Showing posts with label cleverness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cleverness. Show all posts

Friday, June 5, 2026

Heritage of Hope and Help

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to assess how we might offer our experience and Divine enlightenment to help others grow in relationship with God.

Gathered in His Name


The Reading from the Second Letter of Timothy presents Paul’s Example and Teaching.


* [3:1017] Paul’s example for Timothy includes persecution, a frequent emphasis in the Pastorals. Timothy is to be steadfast to what he has been taught and to scripture. The scriptures are the source of wisdom, i.e., of belief in and loving fulfillment of God’s word revealed in Christ, through whom salvation is given.

* [3:1617] Useful for teaching…every good work: because as God’s word the scriptures share his divine authority. It is exercised through those who are ministers of the word.

* [3:16] All scripture is inspired by God: this could possibly also be translated, “All scripture inspired by God is useful for….” In this classic reference to inspiration, God is its principal author, with the writer as the human collaborator. Thus the scriptures are the word of God in human language. See also 2 Pt 1:2021. (2 Timothy, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)



Psalm 119 presents peace in fidelity to the law.


* [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,CHAPTER 119 | USCCB, n.d.)


In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus addresses the Question About David’s Son.


* [12:3537] Jesus questions the claim of the scribes about the Davidic descent of the Messiah, not to deny it (Mt 1:1; Acts 2:20, 34; Rom 1:3; 2 Tm 2:8) but to imply that he is more than this. His superiority derives from his transcendent origin, to which David himself attested when he spoke of the Messiah with the name “Lord” (Ps 110:1). See also note on Mt 22:4146. (Mark, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB, n.d.)


* [22:4146] Having answered the questions of his opponents in the preceding three controversies, Jesus now puts a question to them about the sonship of the Messiah. Their easy response (Mt 22:43a) is countered by his quoting a verse of Ps 110 that raises a problem for their response (43b45). They are unable to solve it and from that day on their questioning of him is ended.

* [22:41] The Pharisees…questioned them: Mark is not specific about who are questioned (Mk 12:35).

* [22:4244] David’s: this view of the Pharisees was based on such Old Testament texts as Is 11:19; Jer 23:5; and Ez 34:23; see also the extrabiblical Psalms of Solomon 17:21. How, then…saying: Jesus cites Ps 110:1 accepting the Davidic authorship of the psalm, a common view of his time. The psalm was probably composed for the enthronement of a Davidic king of Judah. Matthew assumes that the Pharisees interpret it as referring to the Messiah, although there is no clear evidence that it was so interpreted in the Judaism of Jesus’ time. It was widely used in the early church as referring to the exaltation of the risen Jesus. My lord: understood as the Messiah.

* [22:45] Since Matthew presents Jesus both as Messiah (Mt 16:16) and as Son of David (Mt 1:1; see also note on Mt 9:27), the question is not meant to imply Jesus’ denial of Davidic sonship. It probably means that although he is the Son of David, he is someone greater, Son of Man and Son of God, and recognized as greater by David who calls him my ‘lord.’ (Matthew, CHAPTER 22 | USCCB, n.d.)


Jeanne Schuler comments that persecution is a harsh reality. Those who were bullied in school get this pain. Mostly we dodge thoughts of deliberately inflicting harm. Paul consoles us: “Yet from all these things the Lord delivered me.” What lies before us is unknown. What we do know is that we do not face trouble alone. God dwells within us through good times and bad.


What gets us closer to the reality is to consider those whom we persecute. How do good-hearted folks like us persecute? Pope Francis points to the indifference that numbs us to the plight of others. Some poor countries welcome refugees. Our rich country has slammed the door on refugees, who are stuck in camps waiting for years. The harm inflicted in my name barely registers.


Victim or perpetrator, no one is abandoned. Jesus left us the word. Paul reminds the community to study scripture to find protection from those lurking in the shadows. Those “consecrated in truth” by Jesus can recognize what is twisted. In today’s gospel, Jesus rebuts the scribes, who question his identity, with a passage from the Psalms.


