. Entry requires living a life shaped by a genuine relationship with God that makes us recognizable as bearers of hope, love, and faith – a progressive transformation into people recognizable as bearers of the nature of Christ. It is not so much as identity as it is authenticity. It is about the substance of who we are, not just what we claim to be. As I read the gospel today, I asked myself, “Would anyone know that I am a Christian if I never told them? Would anyone recognize that I am a person of faith? Is it enough to say “I believe” or “I am a Christian” while living as though that belief demands nothing? Jesus seems to be telling me today that I cannot fake my way through the gate leading to the kingdom of God. The narrow gate is not just about a destination. It is about the journey that shapes our hearts and the choices that define who we are becoming. It has always been an invitation into an intimate relationship with God who knows us very well.

Lord, help us strive forward with commitment and perseverance, not out of fear, but out of a deep love for Christ and a desire to dwell in God’s presence. (Amu, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “To enter the narrow door,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD)

"'Wide is the door, and broad the way that brings down many to destruction.' What are we to understand by its broadness? ...A stubborn mind will not bow to the yoke of the law [the commandments of God]. This life is cursed and relaxed in all carelessness. Thrusting from it the divine law and completely unmindful of the sacred commandments, wealth, vices, scorn, pride and the empty imagination of earthly pride spring from it. Those who would enter in by the narrow door must withdraw from all these things, be with Christ and keep the festival with him."(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 99) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Romans 8:26-30 comments that as we spin on the Potter’s wheel, that is, as we try to live as his children, we will experience difficulties and sorrows that come from living in a fallen world. We will also experience joy and blessings. But whatever happens, we can rely on St. Paul’s words of assurance in today’s first reading: “All things work for good for those who love God” (Romans 8:28).

We know that this process of God shaping us doesn’t always look good or feel good. When we face loneliness, the loss of a loved one, or a failed marriage, we might be tempted to think that God doesn’t understand (Isaiah 29:16). But we can let Paul’s words remind us—just as they reminded the Romans—that our Father is at work all the time. He is always ready to give us his grace to help us. Even in times of pressure or “trimming,” he is still kind and merciful. So let’s yield to the Potter’s hands and let him continue to form us into “the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29).

“Father, I trust that you are molding me as clay in your hands.” (Meditation on Romans 8:26-30, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments how the Spirit in Romans 8 speaks in our weakness and our call to live in union with the Father and the Son. What would Jesus say about love and acceptance that reveals who God is? God has a plan even when we mess up. Our turning away can be a source of greater intimacy. Jesus describes a narrow gate and how people will follow God only with lip service. Friar Jude notes that the Gospel of Luke declares the welcome of the Gentiles and the possible rejection of “Chosen People” who have not accepted a commitment to love and full life.

Fr. Mike Schmitz concludes the book of Sirach today and encourages us to continue the pursuit of wisdom. In our reading of 2 Maccabees, we see again the pillage of the Temple and we are re- introduced to Judas Maccabeus. Lastly, in Proverbs Fr. Mike encourages us to resist the temptation to rejoice when our enemies fall. Today’s readings are 2 Maccabees 5, Sirach 50-51, and Proverbs 24:17-20.

James Finley leads us through a meditation to help us experience the immediate presence and intimacy of God’s love and those who have joined God before us.

Then God, the angels, and the saints pass through the veil to join you, rendering the room radiant with communal joy and delight in which your very presence begins to glow with the presence of God. Illumined and transformed in this way, God and the angels and saints carry you with them into heaven, just on the other side of the veil, where all are dwelling who have died and crossed over into God. Then God and the angels and saints carry you with them back through the veil, back to the room, now aglow with heavenly wonder and delight. Then, once again, they transport you back into the celestial realm, and then back again into the room…. (Finley, n.d.)

We ponder the expression “8:28 it” as we seek the guidance of the Spirit to choose the “Narrow Gate” as the path to live with love and compassion.

References

Amu, V. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved October 29, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-october-29-2025 

Finley, J. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 29, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-veil-of-light-and-love/ 

Luke, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 29, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/13?22 

Meditation on Romans 8:26-30. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved October 29, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/10/29/1417259/ 

Psalms, PSALM 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 29, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/13?4 

Romans, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 29, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/8?26 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Do Not Risk Being Shut Out. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 29, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Genealogy of Love

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary, today, the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary invite us to ponder the plan of God to be Incarnate through the “yes” of Mary that is recognized in a genealogy of faithful.

