Daily Catholic Devotions

June 7-13, 2020

LivingFaith

“I am with youALWAYS...”

Matthew 28:20

Sunday, June 7 The Most Holy Trinity

Finding Jesus, One AnotherMend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. 2 Corinthians 13:11

I was raised in a Christian tradition that taught, above all else, that my personal relationship with Jesus was essential. I am grateful for this formation, which led me to believe that such a relationship was possible. But what I learned over time as I matured in my adopted Catholic faith and went ever deeper into both Scripture and sacrament is that there can be no such thing as a personal relationship with Jesus unless I am willing to fully engage with the Church he created. If I believe in Jesus, I have to be willing to find him in new ways. I must find him in the people of his Church who need my encouragement, my agreement and my peace, just as I need theirs.

Jesus, may I find you in your Church, and may your Church find you in me.

Steve Givens

Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9 • Daniel 3:52-56 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 • John 3:16-18

1 Kings 17:1-6 • Psalm 121:1-8 Matthew 5:1-12

Monday, June 8

Trusting in the LordMy help is from the Lord… Psalm 121:2

When I was a waitress, I felt disturbed by the system: it felt unfair to serve without payment until the food was gone. I was at their mercy for my money. Gradu-ally, I came to trust in the goodness of people. I found that if I put the will of others before my own, I would come to have what I need—and sometimes the bonus of a good tip too. Today’s Scriptures remind me that serving as a waitress taught me about mercy, submis-sion, freedom and trust—all aspects of discipleship.

As disciples of Christ, a similar power dynamic is at work: we are free to serve and are at the mercy of another. We can trust that we’ll have the help and pro-tection we need. As we submit to God’s will, however, we find that we’re not in an unspoken contract be-tween strangers. Instead, we’re in a loving relationship with God, who is eager to provide for us. Often, the outcome is beyond our understanding; our devotion is meant, with more challenge, to grow.

Sr. Julia Walsh, F.S.P.A.

Tuesday, June 9 St. Ephrem

Let It Shine!You are the light of the world…your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father. Matthew 5:14,16

Sometimes this affirmation, with its command to let our light shine before others, can evoke a headshaking. “Me? How could I be the light of the world?“ We were taught to “walk humbly,” and we can brush off any thanks for the good that we did, quickly putting our goodness back “under the bushel basket.”

I was struggling to carry two heavy bags of groceries from my car to my front door. Our mail carrier saw me from the house next door and immediately put down his delivery bag, came over, took the bags out of my hands and carried them to my front door. Every time I tried to thank him, he kept saying, “no problem, it’s nothing,” brushing it off.

Jesus tells us today to let our light be acknowledged and appreciated. In those moments of goodness, God’s light shines in us. Put it on a lampstand!

Patricia Livingston

1 Kings 17:7-16 • Psalm 4:2-5, 7-8 Matthew 5:13-16

1 Kings 18:20-39 • Psalm 16:1-2, 4-5, 8, 11 Matthew 5:17-19

Wednesday, June 10

Choices, ChoicesHow long will you straddle the issue? If the Lord is God, follow him; if Baal, follow him. 1 Kings 18:21

Every day we are presented with a hundred moments when we have the opportunity to follow God or follow an idol. We fully intend to ask for God’s help in following the good, but not yet, to paraphrase St. Augustine. Can’t I just get a little benefit from engaging with this idol for a bit? I’ll do the right thing soon.

Rarely is the idol as clear-cut as Baal. Usually, it’s something like the comfort and false security of money. Or it is acclaim. Following the example of St. Francis and stepping away from honor and prestige, allowing yourself to look foolish, can be incredibly hard. But how long will you straddle the issue? It’s one or the other: God or idol. We must choose. And then choose again and again. We must go on choosing each time, each day. Simple, but not easy.

Phil Fox Rose

Thursday, June 11 St. Barnabas

Releasing AngerBut I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment… Matthew 5:22

Anger can be so insidious. It’s incredibly easy to find ourselves counting the faults of others. Today, Jesus is speaking about the fault of being angry with our brother (which could also be considered those close to us). I think this is because, though we might have passing anger with strangers (those who are tailgat-ing with their bright lights on or who show up with a loaded cart in the “12 items or fewer” checkout), it’s the ones close to us for whom we often nurture real or perceived slights into simmering anger.

The tool I use to try to release anger is the Prayer of St. Francis. The first line, “Lord, make me an instru-ment of your peace,” forces me to realize that, in order to be an instrument of God’s peace, I have to nurture peace within my own heart. That means letting go of anger and cultivating compassion and love in its place.

Aileen O’DonoghueThe book, Don’t You Dare Forgive…Unless, by

Fr. Joe Kempf, is now available at twentythirdpublications.com.

Acts 11:21-26; 13:1-3 • Psalm 98:1-6 Matthew 5:20-26

1 Kings 19:9, 11-16 • Psalm 27:7-9, 13-14 Matthew 5:27-32

Friday, June 12

Patience and PrayerWait for the Lord with courage;

be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14

Sometimes things happen in our life that seem not to make much sense to us. Wouldn’t it be great if we could clearly understand why things happen as they do? In this life, though, there are occurrences we will never completely understand. For example, why does God sometimes seem to be absent, when actually God is always with us? Or why are some of our prayers not answered in ways we think they should be? There are reasons, but we cannot always see them. That’s why sacred Scripture so often counsels us to be patient and to have faith. But can we do that without a lot of silent, trusting prayer? Maybe that’s what it means to be stouthearted and wait for the Lord. I just know that this has worked for me, and I have seen it work in the lives of others. God does get us through the darkness if we have patience and a lot of trust.

Fr. Kenneth E. Grabner, C.S.C.Father Kenneth Grabner, C.S.C, is a Holy Cross priest who has taught theology at the University of Notre Dame. He is presently a chaplain at Holy Cross Village at Notre Dame and is the author of several books.

Saturday, June 13 St. Anthony of Padua

The Meaning of “Yes”Let your “Yes” mean “Yes,” and your “No” mean “No.” Matthew 5:37

How many times I have said “yes” and truly meant what I said at the time. But then, that “yes” gradual-ly mutated into a “no” because the requirements of my “yes” asked more of myself than what I wanted to put forth. When I allowed the application of my “yes” to become burdensome, my “yes” evaporated. I recognized this process happening with a friend when she described her disillusionment in trying to assist an impoverished single mother get settled in a residence and find a good job. At first, my friend was enthused about her “yes.” As more of her time became consumed in providing transportation and unexpect-ed child care, along with giving endless instructions about how to budget and to use different appliances, my friend’s “yes” waned. I could tell she was moving toward a “no.” Her experience reminded me that say-ing “yes” means a willingness to go beyond self, not just once, but repeatedly. That’s when generosity and discipleship become a genuine reality.

Sr. Joyce Rupp, O.S.M.

1 Kings 19:19-21 • Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-10 Matthew 5:33-37

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