Let us love this world as those consecrated in truth. (Schuler, n.d.)



Don Schwager quotes “Jesus is Son of David and Son of God”, by Cyril of Alexandria, 375-444 A.D.


"We also will ask the Pharisees of today a similar question. They deny that he who was born of the holy Virgin is very Son of God the Father and himself also God. They also divide the one Christ into two sons. Let these people explain to us how David's Son is his Lord, not so much as to human lordship as divine. To sit at the right hand of the Father is the assurance and pledge of supreme glory. Those who share the same throne are equal also in dignity, and those who are crowned with equal honors are understood of course to be equal in nature. To sit by God can signify nothing else than sovereign authority. The throne declares to us that Christ possesses power over everything and supremacy by right of his substance.

"How is the Son of David David's Lord, seated at the right hand of God the Father and on the throne of Deity? Is it not altogether according to the unerring word of the mystery that the Word as God sprung from the very substance of God the Father? Being in his likeness and equal with him, he became flesh. He became man, perfectly and yet without departing from the incomparable excellence of the divine dignities. He continued in that state in which he had always been. He still was God, although he became flesh and in form like us. He is David's Lord therefore according to that which belongs to his divine glory, nature and sovereignty. He is his son according to the flesh." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 137.52) (Schwager, n.d.)



The Word Among Us Meditation on 2 Timothy 3:10-17 comments that Paul’s answer to Timothy’s anxieties was surprisingly simple. After detailing his own challenges, he counseled his young friend simply to “remain faithful” to the things he had “learned and believed” about the life of a disciple (2 Timothy 3:14).


Remain faithful. When the way seems unsure, take a step back, and ask the Spirit if there is one simple principle of faith—something you have “learned and believed” (2 Timothy 3:14)—that can help you move forward. Is it the call to forgive? To be generous? To speak a difficult truth to someone firmly but with care? Take that one step and see where it leads.


Remain faithful. Don’t let the anxieties of life or the complexities of the world hold you back. You are a child of God, an heir to a vast treasury of heavenly wisdom and strength. Hold fast to that, and you can always find the way forward.


“Lord, help me remain faithful to you.”  (Meditation on 2 Timothy 3:10-17, n.d.)


Friar Jude Winkler comments that, in Timothy, the author speaks of the persecution of Paul yet he continued to preach the Gospel. By the time of this letter, wicked persons, charlatans and heretics have arisen indicating a later point in time than Paul’s ministry. The Hebrew Testament is cited as Sacred Scripture, at this time, to stay on the right path. The Gospel became sacred scripture in the 2nd Century. The Gospel proclaims Christ is the Messiah, the Son of David. Jesus quotes the Psalms where the Lord speaks to my Lord to the Scribes. Jesus is showing a cleverness that profounds His enemies. Friar Jude comments that saying what others cannot understand showed the cleverness so esteemed in the ancient world.




Father Richard Rohr, OFM, invites us to know and honor ourselves and others in all our complexity. “Why, oh why, do we allow temporary costumes, or what Thomas Merton called the “false self,” to pass for the substantial self, the soul, which is always “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3)?” Episcopal priest Elizabeth Edman recounts a story of challenging expectations as a child.



I was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas in 1962. The world I grew up in was defined by rigid binaries: white/black, capitalist/communist, north/south. Oh yeah, and male/female. That one didn’t work for this tomboy.


When I was five, I had to drag my mother into the boy’s section of the shoe store to look at sneakers. “Mama, c’mere! Let me show you the ones I want!”…


When I presented the shoes to the clerk, he said, “Those are boys’ shoes.”


My mother cut him off: “Yes, size four, please.”


My mother was a singer. Being who she was meant having the courage to witness God’s presence in the sacred music she loved. You could see her put her whole trust in God, entering into this space between heaven and earth where her best voice, her best self, emerged.


