Nancy will receive a copy of The Catholic Children's Bible, a $27.95 value.

Introducing The Catholic Children’s Bible, the first-ever complete Catholic children’s Bible, only from Saint Mary’s Press. It not only inspires but empowers children to read, live, and love the full Word of God.

• Children will know and understand God’s saving plan revealed through 125 featured story spreads highlighting key Bible passages.
• Vibrant illustrations and borders immediately engage children and allow them to dive in to Scripture and become immersed in the stories.
• Understand It!, Live It!, and Tell It! sections help bring God’s Word to life for the youngest of readers.

• Unique navigational features designed specifically for early readers help children easily locate passages and stories.
• Intentional design elements such as fonts built for early readers, increased line spacing, bold vocabulary words, colorized text, minimal hyphenation, and simple column dividers help make this a Bible children can read on their own.

by Joanna Dailey

Three television commercials have caught my eye this summer. One tells me that, with a particular smartphone: "You are more powerful than you think!" Another tells me that, with a certain app, I can exercise away that "chicken fat." (This song, by the way, was written and is sung by Meredith Willson, author of the famous musical The Music Man. In the 1960’s, he was commissioned by President John F. Kennedy to write this song, to be distributed to all high schools as an incentive to physical fitness.) Another, an automobile ad, urges, "Let’s go places!"

Each ad, in some way, comments on the technology that has become (to quote yet another commercial theme) "part of the fabric of our lives." In the automobile ad, the Muppets carry an entire sofa, with an entire family still sitting on it, out to the car. When the grandparent is taking a picture of Old Faithful with a phone, one of the Muppets bites the phone in half! The message seems to be: Experience the world firsthand (via automobile, of course) and not only through the ubiquitous technology available to you.

Pope Francis captured both the possibilities and the limits of our new "Age of Invention" in his apostolic exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel. While lauding the great opportunities afforded us by new means of communication, he also noted that we must steer clear of the danger of isolating ourselves like those who "want their interpersonal relationships provided by sophisticated equipment, by screens and systems which can be turned on and off on command. Meanwhile, the Gospel tells us constantly to run the risk of a face-to-face encounter with others. . . . The Son of God, by becoming flesh, summoned us to the revolution of tenderness" (paragraph 88).

This insight from Toyota and from Pope Francis (who uses Twitter, by the way) echoes one of the family tips offered at the Road Trip America website. Among other suggestions for a family road trip, the author has a note about portable electronics: "Call me a curmudgeon, but if these devices are used too often on a road trip, you might as well stay home. Nothing insulates people from their surroundings better than ear buds and a video screen. Take electronic gear along if you must, but limit its use if you want to create lasting road trip memories."

The article from the Road Trip America website cited above has many other tips for planning and carrying out a family road trip. You might want to look it over if there is a family vacation in your future. (Also see Make It Happen in this newsletter for some tried-and-true road games. They may also come in handy during a "lull" in the school day.)

The phrase "Let’s go places" has resonance for us as Christians because it reminds us of the Gospel imperative of evangelization. As Jesus said, "Go, then, to all peoples everywhere, and make them my disciples" (Matthew 28:19, GNT).

As educators—as missionaries to young people, we might say—we have a special obligation to learn the native language of today’s youth, the language of digital tools. (See the Saint Spotlight for a role model in language-learning, Saint Francis Solano.) This requires that we note an ever-changing horizon on the Gospel road, and walk towards it confidently and joyfully, including both the language of technology (mobile content rather than print-only) and the language of face-to-face encounter in our approach to young people. As one of our content passioneers (a new title, replacing the title "editor," a title that encompasses all kinds of content, including digital, video, and print, about which we at Saint Mary’s Press are concerned and passionate) stated recently: "Mobile content helps facilitate the journey to places we otherwise couldn’t go." And all of us at Saint Mary’s Press are walking this road with you!

To make a disciple, one must be a disciple. A disciple is a listener. This summer, wherever the road takes us, we can pray to be listeners, to be aware of others, whether family, friends, or strangers. May your experiences of discipleship this summer enrich your life’s journey and help you to live the "revolution of tenderness" wherever the road takes you. For Jesus promised, wherever we go, "I will be with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20, GNT).

