Letters From Home

The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Wednesday of the Fifteenth Week of Ordinary Time by Dr. John Bergsma.

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The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for the Memorial of St. Benedict by Dr. Scott Hahn.

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Readings:
Deuteronomy 30:10–14
Psalm 69:14, 17, 30–31, 33–34, 36–37
Colossians 1:15–20
Luke 10:25–37

We are to love God and our neighbor with all the strength of our being, as the scholar of the Law answers Jesus in this week’s Gospel.

This command is nothing remote or mysterious—it’s already written in our hearts, in the book of Sacred Scripture. “You have only to carry it out,” Moses says in this week’s First Reading.

Jesus tells His interrogator the same thing: “Do this and you will live.”

The scholar, however, wants to know where he can draw the line. That’s the motive behind his question, “Who is my neighbor?”

In his compassion, the Samaritan in Jesus’ parable reveals the boundless mercy of God, Who came down to us when we were fallen in sin, close to dead, unable to pick ourselves up.

Jesus is “the image of the invisible God,” this week’s Epistle tells us. In Him, the love of God has come very near to us. By the “blood of His Cross”—by bearing His neighbors’ sufferings in His own body, being Himself stripped and beaten and left for dead—He saved us from the bonds of sin and reconciled us to God and to one another.

Like the Samaritan, He pays the price for us, heals the wounds of sin, pours out on us the oil and wine of the sacraments, and entrusts us to the care of His Church until He comes back for us.

Because His love has known no limits, ours cannot either. We are to love as we have been loved, to do for others what He has done for us, joining all things together in His Body, the Church.

We are to love like the singer of this week’s Psalm—like those whose prayers have been answered, like those whose lives has been saved, who have known the time of His favor, have seen God in His great mercy turn toward us.

This is the love that leads to eternal life, the love Jesus commands today of the scholar and of each of us: “Go and do likewise.”

The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Saturday of the Fourteenth Week of Ordinary Time by Mr. Clement Harrold.

Learn more about the Mass at www.stpaulcenter.com

The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Friday of the Fourteenth Week of Ordinary Time by Dr. John Bergsma.

Learn more about the Mass at www.stpaulcenter.com

The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Thursday of the Fourteenth Week of Ordinary Time by Dr. Scott Hahn.

Learn more about the Mass at www.stpaulcenter.com

The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week of Ordinary Time by Dr. John Bergsma.

Learn more about the Mass at www.stpaulcenter.com

The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Monday of the Fourteenth Week of Ordinary Time by Dr. Scott Hahn.

Col 1:24–2:3, Psalm 62:6-7, 9, Lk 6:6-11

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Lecturas:
Isaías 66,10-14
Salmo 66,1-7.16.20
Gálatas 6,14-18
Lucas 10,1-12.17-20

Jesús tiene una visión en el Evangelio de esta semana: Satanás cayendo del cielo como un rayo, el enemigo vencido por la predicación misionera de la Iglesia.

Los 72 discípulos, enviados por Jesús para empezar a congregar las naciones a la cosecha del juicio divino (cfr. Is 27,12.13; Jl 4,13), son un signo de la misión continua de la Iglesia.

Al continuar el trabajo de los 72 discípulos, la Iglesia proclama la venida del Reino de Dios y ofrece sus bendiciones de paz y misericordia a cada hogar en la tierra, a “todos los pueblos y lugares” a donde Él piensa ir.

El tono que adopta hoy Nuestro Señor es solemne. Ya que en la predicación de la Iglesia “el Reino de Dios está al alcance”, ha llegado el momento de que cada persona tome una decisión; aquellos que no reciban a sus mensajeros serán condenados como Sodoma.

Pero quienes crean encontrarán paz y misericordia, protección y alimento en el seno de la Iglesia, la Madre Sión que celebramos en la bella primera lectura de esta semana; la “Israel de Dios” a la que Pablo bendice hoy en su epístola.

La Iglesia es una nueva familia de fe (cfr. Ga 6,10) en la que recibimos un nuevo nombre que permanecerá siempre (cfr. Is 66,22), un nombre escrito en el cielo.

En el salmo de esta semana cantamos las “temibles proezas de Dios hechas en favor de los hombres”, durante toda la historia de la salvación. Pero de todas ellas, ninguna ha sido mayor que la que ha implicado la cruz de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo.

La transformación del mar en tierra firme era una anticipación y preparación para nuestra pascua, para aquello que Pablo llama la “nueva creación”.

Y así como la generación del Éxodo estuvo protegida de las serpientes y escorpiones en el desierto (cfr. Dt 8,15), Cristo ha dado a su Iglesia poder sobre “todo la fuerza del enemigo”. Nada nos hará daño mientras recorramos nuestro camino por el desierto de este mundo, esperando al Señor de la cosecha, anhelando el día en que todo sobre la tierra gritará de alegría al Señor y cantará alabanzas para gloria de su Nombre.

Readings:
Isaiah 66:10-14
Psalm 66:1-7, 16, 20
Galatians 6:14-18
Luke 10:1-12, 17-20

Jesus has a vision in this week’s Gospel: Satan falling like lightning from the sky, the enemy vanquished by the missionary preaching of His Church.

Sent out by Jesus to begin gathering the nations into the harvest of divine judgment (see Isaiah 27:12–13; Joel 4:13), the seventy are a sign of the continuing mission of the Church.

Carrying out the work of the seventy, the Church proclaims the coming of God’s kingdom. She offers His blessings of peace and mercy to every household on earth, “every town and place He intended
to visit.”

Our Lord’s tone is solemn today, for in the preaching of the Church “the kingdom of God is at hand,” the time of decision has come for every person. Those who do not receive His messengers will be doomed like Sodom.

But those who believe will find peace and mercy, protection and nourishment in the bosom of the Church, the Mother Zion we celebrate in this week’s beautiful First Reading, the “Israel of God” Paul blesses in this week’s Epistle.

The Church is a new family of faith (see Galatians 6:10) in which we receive a new name that will endure forever (see Isaiah 66:22), a name written in heaven.

In this week’s Psalm, we sing of God’s “tremendous deeds among men” throughout salvation history. But of all the works of God, none has been greater than what He has wrought by the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Changing the sea into dry land was but an anticipation and preparation for our passing over, for what Paul calls the “new creation.” And as the Exodus generation was protected in a wilderness of serpents and scorpions (see Deuteronomy 8:15), He has given His Church power now over “the full force of the enemy.” Nothing will harm us as we make our way through the wilderness of this world, awaiting the Master of the harvest, awaiting the day when all on earth will shout joyfully to the Lord and sing praise to the glory of His name.