Christianity is all about being who you are. That’s what Jesus was trying to tell us: Orient your whole being to the sacred, he insisted. Not because I’m telling you to, not because it’s what Scripture demands; do it because it’s who you are. It’s who God created you to be. God made us to be complex creatures, every one of us, for a reason. So if you want to honor God, here’s the first step: Know who you are. Be who you are. Be the person God created you to be. Amen. [3] (Rohr, n.d.)


We contemplate the example of the ministry of Timothy and seek the inspiration to support our fellow Christians in their response in bringing help and hope to our communities.



References

Mark, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved June 5, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/12?35 

Matthew, CHAPTER 22 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved June 5, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/22?41=#48022041 

Meditation on 2 Timothy 3:10-17. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved June 5, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/06/05/1585603/

Psalms,CHAPTER 119 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved June 5, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/119?157 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. CAC.org. Retrieved June 5, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-place-for-god-to-move-in/ 

Schuler, J. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved June 5, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-june-5-2026 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Christ Is the Son of David. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 5, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

2 Timothy, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 5, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2timothy/3



Saturday, May 30, 2026

Assess Authority in the Spirit

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today exhort us to use Jesus' example to examine the fruit of the authorities who claim to be worthy guides.

Assess the Spirit in Rulers


The reading from the Letter of Jude presents Exhortations and a Doxology.


* [22] Have mercy: some manuscripts read “convince,” “confute,” or “reprove.” Others have “even though you waver” or “doubt” instead of who waver.

* [23] With fear: some manuscripts connect the phrase “with fear” with the imperative “save” or with the participle “snatching.” Other manuscripts omit the phrase “on others have mercy,” so that only two groups are envisioned. Rescue of those led astray and caution in the endeavor are both enjoined. Outer garment stained by the flesh: the imagery may come from Zec 3:35, just as that of snatching…out of the fire comes from Zec 3:2; the very garments of the godless are to be abhorred because of their contagion.

* [2425] With this liturgical statement about the power of God to keep the faithful from stumbling, and praise to him through Jesus Christ, the letter reaches its conclusion by returning to the themes with which it began (Jude 12). (Jude, THE LETTER OF JUDE | USCCB, n.d.)


Psalm 63 expresses the intimate relationship between God and the worshiper.


* [Psalm 63] A Psalm expressing the intimate relationship between God and the worshiper. Separated from God (Ps 63:2), the psalmist longs for the divine life given in the Temple (Ps 63:36), which is based on a close relationship with God (Ps 63:79). May all my enemies be destroyed and God’s true worshipers continue in giving praise (Ps 63:1011)! (Psalms, PSALM 63 | USCCB, n.d.)


In the Gospel of Mark, the Authority of Jesus is questioned by religious leaders.


* [11:2733] The mounting hostility toward Jesus came from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders (Mk 11:27); the Herodians and the Pharisees (Mk 12:13); and the Sadducees (Mk 12:18). By their rejection of God’s messengers, John the Baptist and Jesus, they incurred the divine judgment implied in Mk 11:2733 and confirmed in the parable of the vineyard tenants (Mk 12:112). (Mark, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB, n.d.)


Rev. Elvin Cardoso, SJ, comments that there are moments when we avoid difficult truths because they threaten our comfort, reputation, or security. Like the religious leaders in the Gospel, we can become more concerned about protecting our position than listening to God’s voice. Sometimes we remain silent when courage is needed. Sometimes we ask questions not because we sincerely desire wisdom, but because we want to defend ourselves or preserve control.


 

The tragedy of the religious leaders was not that they questioned Jesus. In fact, their questions were understandable. Jesus had been teaching boldly, healing the sick, and challenging accepted practices. Any sincere leader would naturally seek understanding. The real problem was their motivation. Their hearts were closed. They were not searching for truth with humility and openness; they were trying to protect their authority and silence a perceived threat.