Let’s go places!

Blessings on your ministry!

Peace and joy,

Joanna

Overview
The family is the first teacher, and that includes the teaching of community—how to be in a group, how to get along with others. The cooperation required in games, and the graciousness required in both winning and losing, can teach these values better than many a lecture. These are only a few classic road games. More can be found at this website.

I Spy

One player chooses an object in view and begins, "I spy with my little eye something that begins with [insert the first letter. Or, a color can be chosen as a clue]." The player who guesses the object gets the next turn.

20 Questions

One player thinks of something that the others try to guess. The first question is always, "Is it animal, vegetable, or mineral?" When the player answers that question, the following questions can only be questions having yes-or-no answers. Keep track of the number of questions. When the 20th question is reached without a winner, everyone has one more chance to figure it out before the answer is revealed. Then another person starts a new round.

The Picnic Game

One player begins, "I went to a picnic on Saturday and I brought . . . [something that begins with the letter A.]" The next player repeats that phrase and adds something that begins with the letter B. Each player repeats what has been said, and then adds an object beginning with the next letter of the alphabet.

May the miles fly by!

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 20, 2014
Matthew 13:24-30

Opening Prayer

Jesus, you have sown the good seed of the Word of God among us. Help us to draw from this source of goodness and to be a positive influence in the world. Perhaps we will never understand why good and evil exist side by side, but you have shown us how we can spread the Good News of the Gospel and become an instrument of God's goodness. Amen.

Context Connection
This Sunday's Gospel is another parable that involves a farmer and the sowing of seeds. The landowner takes great care to sow good seed: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field" (13:24). However, under the cover of night, an enemy comes and sows weeds in the same field. The landowner is surprised to discover that weeds are growing among his good seed. In the story there is no reaction to the claim that "an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat" (13:25). It is rather a statement of fact. At the time of Jesus it was common for families to feud with other families. Sometimes one family would even sabotage the crops of the family they were feuding with in order to decrease productivity.

Now that the landowner has discovered the weeds, he has to make some decisions. He knows that the seed he purchased and used to plant the field was good, so he does not have to confront the person who sold him the wheat. The servants advise him to immediately pull out the weeds, avenging the action of his enemy who planted the weeds and thus correcting the wrong. In a surprising response, the landowner says, "No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest" (13:29-30). On the surface it seems that the landowner admits defeat. But appearances can be deceiving. In reality the landowner is a shrewd man and a wise farmer. From his experience he knows that the wheat is strong enough to compete with the weeds for nourishment and water and that it will grow to maturity. Therefore, at harvest he not only gathers the grain into his barn but also gathers the weeds as an unexpected source of fuel.

Jesus' audience realizes that his story is not a lesson in agriculture but a lesson in understanding the Kingdom of Heaven. One lesson is that the landowner refuses to take revenge on his enemy. In a society more familiar with "an eye for an eye" than reconciliation, the landowner's victory in the end—despite what seems like a passive response—is powerful. It is worthwhile to reflect on the confidence the landowner has that the wheat will survive the effects of the weeds. Placing one's trust in goodness is greater than placing one's trust in the fear of wickedness. Could this be a powerful weapon against rampant and senseless violence?

Another lesson is that God's Kingdom on earth has already arrived and that goodness and evil coexist. The story of the wheat and the weeds illustrates that all people have not accepted the teachings of Jesus, but that Jesus' word is good and nothing is able to change that fact. From the landowner we learn the virtues of tolerance and patience. Just as the landowner asked his servants not to pull out the weeds for fear of destroying the good wheat, God asks believers to restrain from forcibly rooting out what may, from our limited experience, seem to be evil. God has reserved judgment until the harvest time—the final judgment. The disciples can find comfort in knowing that they have received the good seed of the Word of God. Through this revelation the disciples have the awesome ability to influence others and bring about salvation—regardless of the extreme conditions in which they live.

