Providence Parents and Peace

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today present the image of God as a loving parent and exhort us to be loving “parents” in our relationship with the people in our communities.

Parents and Peace

The Reading from the Prophet Hosea presents Disappointment of a Parent in Israel’s response.

* [11:4] I drew them…with bands of love: perhaps a reversal of the yoke imagery of the previous chapter, i.e., not forcing them like draft animals, but drawing them with kindness and affection.

* [11:8] Admah…Zeboiim: cities in the vicinity of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gn 14:2, 8) and destroyed with them (Gn 19:24–25; Dt 29:22). (Hosea, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 80 complains that God has broken down the wall protecting the once splendid vine brought from Egypt.

* [Psalm 80] A community lament in time of military defeat. Using the familiar image of Israel as a vineyard, the people complain that God has broken down the wall protecting the once splendid vine brought from Egypt (Ps 80:9–14). They pray that God will again turn to them and use the Davidic king to lead them to victory (Ps 80:15–19). (Psalms, PSALM 80 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus exhorts the Twelve to share the Word freely.

* [10:8–11] The Twelve have received their own call and mission through God’s gift, and the benefits they confer are likewise to be given freely. They are not to take with them money, provisions, or unnecessary clothing; their lodging and food will be provided by those who receive them.

* [10:13] The greeting of peace is conceived of not merely as a salutation but as an effective word. If it finds no worthy recipient, it will return to the speaker.

* [10:14] Shake the dust from your feet: this gesture indicates a complete disassociation from such unbelievers. (Matthew, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. Andy Alexander, SJ, comments that God loves us with affectionate love, no matter how we stray from that relationship. We can ask for the desire to respond in prayer, asking for the grace to be missioned to love, similar to the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi.

                  

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

          Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

          Where there is injury, pardon.

          Where there is doubt, faith.

          Where there is despair, hope.

          Where there is darkness, light.

          Where there is sadness, joy.

 

  

        O Divine Master,

          grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled,

          as to console;

          to be understood, as to understand;

          to be loved, as to love.

          For it is in giving that we receive.

          It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

          and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

 

May our Lord renew us in an experience of a loving relationship and show us our path in being his disciples in our everyday lives. (Alexander, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes “The gift of power to reign with the Lord,” by Hilary of Poitiers (315-367 AD).

"All the power possessed by the Lord is bestowed upon the apostles! Those who were prefigured in the image and likeness of God in Adam have now received the perfect image and likeness of Christ. They have been given powers in no way different from those of the Lord. Those once earthbound now become heaven-centered. They will proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, that the image and likeness of God are now appropriated in the company of truth, so that all the holy ones who have been made heirs of heaven may reign with the Lord. Let them cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers and cast out devils. Whatever impairment Adam's body had incurred from being goaded on by Satan, let the apostles wipe away through their sharing in the Lord's power. And that they may fully obtain the likeness of God according to the prophecy in Genesis, they are ordered to give freely what they freely have received (Matthew 10:8). Thus a gift freely bestowed should be freely dispensed." (excerpt from commentary ON MATTHEW 10.4) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that Hosea in the earlier prophecy looked at the relationship between husband and wife in imagery to illustrate the nature of God. Now Hosea offers the relationship between a father and a child as has rescued and taught the people and they worshipped pagan gods in rebellion. Hosea declares the answer of “ I am God not a man”. God is always faithful. Sin means we turn away. Conversion is to turn back again. Jesus sent the apostles on a mission and instructed them not to take anything. Show the Kingdom in works and well as words. Trust the hospitality of those to whom we minister. Friar Jude reminds us Faith is a gift from God and if they have not received it yet,  we plant seeds that may not come to fruition in our time. Trust in Providence.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 10:7-15 comments that we truly are members of a glorious family of faith, coheirs to an inheritance that is kept for us in heaven (1 Peter 1:4). We have received—without cost to us—the good news of salvation and the chance to experience new life in Jesus Christ. This unearned, unpurchased gift is of immeasurable value.

You received your faith without cost—so give it away! Look for a chance to share the good news with someone, and trust God to give you the right words to say. It could be as simple as sharing an insight from Mass with your coworker or asking a friend how you can pray for them. Whatever it is, have confidence that the Lord has anointed you to give what he has freely given you.

“Lord, help me to share your good news today!” (Meditation on Matthew 10:7-15, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, connects righteousness with justice. The peace activist John Dear, who has spent his life working for nonviolence, writes about this beatitude.

