Care and Compassion

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with our experience of real life loss and the need to re-work our reconnection to our community through the companionship of people who offer care in mourning.

Family and Remembrance

The Reading from the Prophet Jeremiah expresses the expectation that the Lord would reunite Israel and Judah as one kingdom under a just Davidic king.

* [30:1–31:40] These two chapters contain salvation oracles that originally expressed the double expectation that the Lord would return the exiled survivors of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and reunite Israel and Judah as one kingdom under a just Davidic king. They were probably composed early in Josiah’s reign (the reference of v. 9), when he took advantage of Assyria’s internal disintegration and asserted control over northern Israel (cf. 2 Kgs 23:15–17). With the destruction of Jerusalem, the oracles were re-worked to include Judah and their fulfillment along with the renewal of the Davidic dynasty became associated with the eschatological “day of the Lord.”

* [30:21] His leader: cf. v. 9. Approach me: i.e., in the sanctuary of the Temple for worship. This new David is given a priestly function to perform on behalf of the assembly. To approach God on one’s own brings death; cf. Lv 16:1–2. (Jeremiah, CHAPTER 30 |USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 102 recalls God’s venerable promises to save the poor.

* [Psalm 102] A lament, one of the Penitential Psalms. The psalmist, experiencing psychological and bodily disintegration (Ps 102:4–12), cries out to God (Ps 102:1–3). In the Temple precincts where God has promised to be present, the psalmist recalls God’s venerable promises to save the poor (Ps 102:13–23). The final part (Ps 102:24–28) restates the original complaint and prayer, and emphasizes God’s eternity. (Psalms, PSALM 102 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew religious leaders ask why Jesus’ disciples are breaking the tradition of the elders.

* [15:2] The tradition of the elders: see note on Mk 7:5. The purpose of the handwashing was to remove defilement caused by contact with what was ritually unclean.

* [15:1–20] This dispute begins with the question of the Pharisees and scribes why Jesus’ disciples are breaking the tradition of the elders about washing one’s hands before eating (Mt 15:2). …Then with a wider audience (the crowd, Mt 15:10) he goes beyond the violation of tradition with which the dispute has started. The parable (Mt 15:11) is an attack on the Mosaic law concerning clean and unclean foods, similar to those antitheses that abrogate the law (Mt 5:31–32, 33–34, 38–39). After a warning to his disciples not to follow the moral guidance of the Pharisees (Mt 15:13–14)...

* [15:2] The tradition of the elders: see note on Mk 7:5. The purpose of the handwashing was to remove defilement caused by contact with what was ritually unclean.

* [15:13–14] Jesus leads his disciples away from the teaching authority of the Pharisees. (Matthew, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Keeping one's own heart with all watchfulness,” by Origen of Alexandria, 185-254 A.D.

"These things are what 'defiles the person' when they come out from the heart and, after they have gone out from it, go through the mouth. Thus if they did not occur outside of the heart but were held by the person somewhere around the heart, not being allowed to be spoken through the mouth, they would very quickly disappear and the person would not be defiled any longer. Therefore the source and beginning of every sin is 'evil reasonings.' For if these reasonings did not prevail, there would be neither murders nor acts of adultery nor any other of such things. Because of this each one ought to keep one's own heart with all watchfulness. (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 11.14-15) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler shares that the passage from Jeremiah is a lament on the woes of Israel that has not opened a way out of sin. So then God can restore them. He will restore and return them to what He wanted them to be purified and turn back to Him. The one planting will overcome the one harvesting. It will lead to a new Covenant. Jesus and disciples don’t wash before eating and the Pharisees and Scribes, who take the Law to its greatest extent, and wash hands before praying in the Temple also wash hands before eating. What goes into your mouth does not make you unclean. What you do externally means nothing. Superficial acts and not seeking to be transformed makes them Blind Guides not leading to truth. The final editor of the Gospel of Matthew is believed to be a converted Pharisee rejected as being connected to Jesus. Friar Jude suggests this might account for the number of passages where rejecting Pharisees is a means of getting back at his former friends?

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Hebrew Testament scholar Ellen Davis who points out that before Job’s friends launch into their lengthy speeches trying to justify Job’s suffering, their most compassionate action is to simply sit with him in his grief and suffering.