Tradition Connection
The Church is comprised of many different kinds of people, but all are on the way to holiness. Another way to say this is that the Church is a gathering of sinners who are caught up in the salvation of Jesus because of the cross and who, together, are helping one another to become holy:

"Christ, 'holy, innocent, and undefiled,' knew nothing of sin, but came only to expiate the sins of the people. The Church, however, clasping sinners to her bosom, at once holy and always in need of purification, follows constantly the path of penance and renewal."1 All members of the Church, including her ministers, must acknowledge that they are sinners.2 In everyone, the weeds of sin will still be mixed with the good wheat of the Gospel until the end of time.3 Hence the Church gathers sinners already caught up in Christ's salvation but still on the way to holiness: "The Church is therefore holy, though having sinners in her midst, because she herself has no other life but the life of grace. If they live her life, her members are sanctified; if they move away from her life, they fall into sins and disorders that prevent the radiation of her sanctity. This is why she suffers and does penance for those offenses, of which she has the power to free her children through the blood of Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit"4 (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 827).

Therefore we acknowledge the existence of sin in our world and in ourselves, for all are in the process of journeying toward perfection. It is a process of becoming in which good and evil exist simultaneously within each of us. The option of choosing good or evil always exists because God created humans and angels as creatures with intellects and free will; sometimes our choices, however, do not lead to perfection. In light of the revelation of God's Word, we call this sin:

Angels and men, as intelligent and free creatures, have to journey toward their ultimate destinies by their free choice and preferential love. They can therefore go astray. Indeed, they have sinned. Thus has moral evil, incommensurably more harmful than physical evil, entered the world. God is in no way, directly or indirectly, the cause of moral evil.5 He permits it, however, because he respects the freedom of his creatures and, mysteriously, knows how to derive good from it:

"For almighty God, . . . because he is supremely good, would never allow any evil whatsoever to exist in his works if he were not so all-powerful and good as to cause good to emerge from evil itself"6 (Catechism, paragraph 311).

Sin does exist, and for us to deny that is to be less than truthful. In our relationship with Jesus, the Word made flesh, we come to recognize this reality in our own lives. When a believer is able to recognize sin in her or his life, she or he then has the option of making a choice to conduct her or his life more consistently with the message of Jesus—to love God and one another more fully:

Sin is present in human history; any attempt to ignore it or to give this dark reality other names would be futile. To try to understand what sin is, one must first recognize the profound relation of man to God, for only in this relationship is the evil of sin unmasked in its true identity as humanity's rejection of God and opposition to him, even as it continues to weigh heavy on human life and history (Catechism, paragraph 386).

Sunday's Gospel helps us understand the coexistence of good and evil. The landowner does not immediately have the weeds (which are hard to distinguish from the wheat in the early stages of growth) pulled out because in doing so some of the good wheat would be destroyed. Instead he allows the weeds and the wheat to coexist until the harvest. Perhaps another reason for allowing both to coexist is that in the reality of life good has the ability to influence evil and to convert it. Salvation is an active process that we can choose to participate in each day. Conversion can happen at any stage in the life of a human being. Therefore we need to be patient, as our heavenly Father is patient, while God's plan of salvation unfolds in each of our lives.

Wisdom Connection
The reality of the good wheat and the weeds growing in the same field gives rise to the unresolved question of how good and evil can coexist. The parable does not try to answer the question but simply states that this reality does exist. Perhaps before we can resolve why goodness and sin exist in the world we must first honestly accept that both exist within ourselves. Jesus came to redeem the whole person. The flawed part of humanity cannot be explained away with clever terminology but must be honestly recognized and named, thus allowing the grace of God to redeem the flawed part of humanity:

Only the light of divine Revelation clarifies the reality of sin and particularly of the sin committed at mankind's origins. Without the knowledge Revelation gives of God we cannot recognize sin clearly and are tempted to explain it as merely a developmental flaw, a psychological weakness, a mistake, or the necessary consequence of an inadequate social structure, etc. Only in the knowledge of God's plan for man can we grasp that sin is an abuse of the freedom that God gives to created persons so that they are capable of loving him and loving one another (Catechism, paragraph 387).