How do we hunger and thirst for justice? By making global justice a priority in our lives. This beatitude requires us to join a grassroots movement that fights one or two issues of injustice and to get deeply involved in the struggle. Since all issues of injustice are connected, fighting one injustice puts us squarely in the struggle against every injustice. As Martin Luther King Jr. said over and over again, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Befriend the victims of systemic injustice, side with them, listen to their stories, let their pain break your heart, join the movements to end injustice, tithe your money to the cause, and commit yourself to the struggle….

While [it] may take a long time, our nonviolent persistence and truth-telling will eventually win out and bear the good fruit of justice. Truth is on our side; God is on the side of justice. “The arc of the moral universe is long,” Martin Luther King Jr. said famously, “but it bends toward justice.” [2] (Rohr, n.d.)

We are assured that the Spirit supports and empowers our mission to serve the people on our journey in Jesus Way trusting in Providence.

References

Alexander, A. (2026, July 9). Daily Reflection July 9, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved July 9, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-july-9-2026 

Hosea, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 9, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/hosea/11? 

Matthew, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 9, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10? 

Meditation on Matthew 10:7-15. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved July 9, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/07/08/1610528/ 

Psalms, PSALM 80 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved July 9, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/80?2 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Thirsting for Justice. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 9, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/thirsting-for-justice/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Freely Have You Received - Freely Give. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 9, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Faith and Happiness

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate the Holy Family as we work to address our responsibilities and celebrate our connection to our family guided by the Holy Spirit.

Happy Family Celebration

The reading from the Book of Sirach highlights our responsibilities to Parents.

* [3:1–16] Besides the virtues that must characterize our conduct toward God, special duties are enjoined, such as honor and respect toward parents, with corresponding blessings (vv. 1–9). By showing such respect especially to old and infirm parents (vv. 10–13), the sins of children are pardoned (vv. 14–15). Failure to honor father and mother is blasphemy and merits a curse from God (v. 16). Cf. Ex 20:12; Eph 6:2–3. (Sirach, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 128 praises the Happy Home of the Faithful.

* [Psalm 128] A statement that the ever-reliable God will bless the reverent (Ps 128:1). God’s blessing is concrete: satisfaction and prosperity, a fertile spouse and abundant children (Ps 128:2–4). The perspective is that of the adult male, ordinarily the ruler and representative of the household to the community. The last verses extend the blessing to all the people for generations to come (Ps 128:5–6). (Psalms, PSALM 128 | USCCB, n.d.)

The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Colossians urges us to be thankful for rules for Christian Households.

* [3:5–17] In lieu of false asceticism and superstitious festivals, the apostle reminds the Colossians of the moral life that is to characterize their response to God through Christ. He urges their participation in the liturgical hymns and prayers that center upon God’s plan of salvation in Christ (Col 3:16). (Colossians, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke describes the Boy Jesus in the Temple.

* [2:41–52] This story’s concern with an incident from Jesus’ youth is unique in the canonical gospel tradition. It presents Jesus in the role of the faithful Jewish boy, raised in the traditions of Israel, and fulfilling all that the law requires. With this episode, the infancy narrative ends just as it began, in the setting of the Jerusalem temple.

* [2:49] I must be in my Father’s house: this phrase can also be translated, “I must be about my Father’s work.” In either translation, Jesus refers to God as his Father. His divine sonship, and his obedience to his heavenly Father’s will, take precedence over his ties to his family. (Luke, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

Maureen McCann Waldron comments that unfortunately, we are not flawless.  All of us can be impatient, rude and unloving when we are not at our best – and we are not at our best every moment of every day.

Today, in St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, he seems to be well aware of the reality of human nature.  His words work well for the holidays – as well as the rest of the year.  Paul suggests that we focus on, “put on,” virtues that will help us get along with others.

As holy and beloved children of God, Paul calls us to “heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”  Wouldn’t every one of our family gatherings be better if we each put on those virtues?

Paul’s list of qualities ends with, “over all of these, put on love.”  We can ask God, beg God, to give us the strength and gentleness we need to forgive so we can love each other more fully.

The Christmas season continues for two more weeks.  Perhaps as a new practice, we can start each morning with a prayer, asking God for the gentleness and forgiving heart we need to gather with our families. 

Loving God, help me to be more patient.   Help me not to keep score and remember old wrongs that hurt me deeply.  Give me a memory that forgets the injuries and vividly recalls the love I have for each person I will be with today.