The Gospel invites us today to examine our hearts. Do I seek truth with humility, or do I resist it when it unsettles me? Do I ask questions in faith and love, or out of fear and defensiveness? (Cardoso, 2026)



Don Schwager quotes “Fearing the truth,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.


"Fearing a stoning, but fearing more an admission of the truth, they answered the truth with a lie, reminiscent of the Scripture: 'injustice has lied within herself' (Psalm 27:12). For they said, 'We know not.' And because they had shut themselves up against him, by asserting that they did not know what they knew, the Lord did not open up to them because they did not knock. For it has been said, 'Knock and it will be opened to you' (Matthew 7:7; Luke 11:9). But they not only had not knocked that it might be opened, but by their denial they barricaded the door itself against themselves. And the Lord said to them, 'Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things' (Matthew 21:27; Mark 11:33; Luke 20:7). (excerpt from TRACTATE ON JOHN 2.9.4) (Schwager, n.d.)



The Word Among Us Meditation on Jude 17, 20-25 comments that maybe, like those early Christians, we are apprehensive about unrest in the world around us. We love the Lord and want to follow him but might fear losing our way amid contradictory voices or teachers.


Don’t let these concerns overshadow your vision of who God is! Remember what Jude proclaims: God is the One who can keep you from stumbling. No matter what obstacles or pitfalls you face, he can bring you into his presence because he has all power and authority. He is greater than anything that can come against us. We have the grace of being children of God, beloved and held by the One who dwells in majesty and glory! We are in God’s hands, and he will not let us go.


“Lord, my God and Savior, to you be all glory and praise!” (Meditation on Jude 17, 20-25, n.d.)


Friar Jude Winkler comments that the passage from the Letter of Jude has no chapter designation. It begins with verse 17 because the book is only one chapter. The letter of Jude examines the attitude we have towards those who have wavered and Jude warns us to take care not to soil ourselves but to give witness based on the love and mercy of Christ. The final doxology praises God forever. The cleverness of Jesus is presented in the Gospel of Mark as He responds to trick questions about the origin of His authority. If He responds that His authority is Human then His critics will claim it is not from God. If Jesus' authority is Divine He may be accused of blasphemy, and if Divine, why are religious leaders reluctant to follow Him? Cleverness was important in Jesus' time. A clever person was able to show knowledge and wisdom in difficult and dangerous situations. Friar Jude inquires about how clever we are in strategies to spend time with family and love others?




Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Spiritual teacher Christine Valters Paintner who offers this prayer to the Spirit of creation and new life.

Spirit of Creation,
in the beginning you blew over the waters,
coaxing the earth up from the depths of the sea,
and inviting all creatures to rise up on their own wings.

Spirit of Renewing Life,
you breathed into me in my very first moment,
invigorate me with your gift of energy and newness.
Continue to breathe expansively in me,
inviting me to a vision for what is possible in my life.

Spirit of Restlessness,
stir me from my longing for comfort that so often stifles me,
help me to release from the places that keep me stuck,
and guide me in the direction you would have me go.

Spirit of the Great Winds,
help me to hear your voice in the midst of the whirlwind of my life.
Grant me the trust to hold on while I am being buffeted by life’s storms.

Blessings of wind be upon me.
May my sails billow wide,
May I breathe deeply the gift of inspiration,
May I be carried to the place of my resurrection,
May I be fully free. (Rohr, n.d.)


We seek the Spirit to guide our examination of authority as we work to live with the love, mercy and cleverness of Jesus in our environment.



References

Cardoso, E. (2026, May 30). Daily Reflection May 30, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved May 30, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-may-30-2026 

Jude, THE LETTER OF JUDE | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 30, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jude/1

Mark, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved May 30, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/11?27 

Meditation on Jude 17, 20-25. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved May 30, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/05/30/1580984/ 

Psalms, PSALM 63 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 30, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/63

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Spirit of Aliveness: Weekly Summary. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved May 30, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/spirit-of-aliveness-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Who Gave You This Authority? Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved May 30, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 


Friday, November 7, 2025

Clever as Christians

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today assert the necessity for Christians to exercise their gift of cleverness as a Way to bring justice and compassion to our environment.