And they lifted up their eyes from a distance but could hardly recognize him. And they lifted up their voices and wept, and each one tore his robe and they threw dust over their heads into the air. And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights without speaking a word to him, for they saw how great was his pain. (Job 2:12–13)

Those seven days of silence are surely one of the most influential acts of pastoral care ever performed. The Jewish practice of “sitting shiva” (literally “sitting seven,” when friends come to sit with mourners at home over the period of a week) memorializes the friends’ wise compassion in this long moment of shared grief. More than twenty-five hundred years after the book of Job was written, this one act of Job’s companions is imitated on a daily basis by comforters all over the world. Silence kept with others has a special quality. It is like a fine veil, preserving separateness, yet strangely heightening mutual awareness. Silence requires us to be present to the unexpressed needs of others, needs of which they may themselves not yet know. It is a powerful means of fostering mutual encouragement among us, whom God has entrusted to one another in this wilderness of pain and doubt. (Rohr, n.d.)

We are grateful for the comfort, counsel, and contemplation offered through the Spirit when we share the distress and concern of the people we encounter through our openness to join them in sorrow and to accompany their return to the rhythm of daily life.

References

Jeremiah, CHAPTER 30 |USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Reflections. Retrieved August 4, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/30?1 

Matthew, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 4, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/15? 

Memorial of Saint John Vianney, Priest | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 4, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/080426.cfm 

Psalms, PSALM 102 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 4, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/102?16 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Suffering and Silence. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 4, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/suffering-and-silence/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). It Is What Comes Out of the Mouth That Defiles. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 4, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Days of Drought and Decision

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate the good and evil that we encounter on our journey and consider how Jesus would teach us to deal with this dichotomy. 

Harvest and Weeds

The Reading from the Prophet Jeremiah laments The Great Drought.

n. [14:17] Jer 9:17.

o. [14:19] Jer 8:15; 2 Chr 36:16.

p. [14:20] Ps 106:6; Dn 9:5, 8.

q. [14:21] Jer 14:7; Lv 26:44; Ps 25:11.

r. [14:22] Jer 5:24; Zec 10:1. (Jeremiah, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 79 admits that their own sins have brought about the catastrophe of destruction of Jerusalem.

* [Psalm 79] A communal lament complaining that the nations have defiled the Temple and murdered the holy people, leaving their corpses unburied (Ps 79:1–4). The occasion is probably the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian army in 587 B.C. The people ask how long the withdrawal of divine favor will last (Ps 79:5), pray for action now (Ps 79:6–7), and admit that their own sins have brought about the catastrophe (Ps 79:8–9). They seek to persuade God to act for reasons of honor: the nations who do not call upon the Name are running amok (Ps 79:6); the divine honor is compromised (Ps 79:1, 10, 12); God’s own servants suffer (Ps 79:2–4, 11). (Psalms. CHAPTER 79 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus presents the Explanation of the Parable of the Weeds.

* [13:36] Dismissing the crowds: the return of Jesus to the house marks a break with the crowds, who represent unbelieving Israel. From now on his attention is directed more and more to his disciples and to their instruction. The rest of the discourse is addressed to them alone.

* [13:37–43] In the explanation of the parable of the weeds emphasis lies on the fearful end of the wicked, whereas the parable itself concentrates on patience with them until judgment time. (Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)

Edward Morse comments that as the hospital for sinners, even the church is not safe from these effects. Saint Augustine saw the church as containing weeds and wheat, too.

His greatest concern for new converts was not the influence of the pagan world, but the influence of bad Christians! So we can all read this parable and Jesus’ explanation of the final judgment with a little uneasiness. We know that without the grace of God, none of us can produce a harvest worthy of being gathered in by the Master. Moreover, we are all liable to being choked out by weeds. God forbid that we might be weeds rather than good plants; recall that the weeds were sown by the enemy, not by the Master! (Morse, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes “Let us become friends of Jesus,” by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD).

"Now, having discoursed sufficiently to the multitudes in parables, he sends them away and goes to his own house, where his disciples come to him. His disciples did not go with those he sent away. As many as are more genuine hearers of Jesus first follow him, then having inquired about his house, are permitted to see it. Having come, they saw and stayed with him for all that day, and perhaps some of them even longer. In my opinion, such things are implied in the Gospel according to John... And if then, unlike the multitudes whom he sends away, we wish to hear Jesus and go to the house and receive something better than the multitudes did, let us become friends of Jesus, so that as his disciples come, we may also come to him when he goes into the house. And having come, let us inquire about the explanation of the parable, whether of the tares of the field, or of any other. (excerpt from the COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 10.1-3) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler reflects on the Readings for today. Jeremiah normally offers a condemnation of the people of Israel. Today it is a lamentation imploring God to be merciful and take back the punishment.  The author voices the woes of the people and takes the time to say the punishment and pain is too great. There are very good lamentations in the Psalms. God has to take care of his people. In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus gives the explanation of the parable of the weed and wheat. God waits till the harvest to separate good and evil. Friar Jude queries that if the Kingdom is dawning why is there still evil? The Kingdom has not fully come but there will be a time of reckoning at the end of time.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 13:36-43 notes that St. Augustine argued against this kind of thinking by leaders who wanted to exclude people who had renounced their faith under persecution. They believed the Church should consist only of perfectly holy people. Augustine disagreed, saying that the Church will remain a corpus permixtum, a “mixed body,” with good and bad together, until the final judgment. Perhaps recalling his own sinful past, Augustine urged, “They who today are tares, may tomorrow be wheat” (Sermon 23).