Let me forgive as you have forgiven me.  Give me the grace today to love as you love me. (McCann, 2024)

Don Schwager quotes “Jesus' humility shows us his divinity,” by Bede the Venerable, 672-735 A.D.

The Lord's coming every year to Jerusalem for the Passover with his parents is an indication of his human humility. It is characteristic of human beings to gather to offer God the votive offerings of spiritual sacrifices, and by plentiful prayers and tears to dispose their Maker toward them. Therefore the Lord, born a human being among human beings, did what God, by divine inspiration through his angels, prescribed for human beings to do. He himself kept the law which he gave in order to show us, who are human beings pure and simple, that whatever God orders is to be observed in everything. Let us follow the path of his human way of life. If we take delight in looking upon the glory of his divinity, if we want to dwell in his eternal home in heaven all the days of our lives (Psalm 27:4), it delights us to see the Lord's will and to be shielded by his holy temple. And lest we be forever buffeted by the wind of wickedness, let us remember to frequent the house, the church of the present time, with the requisite offerings of pure petitions." (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 1.19) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 2:41-52 comments on Mary and Joseph that despite their incomplete understanding, they lived faithfully, loved each other patiently, and trusted in God’s plan for their family.

It’s not easy to love and understand the people in your family—and it’s not easy to keep trusting God in the confusing times. But take heart: he is with your family! You have received the same Holy Spirit that lived in Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. That Spirit can give all of you gifts of understanding and love, of patience and forbearance. You may not be the perfect family, but you can become a holy family as you grow “in wisdom and age and favor” (Luke 2:52).

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, pray for us!” (Meditation on Luke 2:41-52, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the various choices of readings for today that celebrate family and the virtues of humility, patience, and prayer. Subordination was the normal social pattern of the time. The mutual obligations advocated in the texts were not common in the ancient world. Friar Jude reminds us of the technique of prefiguration in Luke’s Gospel that connects Jesus' separation from His parents to His time in the tomb, separated from His Mother.

Brian McLaren shares the inspiration for the 2025 Daily Meditations theme, Being Salt and Light. The Beatitudes say, We, in this new movement, bless the very people who are usually excluded. Jesus says, In this movement, we bless the poor and the poor in spirit. We bless those who mourn, we bless the meek or gentle, we bless those who hunger and thirst for justice. We bless the merciful and the pure in heart. We bless the peacemakers and those who are persecuted for standing up for justice. And then Jesus continues: We see the world differently because we bless people who are usually forgotten, despised, or excluded. That different way of seeing the world leads to a different way of being in the world. Here are Jesus’ exact words to describe this:

You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. People do not light a lamp and put it under a bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:13–16). (McLaren, n.d.)

We express our gratitude for our relationships that have brought us to experience family and seek the guidance of the Spirit as we affirm love, truth, and patience in our actions.

References

Colossians, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 29, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/colossians/3?12 

Luke, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 29, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/2?41 

McCann, M. (2024, December 29). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Retrieved December 29, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/122924.html 

McLaren, B. (n.d.). Being Salt and Light. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 29, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/being-salt-and-light/ 

Meditation on Luke 2:41-52. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved December 29, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/12/29/1167669/ 

Psalms, PSALM 128 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 29, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/128?1 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). I Must Be in My Father's House. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 29, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=dec29 

Sirach, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 29, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/sirach/3?2 

Respect and Rejection

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today remind us of the charity and respect that we are called to practice in our relationships as we assess the depth of our commitment to living as disciples of Christ.

The Narrow Gate

The reading from the Letter to the Ephesians provides instructions for relations between children, parents and slaves, masters.

* [5:21–6:9] Cf. notes on Col 3:18–4:1 and 1 Pt 2:18–3:7 for a similar listing of household duties where the inferior is admonished first (wives, Eph 5:22; children, Eph 6:1; slaves, Eph 6:5), then the superior (husbands, Eph 5:25; fathers, Eph 6:4; masters, Eph 6:9). Paul varies this pattern by an emphasis on mutuality (see Eph 5:20); use of Old Testament material about father and mother in Eph 6:2; the judgment to come for slave-owners (you have a Master in heaven, Eph 6:9); and above all the initial principle of subordination to one another under Christ, thus effectively undermining exclusive claims to domination by one party. Into the section on wives and husbands an elaborate teaching on Christ and the church has been woven (Eph 5:22–33). (Ephesians, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 145 praises the Greatness and the Goodness of God.