Action for Change


In the Letter to the Romans, Paul asserts his role as Apostle to the Gentiles.


* [15:1433] Paul sees himself as apostle and benefactor in the priestly service of the gospel and so sketches plans for a mission in Spain, supported by those in Rome.

* [15:14] Full of goodness: the opposite of what humanity was filled with according to Rom 1:2930.

* [15:19] Illyricum: Roman province northwest of Greece on the eastern shore of the Adriatic.

* [15:20] I aspire: Paul uses terminology customarily applied to philanthropists. Unlike some philanthropists of his time, Paul does not engage in cheap competition for public acclaim. This explanation of his missionary policy is to assure the Christians in Rome that he is also not planning to remain in that city and build on other people’s foundations (cf. 2 Cor 10:1218). However, he does solicit their help in sending him on his way to Spain, which was considered the limit of the western world. Thus Paul’s addressees realize that evangelization may be understood in the broader sense of mission or, as in Rom 1:15, of instruction within the Christian community that derives from the gospel.

* [15:21] The citation from Is 52:15 concerns the Servant of the Lord. According to Isaiah, the Servant is first of all Israel, which was to bring the knowledge of Yahweh to the nations. In Rom 911 Paul showed how Israel failed in this mission. Therefore, he himself undertakes almost singlehandedly Israel’s responsibility as the Servant and moves as quickly as possible with the gospel through the Roman empire. (Romans, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB, n.d.)


Psalm 98 extolls God for Israel’s victory.


* [Psalm 98] A hymn, similar to Ps 96, extolling God for Israel’s victory (Ps 98:13). All nations (Ps 98:46) and even inanimate nature (Ps 98:78) are summoned to welcome God’s coming to rule over the world (Ps 98:9). (Psalms, PSALM 98 | USCCB, n.d.)


The Gospel of Luke presents the Parable of the Dishonest Steward.


* [16:18a] The parable of the dishonest steward has to be understood in the light of the Palestinian custom of agents acting on behalf of their masters and the usurious practices common to such agents. The dishonesty of the steward consisted in the squandering of his master’s property (Lk 16:1) and not in any subsequent graft. The master commends the dishonest steward who has forgone his own usurious commission on the business transaction by having the debtors write new notes that reflected only the real amount owed the master (i.e., minus the steward’s profit). The dishonest steward acts in this way in order to ingratiate himself with the debtors because he knows he is being dismissed from his position (Lk 16:3). The parable, then, teaches the prudent use of one’s material goods in light of an imminent crisis.

* [16:6] One hundred measures: literally, “one hundred baths.” A bath is a Hebrew unit of liquid measurement equivalent to eight or nine gallons.

* [16:7] One hundred kors: a kor is a Hebrew unit of dry measure for grain or wheat equivalent to ten or twelve bushels. (Luke, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB, n.d.)


Sue Calef suggests that perhaps by reflection on our own identities: are we, simply children of this world, accepting and acting in accord with the “shrewd” ways of the world and these times, the ways and means of mere self-interest?


Perhaps by reflection on our own economic realities: what is my/our relation to unjust wealth? What is my relationship to money? How much wealth accumulation is enough? Every budget is a moral document, and so, what does my personal budget indicate about my values and priorities? What do our state and federal budgets reveal about our values our, priorities, and whose needs count for us? How am I/we complicit, albeit often inadvertently, in the “ways of the world” that drive poverty, exclusion, hard-heartedness, hatred, violence to others and to our earth-home?


Perhaps by reflection on the recurring Spirit-question in Luke’s Gospel: What shall I do? What shall we do together? (Calef, n.d.)