Jesus and Augustine are telling us there is always hope! God wants all people to know his salvation. His patience is meant to lead everyone to repentance (Romans 2:4). For now, our Church is a mixture. That’s why our best strategy is to leave the weeding to God. We can also ask the Lord to search our own hearts and help us uproot our sins. And we can pray that all darkness would be turned back and that everyone we know would turn to God and shine like the sun at the end of time.

“Lord Jesus, purify my heart today.” (Meditation on Matthew 13:36-43, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis who explains how Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29–37) to illustrate God’s desire that no one be left alone in their hour of need. Rabbi Jesus is talking to a religious leader—a lawyer—about what it means to be faithful.

Together, they review the Jewish scriptures: The way to live right is to love God with everything you have and love your neighbor as yourself. Looking for a loophole, the lawyer wants to know who qualifies as a neighbor. Jesus answers by telling a story about a man who was robbed, beaten, and left for dead by a marauding gang. A priest and another religious man walked by and, seeing the man on the ground, they did nothing…. But a Samaritan—a mixed-race person considered in ancient times to be an impure enemy of the Jewish people—did not cross the street. Instead, he tended to the wounded man….

In using this story to answer his companion’s question about the definition of neighbor, Rabbi Jesus was getting to what he considered to be the essential laws—love God with all you have and love your neighbor as yourself…. If you want to know what love looks like, Rabbi Jesus is saying, here it is: Love crosses borders and boundaries; it makes new cultural rules; it cares for the stranger. Love turns strangers into friends. [1] (Rohr, n.d.)

We implore the Spirit to illuminate our attitude of self righteousness that blinds us to the plan of God to sustain both the good and evil in faith, love, and hope for a return to the community that seeks fullness in the Bread of Life.

References

Jeremiah, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/14?17 

Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved July 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/13?36

Meditation on Matthew 13:36-43. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved July 28, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/07/28/1634233/ 

Morse, E. (2026, July 28). Daily Reflection July 28, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved July 28, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-july-28-2026 

Psalms. CHAPTER 79 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved July 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/79?8 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 28, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/reading-the-good-samaritan/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Righteous Will Shine like the Sun in the Father's Kingdom. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 28, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Thanksgiving and Temptation

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to live in thanksgiving for the grace and life we receive from God.

Bread of Life

The reading from the Book of Deuteronomy urges Thanksgiving for the Harvest.

* [26:5] Aramean: probably in reference to the origin of the patriarchs from Aram Naharaim (cf. Gn 24:10; 25:20; 28:5; 31:20, 24). (Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 26 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 91 declares assurance of God’s Protection.

* [Psalm 91] A prayer of someone who has taken refuge in the Lord, possibly within the Temple (Ps 91:1–2). The psalmist is confident that God’s presence will protect the people in every dangerous situation (Ps 91:3–13). The final verses are an oracle of salvation promising salvation to those who trust in God (Ps 91:14–16). (Psalms, PSALM 91 | USCCB, n.d.)

The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans identifies some hazards of following Christ.

* [10:9–11] To confess Jesus as Lord was frequently quite hazardous in the first century (cf. Mt 10:18; 1 Thes 2:2; 1 Pt 2:18–21; 3:14). For a Jew it could mean disruption of normal familial and other social relationships, including great economic sacrifice. In the face of penalties imposed by the secular world, Christians are assured that no one who believes in Jesus will be put to shame (Rom 10:11). (Romans, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke presents the Temptation of Jesus.

* [4:1] Filled with the holy Spirit: as a result of the descent of the Spirit upon him at his baptism (Lk 3:21–22), Jesus is now equipped to overcome the devil. Just as the Spirit is prominent at this early stage of Jesus’ ministry (Lk 4:1, 14, 18), so too it will be at the beginning of the period of the church in Acts (Acts 1:4; 2:4, 17).

* [4:2] For forty days: the mention of forty days recalls the forty years of the wilderness wanderings of the Israelites during the Exodus (Dt 8:2).

* [4:9] To Jerusalem: the Lucan order of the temptations concludes on the parapet of the temple in Jerusalem, the city of destiny in Luke-Acts. It is in Jerusalem that Jesus will ultimately face his destiny (Lk 9:51; 13:33).