Hope and Surrender

The Reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans declares God’s Indomitable Love in Christ

* [8:28] We know that all things work for good for those who love God: a few ancient authorities have God as the subject of the verb, and some translators render: “We know that God makes everything work for good for those who love God….”

* [8:29] Image: while man and woman were originally created in God’s image (Gn 1:26–27), it is through baptism into Christ, the image of God (2 Cor 4:4; Col 1:15), that we are renewed according to the image of the Creator (Col 3:10). (Romans, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Reading from the Prophet Micah makes reference to Isaiah’s Emmanuel oracle.

* [5:2] These words are sometimes understood as a reference to Isaiah’s Emmanuel oracle, given some thirty years earlier (Is 7:14). The Gospel of Matthew reports that the chief priests and scribes cite this passage as the ancient promise of a messiah in the line of David to be born in Bethlehem (Mt 2:5–6).

* [5:4] Peace: he will not only symbolize but also bring about harmony and wholeness.

* [5:5] Nimrod: the legendary ancestor of the Mesopotamians; cf. Gn 10:10–12. (Micah, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 13 is a lament of a psalmist who feels forgotten by God.

* [Psalm 13] A typical lament, in which the psalmist feels forgotten by God (Ps 13:2–3)—note the force of the repetition of “How long.” The references to enemies may suggest some have wished evil on the psalmist. The heartfelt prayer (Ps 13:4–5) passes on a statement of trust (Ps 13:6a), intended to reinforce the prayer, and a vow to thank God when deliverance has come (Ps 13:6b). (Micah, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew proclaims the Genealogy and the Birth of Jesus.

* [1:1–2:23] The infancy narrative forms the prologue of the gospel. Consisting of a genealogy and five stories, it presents the coming of Jesus as the climax of Israel’s history, and the events of his conception, birth, and early childhood as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. The genealogy is probably traditional material that Matthew edited. In its first two sections (Mt 1:2–11) it was drawn from Ru 4:18–22; 1 Chr 1–3. Except for Jechoniah, Shealtiel, and Zerubbabel, none of the names in the third section (Mt 1:12–16) is found in any Old Testament genealogy. While the genealogy shows the continuity of God’s providential plan from Abraham on, discontinuity is also present. The women Tamar (Mt 1:3), Rahab and Ruth (Mt 1:5), and the wife of Uriah, Bathsheba (Mt 1:6), bore their sons through unions that were in varying degrees strange and unexpected. These “irregularities” culminate in the supreme “irregularity” of the Messiah’s birth of a virgin mother; the age of fulfillment is inaugurated by a creative act of God. (Matthew, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

Barbara Dilly comments that Psalm 13 is a prayer to the Lord that she often prays because she knows the need to trust even more.

Mercy is the act of showing compassion and forgiveness to those in distress or suffering, even if they do not deserve it. I know how it feels to receive God’s kindness and love, trusting that mercy is always there for me even though I do not deserve it. But if it ends there, I can still get trapped in guilt for all my sins. Fortunately, salvation is much more than that. It is not just about trust and hope in deliverance from my sins, it is about a transformation of who I am and future glorification. Salvation is not just about the forgiveness of my sins that seem so ongoing, it is about deliverance from the power of sin and evil over me. It is not about just being let off the hook, it is about being justified through faith. With God’s salvation, our sins are not just forgiven, we are rescued from them. We are declared righteous in God’s sight and restored to a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ. My prayer today is that we should rejoice in this truth with great delight. We do have something to sing about! (Dilly, 2025)

Don Schwager quotes “Jesus' humanity revealed in the genealogy,” by Severus of Antioch (488-538 AD).

