Reflection for Sunday October 31, 2021

Sunday Gospel:  Mark 12:28-34

This Sunday we hear the two greatest commandments, love of God and love of neighbor. It is the summary of the whole law. It reminds me of a quote from Saint Augustine, “Love God and do whatever you please: for the soul trained in love to God will do nothing to offend the One who is Beloved” When we have true love for God then we do not need to worry about what we do because we will not do anything that offends God. God gives us great freedom in living out these two commandments. Just look at the Saints and you will see a lot of different ways that people loved God and loved their neighbor. How are you sustaining your love of God and love of neighbor?​

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Reflection for Sunday October 24, 2021 by Henry Knowles

Sunday Gospel: Mark 10:46-52⁠ ⁠

​In today’s Gospel, a blind man who desperately wants his sight back calls upon his faith while others rebuke him. As soon as he heard that the man he had faith in was near, he ran up and pleaded for his sight. His faith saved him. The message in this Gospel is just as relevant to faith today as it was 2000 years ago. A man who had lost his way on the road to salvation could not find the path again by himself. Others who had fallen off the path told him he didn’t deserve to go back, and that he should stop hoping for a guide. But this man was happy on the path he was once on, and he would do anything to find the path again. Does this sound familiar to you? If you have lost the path a little, or if you don’t know where the path once was, if there is still faith, you can find that path again. If you are willing to accept the directions from the guide, Jesus, then you will find that path again very soon. Has there been a time where you were lost from the path? What do you look for that helps you find your way?⁠ ⁠ This week's reflection is by Henry Knowles, Springfield Township High School Class of 2024.⁠

Reflection for Sunday October 17, 2021 
​By Libby Kline

Sunday Gospel Mark 10:35-45⁠
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In this gospel, James and John came to Jesus asking him to do whatever they wanted him to. They wanted to be at his right and left hand side, and to be in his position with God. Jesus told them that even if they do the things that he does, and live their lives the “right” way, they will not find peace with God in heaven. ⁠
    In this passage, Jesus shows us that life is not always about accomplishments and social status. Even if you do everything that you are “supposed to do”, you have to live your life for and with God. Even if you are the most respected person at your job or in school, it is in no way a guarantee that you will be at Jesus’ right hand side in heaven. What matters is that you are living your life graciously, helping other people, and loving your neighbors. Jesus says, “whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.  For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." He is saying that there is no need to rush through your life to be the biggest, most important one in the room. If you live your life that way, He says “you will be the slave of all.” As a human being in a society that is so focused on who has the most money and who has the biggest house, it is easy to fall into the trap of wanting more. It is something that tugs on all of us everyday, and we need to learn to let go of it. How can you focus more on letting go of the big things?

This week's reflection is by Libby Kline, Springfield Township High School Class of 2024

Reflection for Sunday October 10, 2021 

​Sunday Gospel: Mark 10:17-30

​The Gospel for this Sunday appears in Mark, Luke, and Matthew. It has a few different aspects to it which we can focus on. One approach that has recently struck me is from John Paul II in Veritatis Splendor from 1993. Saint John Paul II focuses on the dialogue between the young man and Jesus and how this brief encounter represents both our search for the moral life, the ultimate purpose for life, and our response. The young man without a name represents all of us on our search for meaning, the search for a full life. He recognizes that this life, while connected to morality, cannot be found in a life of rules, such as the Ten Commandments. God wants us to have a life that allows us to transcend strict rules but we so often only see God as the giver of rules. The young man has followed the Law and he is unsatisfied with his life, he was made for more. Most rules focus on what we should not do. It's a negative morality. Jesus offers us morality that is focused on the pursuit of excellence and virtue. Jesus invites him to come and follow Him and to have the life he is searching for. Jesus offers him and us a relationship with himself, the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus literally tells him he lacks one thing. What does the man lack? He lacks a relationship with Jesus. Rules are straight forward, a living relationship is more difficult and messy. How do you focus on the rules instead of knowing and following Jesus? What is stopping you from following Jesus more closely?

Reflection for Sunday October 3, 2021 

Sunday Gospel: Mk 10:2-16 or 10:2-12

The Gospels are filled with miracles, descriptions of events, and of course the teachings of Jesus. This Sunday we hear a teaching of Jesus that addresses the permanence of marriage and the problem of divorce. The first thing that Jesus teaches is that marriage is not something that humans invented. It was invented by God and is revealed through our bodies, through the complementarity of the two sexes. Through marriage two become one and through this union new life is created. Husbands and wives cooperate with the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, and reflect the love of God. Jesus acknowledges that Moses allowed divorce because of the hardness of our hearts. God wants to give us new hearts and wants us to have pure hearts as well, think about the beatitudes. This teaching of Jesus aims at encouraging those who are married to persevere and remain faithful while also raising the seriousness of this sacrament. Jesus seems to be saying, the existence of broken marriages do not lessen the ultimate goal and purpose of marriage. Marriage is difficult, but if we take the commitment seriously, discern wisely, and rely on the grace and mercy of God we are more likely to have the marriage God wants for us. If you feel called to marriage, what can you do now to prepare yourself for that lifelong commitment?