September 9, 2026 Wednesday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time or Optional Memorial of Saint Peter Claver Gospel: Lk 6:20-26
Today is Wednesday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time. Today the Church celebrates the optional memorial of Saint Peter Claver, Priest. The recently published Roman Missal tells us: “Saint Peter Claver (1580–1654) was born at Verdú in Catalonia, Spain, and entered the Society of Jesus. In 1610 he was sent to Colombia and began his life’s work among the slaves. During his thirty-three years of tireless ministry, he cared for them and baptized more than 300,000.”
Today, the passage taken from the Gospel of Saint Luke presents to us the four Beatitudes that Jesus spoke to his disciples, together with the end that awaits those who follow the outlook and values of this passing world. I would like to take this opportunity to offer some further reflections.
We often regard poverty, hunger, weeping, being hated, excluded, and insulted, and being spoken against as a series of negative things. For it seems to us that, in order to survive in this world, we must accumulate more wealth, so that we may not go hungry, so that we may not weep for lack of material things, and so that the world may pursue us on account of our material abundance and the social status built up for us by the goods we have stored away. Whenever such thoughts arise in our hearts, we have not yet entered the world of God; our thinking still remains in this passing world.
What does Jesus mean by poverty, hunger, weeping, being hated, excluded, insulted, and even having our name spoken of as something hateful on account of him? Jesus does not desire that we should suffer poverty, endure hunger, weep continually, be hated, excluded, or insulted, or be condemned on his account. Rather, he desires that each of us should establish anew a right set of values and a right outlook on the world.
What are the values and the outlook that Jesus wishes to teach us?
First: Jesus wishes to tell us that everything we now possess was created by God. We were made in the image of God — that is, according to the image of God. We were created not merely to enjoy all that God has made, but rather “to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it, and to have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every living thing that moves upon the earth” (Cf. Gn 1:27-28). This is the outlook on the world that Jesus wishes to teach us.
Second: Jesus wishes to tell us that if we place the center and focus of our lives upon this passing world, then we have not stored up treasure for ourselves in heaven. Even if we were to possess the whole world, yet when we come to the end of this life, all that we now possess cannot help us to enter the world of God; on the contrary, it becomes a burden that hinders us from entering the world of God of which Jesus speaks. This is the value system that Jesus wishes to teach us.
Third: Jesus wishes to tell us that if we follow the outlook and values he teaches us, we are inevitably destined to embark upon an extraordinary path. Those who follow the logic of this passing world will inevitably insult us, hate us, exclude us, and even condemn us, regarding our name as something hateful. If we look upon all this as a heavy burden, that only shows that we have not fully understood the teaching of Jesus. But if we regard all this as a sign that we are with Jesus, then we belong to the world of which Jesus speaks, for our thoughts, our words, and our deeds are in harmony with Jesus and the world in which he dwells.
O God, who made Saint Peter Claver a slave of slaves and strenghtened him with wonderful charity and patience as he came to their help, grant, through his intercession, that, seeking the things of Jesus Christ, we may love our neighbor in deeds and in truth. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
September 8, 2026 Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Gospel: Mt 1:1-16, 18-23 or Mt 1:18-23
Today is Tuesday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time. Today the Church celebrates the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The recently published Roman Missal tells us: “Nothing is known for sure about the details of the Blessed Virgin’s birth. Her parents, traditionally known as St Joachim and St Anne, are not mentioned in Sacred Scripture. Today’s feast originated in the East, probably during the sixth century, and was later introduced to the West. A French legend tells of a man hearing angels singing on the night of September 8 and being told that the Virgin Mary had been born on that night. Her earthly birth is celebrated (much like that of St John the Baptist) because it announced to the world the coming of Jesus, the beginning of the New Covenant.”
Today, the passage taken from the Gospel of Saint Matthew gives us an account of the parents of Jesus and introduces to us what took place between Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary before the birth of Jesus. I would like to take this opportunity to offer some reflections.