"One must bear in mind therefore that the Evangelists, or rather the Spirit speaking through them, took pains to ensure that their readers believed that Christ was truly God and truly human. Because of what they wrote, no one could possibly doubt that he is God by nature, beyond all variation, mutation or illusion, and that according to the ordered plan of God he was truly human. This is why John could say, on the one hand, 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.' John immediately adds, 'The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us' (John 1:1-2,14). Hence Matthew wrote appropriately, 'The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.' On the one hand he is not able to be counted simply from natural generation among families, since it is written, 'Who shall declare his generation'? (Isaiah 53:8)

"He is before the centuries and of one substance with the Father himself, from the standpoint of eternity. But by this genealogy he is also numbered among the families of humanity according to the flesh. For in truth, while remaining God, Christ became man without ceasing to be God, unaltered till the end of time. This is why there is also mention of the ancient patriarchs in the lineage, the narrative and observation of the times and vicissitudes that are indeed proper to human history. Through all this Matthew made it clear that Christ participates in our human generation and in our nature. Otherwise some might claim that he appeared in illusion and in imagination only, rather than by becoming genuinely human. Think of what might have been said if none of this had been written?" (excerpt from CATHEDRAL SERMONS, HOMILY 94) (Dilly, 2025)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23 notes that throughout Jesus’ preaching and travels, his healings and miracles, and even his passion and death, Mary remained steadfast in her obedience and faith. Her humility likely inspired the other disciples to keep their focus on Jesus and hold fast to his words. Then, at the foot of his cross, she became Mother of the Church and our own mother (John 19:27).

What an amazing plan God had for his Son to save us—through Mary! As St. Andrew of Crete once said, “Let everything in heaven and earth join in festive celebration” at God’s work in Mary (Oratio, 1). Let’s thank God for sending his Son to save us. And let’s rejoice at Mary’s birth because “Today this created world is raised to the dignity of a holy place for him who made all things!”

“Thank you, Lord, for choosing Mary to be part of your wondrous plan of salvation!” (Meditation on Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that Micah speaks of Bethlehem as a place where he believed a great person to be born. He wanted another King to be faithful and be from Davidic stock likely to be in Bethlehem. The Spirit had greater meanings for this passage that was used to herald the Messiah. Mary was predestined before her conception. We are all called to be saved. We will be justified and glorified in our response. The Genealogy of Jesus as Son of Abraham and son of David is explained through three groups of fourteen generations.  Fourteen is symbolic of DVD or David and Jesus is declared to be three times better than David in this structure. Note the unusual women in the plan for Israel to set the pattern for Mary and birth of Jesus. Friar Jude reminds us that because Mary was “Found with child”, Joseph could allow the death penalty for her. Joseph dreams and he will care for Mary and the child. Matthew is redefining compassion through Joseph. 

Fr. Richard Rohr examines different ways of understanding and using power. Enduring structures of “power over,” like patriarchy, white supremacy, and unfettered capitalism, have limited most individuals’ power for so long that it’s difficult to imagine another way. Only very gradually does human consciousness come to a selfless use of power, the sharing of power, or even a benevolent use of power—in church, politics, or families.

A prime idea of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is its very straightforward critique of misuses of power. From the very beginning, the Bible undercuts the power of domination and teaches us another kind of power: powerlessness itself. God is able to use unlikely figures who in one way or another are always inept, unprepared, and incapable—powerless in some way. In the Bible, the bottom, the edge, or the outside is the privileged spiritual position. This is why biblical revelation is revolutionary and even subversive. The so-called “little ones” (Matthew 18:6) or the “poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3), as Jesus calls them, are the only teachable and “growable” ones according to him. Powerlessness seems to be God’s starting place, as in Twelve-Step programs. Until we admit that “we are powerless,” Real Power will not be recognized, accepted, or even sought. (Rohr, n.d.)

We contemplate the plan of God for our fullness of life through our Baptismal anointing as priest, prophet, and leader that is based on humility and modelling of the “yes” of Mary.

References

Dilly, B. (2025, September 8). Daily Reflection September 8, 2025 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved September 8, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-september-8-2025 

Matthew, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 8, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/1?1 

Meditation on Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved September 8, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/09/08/1376649/ 

Micah, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 8, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/micah/5?1 

Psalms, PSALM 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 8, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/13?6 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Power Within. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 8, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/power-within/ 

Romans, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 8, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/8?28 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Mary's Call to Be the Mother of Jesus the Savior. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 8, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=sep8a