Don Schwager quotes “Jesus recommends the foresight, prudence, and ingenuity of the steward,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.


"Why did the Lord Jesus Christ present this parable to us? He surely did not approve of that cheat of a servant who cheated his master, stole from him and did not make it up from his own pocket. On top of that, he also did some extra pilfering. He caused his master further loss, in order to prepare a little nest of quiet and security for himself after he lost his job. Why did the Lord set this before us? It is not because that servant cheated but because he exercised foresight for the future. When even a cheat is praised for his ingenuity, Christians who make no such provision blush. I mean, this is what he added, 'Behold, the children of this age are more prudent than the children of light.' They perpetrate frauds in order to secure their future. In what life, after all, did that steward insure himself like that? What one was he going to quit when he bowed to his master's decision? He was insuring himself for a life that was going to end. Would you not insure yourself for eternal life?" (excerpt from 359A.10.) (Schwager, n.d.)




The Word Among Us Meditation on Romans 15:14-21 comments on the life of Peter Wu Guosheng who is credited with bringing more than six hundred people to the Lord. But his efforts also brought the attention of the authorities, who considered the Catholic faith a threat.


Can you let the Spirit do something similar in you? Can you surrender to him the goodness and the desire to serve God that are already in your heart—even if it feels like it’s just a tiny flame? Every day invite him in. Let him gradually turn you into the “ordinary saint” God has called you to be!


“Come, Holy Spirit, and fill me with your power and your joy!” (Meditation on Romans 15:14-21, n.d.)


Friar Jude Winkler comments on the actions of Paul to evangelize the Romans in anticipation of the end times and defends the boldness in sending a letter to a community that he did not visit or preach to in his ministry. Paul evangelized where the Gospel had not been preached previously by other evangelists because He believes the end is at hand and he would go where the Gospel has not been heard. Luke’s Gospel presents an odd parable of a stewart who writes of some of the debt owed his master. Cleverness was an important virtue in occupied Israel. Friar Jude notes people sometimes lack cleverness in spiritual matters of prayer, peace, and making Christ our centre.


Fr. Mike Schmitz highlights one of the lessons we've seen time and time again—that God continues to fight for each of us, despite the brokenness and messiness of our lives. He also points out how the reading from Wisdom foreshadows the coming of Jesus. The readings are 2 Maccabees 14, Wisdom 17-18, and Proverbs 25:18-20.



Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Elias Chacour is a Palestinian Arab-Israeli and a former archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic church in Palestine. At one point in his ministry, Chacour went against the orders of local authorities to build a secondary school to educate the youth in his community in Galilee.


When I understand Jesus’ words in Aramaic, I translate like this: 


Get up, go ahead, do something, move, you who are hungry and thirsty for justice, for you shall be satisfied. 

Get up, go ahead, do something, move, you peacemakers, for you shall be called children of God. 


To me this reflects Jesus’ words and teachings much more accurately. I can hear him saying, “Get your hands dirty to build a human society for human beings; otherwise, others will torture and murder the poor, the voiceless, and the powerless.” Christianity is not passive but active, energetic, alive, going beyond despair…. 

“Get up, go ahead, do something, move,” Jesus said to his disciples. 

 

Ultimately, the secondary school was completed and allowed to stand, despite the lack of official permits for water and electricity. (Rohr, n.d.)


We seek the guidance of the Spirit as we act to use the gifts of our intelligence and cleverness to support our Baptismal anointing as priest, prophet, and leader.



References

Calef, S. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministrues. Retrieved November 7, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-november-7-2025 

Luke, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 7, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/16?1 

Meditation on Romans 15:14-21. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved November 7, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/11/07/1424603/ 

Psalms, PSALM 98 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 7, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/98?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. CAC.org. Retrieved November 7, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/set-yourself-on-the-right-way/ 

Romans, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 7, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/15?14 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Necessity of Prudent Foresight. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 7, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/