PAX ET BONUM: Fr david Berger

We here the words of Jesus in today's gospel, "say we are unprofitable servants and we are doing what we were obliged to do."How do we live our lives as a nonprofit entity seeking to live up to the obligations of God?  The word obligation can mean to owe a debt of gratitude.  How is gratitude the foundation of our service?

We look at the reality of guardian angels.  How valuable are we that God has an angel to watch over us!

We encounter Paul in chains, jailed and beaten.  Then something amazing happens while praying.  Even beyond that something more amazing unfolds as Paul and Silas stay behind to safe the life of their Jailer. 

What happens when we try to please everyone?  Hod do we seek to be pleasing to the Lord?  St Peter reminds us to sanctify the Christ as Lord of our hearts.  Does Jesus have primacy in our life?  

How do we represent the life of the Church and the Spirit of Christ?  What message does our life deliver daily?

We remember the life and love of St Rita, patron of impossible causes.  We look to her as directed by John Paul II in the great jubilee year of 2000.  We also reflect on JEsus words from John 15:9-11, which are the heart of th eLast Supper Discourse.

"Peace I leave with you; my peace i give you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you."  We hear these words from the lips of Jesus in today's gospel.  Peace seems so far removed from the lives of so many an diet Jesus gives us a recipe for availing our self to such a gift in our lives here and now.

We see that in the early church a large number of priest were being obedient to the faith.  This is a shocking statement.  The old testament priest were dedicated to the service of the temple, in particular the service of the presence of God dwelling in the Temple.  Now they shift their conviction and dedication.  They have come to discern the presence of God not to be in the temple but in the person of Jesus.

We look at St Matthias who replaced Judas.  We also reflect on why Judas went astray ad how we imitate him in our life.  

We commemorate the appearance of the BLessed Mother to the three children in Fatima,Portugal May 13, 1917.  We recall her invitation and seek to continually live that out even today. 

We welcome Good Shepherd Sunday. Jesus tells us the sheep will recognize his voice and follow after him.  What does that voice look sound like?  How can we be sure we are not following the wrong shepherd to place we do not know nor are intended to go?

We encounter the conversion of St Paul as he makes his way to Damascus.  What I want to Focus on is Ananias' hesitation as God ask him to go and pray for Saul.  Ananias heard of Saul's evil ways and he second guesses God's choose of Saul as his chosen interment.  Ananias is invited to operated at a level beyond the senses, to trust in God's vision.

We read from the Acts of the Apostles about the martyrdom of St. Stephen.  We read this reading twice in the liturgical year, once after Christmas and once during the Easter Season.  At Christmas as soon as we celebrate the birth of the prince of peace the church reminds us that not all will accept the message that there will be violence hurled at those who bring forth his message so on Dec 26 we commemorate the life of St Stephen.  Also we read it during the Easter season to remind us that not everyone will accept the good news.  Not all believe this news to be good.  So we enter into that reading and ponder the last lines, "he fell asleep."

We journey with the disciples on the road to EMMAUS.  There we are accompanied by JEsus unknown to us.  Then he reveals to us himself in the breaking of the bread.  What does it mean to profess faith in the resurrection and how does it leads us to the Eucharist.

Reflections on the sunday and weekday readings. Allowing the peace and goodness of God's word to enter into our hearts so that we may bring that peace and goodness to others