* [Psalm 145] A hymn in acrostic form; every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Acrostic poems usually do not develop ideas but consist rather of loosely connected statements. The singer invites all to praise God (Ps 145:1–3, 21). The “works of God” make God present and invite human praise (Ps 145:4–7); they climax in a confession (Ps 145:8–9). God’s mighty acts show forth divine kingship (Ps 145:10–20), a major theme in the literature of early Judaism and in Christianity. (Psalms, PSALM 145 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus connects the Narrow Door to 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.)

Larry Gillick, S.J. (October 31, 2018) comments on the celebration of those who divested, who took off pretendingness and lived the Treat of the simple holy life.

Jesus’ reply to the one asking about being saved is wondering if he/she is carrying enough accreditation and self-affirming actions. Jesus images a “narrow Gate” through which only the costumeless, the stripped can pass through. Those who obtained their identity from what they did, would be unknown by the Master. They are pictured by Jesus as knocking on the door like Trick-or Treaters and the Master would say twice, that He did not know where they were from.

These costumed pretenders would not be receiving the treats of heaven, but the results of tricking themselves by dressing up in false identities and not receiving their reality and truth from their Creator and Savior. What the Master is saying to them is that He does not know where they are from, because they have refused to accept that they are from God and are on their journey of returning back through the narrow gate of believing their origin and destiny.

Please enjoy the life-long process of de-costuming and living our sainthood. (Gillick, 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 Luke 13:22-30 comments that if we want to come to knowledge of the truth, we can’t keep Jesus at the periphery of our lives. We need a life-giving relationship with him that goes deeper than simply hearing his teachings or attending Mass. He wants us to know him, and he wants to know us.

And your part? Spend time with him. Invite him in, not just to the parts of your life that anyone could know from the outside, but into every corner. Take the risk of telling him all the things you might be afraid to say. Dare to bring your hurts and your failings into his light. Tell him you’re willing to listen to whatever he has to say to you. In other words, give him permission to see where you are from. And invite him to be Lord over it all.

Jesus is longing for a deeper relationship with you. So talk to him—about everything! Just imagine the look of delight on his face when he opens the door to the Father’s house and sees you!

“Jesus, I don’t want to have a superficial relationship with you. I give you access to every part of my life.” (Meditation on Luke 13:22-30, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler notes that the passage from Ephesians extends the household instructions of the chapter to children and parents, master and slave, to emphasize mutual responsibilities. Slavery was an accepted institution in the 1st Century and the Church rationalized slavery and capital punishment in the 19th and 20th Century. Friar Jude reminds us of the focus of Luke on the Gentile Christians underlining that heritage or shallow commitment are not keys to enter the narrow door.

 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, in a 2017 homily based on this Scripture passage, reminds us of the foundational requirements of Christian living.

Is there anything happening in America today that would make you think we believe we should “love our enemies”? If Christians do not decide to finally be like Jesus, then let’s just give up on this whole Christian thing. It doesn’t mean anything! If it’s just going to church on Sunday, then we have to stop pretending we’re following Jesus, because we’re just like everybody else—we are into power and money and deceit and war. If we do not preach the gospel, if we do not begin to live the gospel now, then let’s stop pretending that we care about Jesus or about following Jesus. 

We are in a very scary position in the United States, and the whole world sees it. We are called to engage in a great mobilization, recognition, conversion, and transformation, because now the issues are too big, too real, and too right in front of us every day.  

We cannot be silent any longer. Do not expect me to be silent, and I won’t expect you to be silent, either. It’s going to take courage. It’s going take each of us making little decisions in our little worlds to love, not just our neighbors, but even to pray for our enemies, to pray for our president, to pray for our country. If we can’t do these little things, what does it all mean? (Rohr, n.d.)

We ask the Spirit to develop our deeper practice of love and compassion for all our neighbours especially those who challenge us and hold differing opinions and have different heritage.

References

Ephesians, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 30, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ephesians/6 

Gillick, L. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved October 30, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Archive/2018/103118.html 

Luke, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 30, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/13? 

Meditation on Luke 13:22-30. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved October 30, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/10/30/1115653/ 

Psalms, PSALM 145 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 30, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/145?10 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). The Risk of Living the Gospel. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 30, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-risk-of-living-the-gospel/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Do Not Risk Being Shut Out. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 30, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=oct30