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Volume II |
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Contents: Volume 2
1. -- Lanie LeBlanc OP - < lanie@leblanc.one>2. -- Fr. Jude Siciliano OP - <FrJude@JudeOP.org> 3. -- Elaine H. Ireland <ehireland@gmail.com>
4. --
Carmen Mele OP <cmeleop@yahoo.com>
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Blessings, Dr. Lanie LeBlanc OP Southern Dominican Laity
****************************************************** From today’s Gospel reading:
The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again and out of sheer joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.
Reflection:
Why are we gathered at church today? We are here because we want wisdom; we don’t want to be tempted by fake pearls and fool’s gold. It is just not worth it. We want the real thing in our lives. We sense what it is----- WHO it is---and we want more.
We have stumbled on a treasure and know that everything else is of much lesser value. We have found a valuable pearl, and we are willing to put aside whatever stands in the way of having that pearl.
So, we ask ourselves:
• What keeps us from having a closer relationship with Jesus in our daily lives? • Do we realize our faith is a treasure we have found, rather than a reward we have been given?
Click here for a link to this Sunday’s readings:
Fr. Jude Siciliano OP - <FrJude@JudeOP.org>
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Elaine H. Ireland <ehireland@gmail.com>
****************************************************** 4. ****************************************************** 17TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (1 Kings 3:5-13; Romans 8:28-30; Matthew 13:44-46
Three unfortunate scenarios. First, your husband has been in an accident. He's injured, and the only car in the house is totaled. You feel deeply distressed. Second, your wife has Alzheimer's. You've put her in a nursing home. It's a high-quality facility, but she doesn't like it there. Every time you visit, she cries, begging you to take her home. The situation is so sad that you no longer want to go see her. Third, your eldest son has become rebellious. He's stopped attending Sunday Mass with the family for a long time and recently dropped out of school. But what has you most worried is that yesterday you found a gun in his bedroom.
These situations aren't so rare that they couldn't happen to any of us. They cause us to examine our lives to see if we've done anything to deserve such a depressing situation. Furthermore, we begin to doubt God's existence, or at least His goodness. We truly don't know what to think, much less what to do.
Then we recall the story of St. Augustine's conversion. One day, while walking in his garden reflecting on his disordered life, he heard a child's voice. The child said, "Take this and read." Augustine found his Bible, opened it, and came to the page of the Letter to the Romans, which says, "... let us not indulge in orgies and drunkenness, in sexual immorality and debauchery, in quarreling and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires" (Rom. 13:13-14). This experience confirmed his decision to become a Christian.
In our predicaments, it would be fitting to recall another verse from the same Letter to the Romans. It is found in the second reading at Mass today. It says: “…all things work together for the good of those who love God, who have been called according to his purpose” (8:28). These words dispel our anxiety. We know we can handle the difficult situation because God is with us. His presence gives us confidence that nothing can overcome us as long as he sustains us. Everything will be “all right.” Now we know what Jesus means in the Gospel when he speaks of the “Kingdom of God.” He says it is worth more than the finest pearl because it assures us of God’s love forever. By maintaining a friendship with God, we can face any difficulty with peace. For who can snatch us out of his hand?
There are several Bible verses that not only capture our attention but also our memory. One is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Another is one of Jesus’ commandments of love: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:29-31). Romans 8:28 is another verse we should never forget: “All things work together for the good of those who love God…”
Carmen Mele OP <cmeleop@yahoo.com>
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A service of The Order of Preachers,
The Dominicans. (form revised 10/13/2025) |
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