* [4:13] For a time: the devil’s opportune time will occur before the passion and death of Jesus (Lk 22:3, 31–32, 53). (Luke, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)

Larry Hopp comments that we need to carefully consider how indeed we are choosing to respond to that love and to ponder how we are actually living out every moment of our life.

Dear Heavenly Father, as we seek to draw closer to you throughout this season of Lent, open our hearts to you.  Allow us to begin to grasp the enormity of your redeeming love. Help us to honestly evaluate how we are actually choosing to respond to our Lord and Savior’s calling. (Hopp, 2022)

Don Schwager quotes “Jesus defeats Satan with the word of God,” by Ambrose of Milan (339-397 AD).

"So, look at the arms of Christ with which he conquered for you, not for himself. For he who showed that stones could, through his majesty, be changed into bread by the transformation into a different nature, teaches that you must do nothing at the devil's behalf nor for the purpose of manifesting virtue. At the same time, learn from the temptation itself the ingenious cunning of the devil. The devil tempts that he may test. He tests that he may tempt. In contrast, the Lord deceives that he may conquer. He conquers that he may deceive. For if he had changed nature, he would have betrayed its Creator. Thus he responded neutrally, saying, 'It is written, 'That man lives not by bread alone, but by every word of God.' You see what kind of arms he wields, to defend humanity, surrounded and protected against the inducements of appetite, against the assault of spiritual wickedness (Ephesians 6:12). For he does not wield power as God - for what good would that be to me? So, as man, he summons common help for himself, so that eager for the food of the divine Word, he neglects the body's hunger and obtains the nourishment of the heavenly Word. Eager for this, Moses did not desire bread (Exodus 24:18). Eager for this, Elijah did not feel the hunger of a long fast (1 Kings 19:4.) For he who follows the Word cannot desire earthly bread when he receives the essence of the heavenly Bread (John 6:32,50). There is no doubt that the divine surpasses the human, as the spiritual the physical. Therefore he who desires true life awaits that Bread which through its intangible substance strengthens human hearts (Psalm 103:17). At the same time, when he says, 'Man lives not by bread alone,' he shows that the man is tempted, that is, his acceptance of our flesh, not his divinity." (excerpt from the EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 4.19-20) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 4:1-13 comments that as tempting as all this must have been, Jesus could see through the devil’s twisted logic. Being the Son of God isn’t about special perks and privileges. It isn’t about never going hungry or never being able to walk out the front door without being met by admirers.

As the old saying goes, “Forewarned is forearmed.” So when you find yourself wanting to justify sin, recognize the voice of the tempter and stand firm. When you find yourself doubting God’s goodness, label those thoughts as coming from our enemy, the accuser. And run to Jesus for help. He knows exactly how to overcome the devil!

“Jesus, be my shield and strength in times of temptation!” (Meditation on Luke 4:1-13, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the Covenant formula expressed in Deuteronomy that includes history and recognition of Gad as the source of all things. Justification is being at peace with God through faith and trust and salvation is realized when we know Jesus or on the last day by the Evangelists. Friar Jude suggests that the Stoic nature of Luke is expressed by obedience to God, even if it costs.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, insists that grace is the essence of who God is.

There’s no way that the Scriptures, rightly understood, present God as an eternal torturer. Yet many Christians seem to believe this, and many are held back from trusting God’s goodness because of this “angry parent in the sky” that we have created. The determined direction of the Scriptures, fully revealed in Jesus, is that God’s justice is not achieved by punishment, but by the divine initiative we call grace, which enables us to bring about internal rightness, harmony, balance, and realignment with what is.  

The concept of grace is first called mercy, or hesed in Hebrew: the ever-faithful, covenant-bound, infinite and eternal love of God. All God’s power for renewal and resurrection proceeds from this source, never from punishment. Jesus punishes nobody! I would go so far as to call grace the primary revelation of the entire Bible. If we miss this message, all the rest is distorted and even destructive. I cannot emphasize this strongly enough. (Rohr, n.d.)

The Spirit reveals the nature of God through the love, mercy and compassion we witness and experience and in the support we accept to reject the temptation to self aggrandizement. 

References

Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 26 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 9, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/deuteronomy/26?4 

Hopp, L. (2022, March 6). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved March 9, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Archive/2022/030622.html 

Luke, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 9, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/4?1 

Meditation on Luke 4:1-13. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved March 9, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/03/09/1223441/ 

Psalms, PSALM 91 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 9, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/91?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Grace Is God’s Name. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 9, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/grace-is-gods-name/ 

Romans, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 9, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/10?8 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Jesus Fasted Forty Days and Was Tempted by the Devil. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 9, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=mar9