If we turn to the Scriptures, we discover that the New Testament contains two genealogies of our Lord Jesus Christ: one recorded by Saint Matthew — which is the Gospel we read today — and the other by Saint Luke (Cf. Lk 3:23-38). Although the two genealogies differ, they both set forth the same origin of Christ. The genealogy recorded by Saint Matthew begins with Abraham, the servant of God, who is called the father of many nations, for God said to him: “I will indeed bless you and multiply your descendants beyond count, like the stars of heaven and the sands on the seashore. Your descendants shall take possession of the gates of their enemies, and in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing — because you have obeyed my word” (cf. Gn 22:17-18), so as to prove that Jesus is the Messiah whom God promised to his chosen people. The genealogy recorded by Luke begins with the first Adam, from whose rib God brought forth the first Eve (Cf. Gn 2:18-25), to show that Jesus is the Savior of all humanity. Thus, through the account of the Evangelists, we can catch a glimpse of how God, through his only Son, fulfills his promise to the world.
After presenting to us the lineage of Jesus, Matthew immediately sets before us the episode that took place between Saint Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary (Cf. Mt 1:18-23). In this episode we behold the obedience of Saint Joseph and the fulfillment of the prophecy of the Messiah spoken by the prophet Isaiah. The prophet says: “But a shot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and strength, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD” (Cf. Is 11:1-3). The prophecy of the prophet Jeremiah was likewise fulfilled through the obedience of Saint Joseph. The prophet says: “On those days, at that time, I will make a righteous shoot spring forth for David; he shall do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah shall be saved, Jerusalem shall dwell secure; this is what shall be called: ‘The LORD our justice'” (Cf. Jer 33:15-16).
Today, on this Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, let us with one heart, together with the Blessed Virgin Mary, offer our prayer to God:
Impart to your servants, we pray, O Lord, the gift of heavenly grace, that the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin may bring deeper peace to those for whom the birth of her Son was the dawning of salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
September 7, 2026 Monday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time Gospel: Lk 6:6-11
Today is Monday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time. The passage taken from the Gospel of Saint Luke presents to us the deeds of Jesus in the synagogue on the Sabbath. I would like to take this opportunity to offer some reflections.
We often resemble those crowds who followed Jesus, choosing to follow Christ for various reasons and based on various motives. Among us there are some who, by means of this faith, seek to earn themselves a good name in this world; others hope to obtain free food from the Church; and still others desire to pursue higher office within the Church, so that their own selfish desires may be satisfied.
In reality, all that we now uphold is founded upon our fragile human nature and upon the ties of affection and kinship that we cannot bear to sever — all of which unceasingly devour our love for God and the fervor we held when we first received the baptism of Christ. At that time, we often cherished boundless longing and desire for our heavenly homeland. But soon, the enemy of the human soul — the devil — like a roaring lion roaming about, seeking someone to devour (Cf. 1 Pt 5:8). He frequently makes use of those who are like us, together with every evil thought that arises from our flesh, to hinder us from drawing near to God. When we desire to take up our own cross and follow Christ, he, just as he tempted Christ at the beginning (Cf. Lk 4:1-13), seeks to prevent us from attaining holiness. As a result, although we have already received the baptism of Christ, our lives are lived as though we were still people who had never known Christ — living in our own world, gradually drifting away from God, away from the Church that Jesus Himself founded upon Peter (Cf. Mt 16:18-19), and away from the shepherd who, for the salvation of our souls, unceasingly offers sacrifice and prayers to God on our behalf. Thus, we often remain living in a state of constant bargaining with God.
Today, let us no longer live in our own world, but rather live in the world of God. Let us no longer hinder anyone from receiving the loving care of Jesus but make ourselves channels of the love of God. Now, let us together offer our prayer to God:
O God, by whom we are redeemed and receive adoption, look graciously upon your beloved sons and daughters, that those who believe in Christ may receive true freedom and an everlasting inheritance. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever
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