Acknowledgments
The scriptural quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Catholic Edition. Copyright © 1993 and 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

The quotations labeled Catechism are from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America. Copyright © 1994 by the United States Catholic Conference, Inc.—Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission.

Endnotes cited in quotations from the Catechism of the Catholic Church

1. Lumen gentium 8§3; cf. Unitatis redintegratio 3; 6; Hebrews 2:17; 7:26; 2 Corinthians 5:21.
2. Cf. 1 John 1:8-10.
3. Cf. Matthew 13:24-30.
4. Paul VI, Solemn Profession of Faith: Credo of the People of God §19.
5. Cf. St. Augustine, De libero arbitrio 1, 1, 2: J.P. Migne, ed., Patrologia Latina (Paris: 1841-1855) 32, 1223; St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae I-II, 79, 1.
6. St. Augustine, Enchiridion 3, 11: J.P. Migne, ed., Patrologia Latina (Paris: 1841-1855) 40, 236.

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 27, 2014
Matthew 13:44-46

Opening Prayer

Jesus, the parables you told in Sunday's Gospel help us to understand the great worth of the Kingdom of Heaven. Give us the grace we need to embrace the Kingdom of Heaven wholeheartedly and to live as your disciples in our world today. Amen.

Context Connection
In this and the previous Sunday's Gospel, Matthew uses parables to speak about the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew uses all of chapter 13 to help the disciples understand what Jesus means when he speaks about the Kingdom of Heaven. There are over 50 references to the Kingdom in Matthew, and of those 32 specifically refer to the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew spoke about the Kingdom often because he wanted to make sure the early Christian community understood the difference between the Jewish concept of the Kingdom of God and what Jesus was teaching about the Kingdom of God.

According to Jewish thought, the establishment of the Kingdom of God was directly tied to the coming of the Messiah. The Messiah, predicted to be a direct descendant of King David, would be a wise, just, moral, and courageous leader. He would come to reestablish the Jewish kingdom in the land of Israel, thus allowing the exiled Jews to return. This kingdom would be reminiscent of Israel's golden years when David ruled as king. Through the use of parables (which are like similes), Matthew helps his community to understand that Jesus, as the Messiah, was not a worldly leader who would reestablish the kingdom of Israel but a spiritual leader who came to strengthen the Kingdom of God.

In Sunday's Gospel Matthew compares the Kingdom of Heaven first to a lost treasure and then to a fine pearl of great value. In both cases the person who discovered the treasure or the fine pearl joyfully sold everything she or he owned to gain possession of the treasure or pearl. This single-minded response to finding the Kingdom is what Jesus is calling his disciples to. In Jesus' time it was common for people to bury their valuables to protect them from invading armies. Because Palestine was located at the crossroads of three continents it was a prime piece of real estate, and many wars were fought there. The city of Megiddo, located in the area of Galilee, was known to have had more battles fought there than anywhere else in the world. Also, during this time in history, pearls were in great demand and ranked as high as gold as symbols of wealth. Jesus uses the hidden treasure and the fine pearl—both valuable earthly possessions—to emphasize the value of the Kingdom of Heaven. It makes no difference whether one learns about the Kingdom by accident, as in coming upon a buried treasure, or after a long time of searching, as in the merchant's search for fine pearls. When one finds the Kingdom of Heaven, he or she feels great joy and sacrifices everything to attain it. In using these two parables, Jesus illustrates for the disciples the zeal that they should have in pursuing the Kingdom and asks them to wholeheartedly embrace the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew closes chapter 13 (verses 51-52) by emphasizing that the disciple who understands the value of the Kingdom of Heaven must take responsibility for sharing it with others.

Tradition Connection
In Sunday's parables Jesus points out that the two individuals sold everything to gain the buried treasure and the fine pearl and that they did it with joy. Sacrificing everything for the Kingdom of Heaven brings the disciple great joy because it restores hope—hope in the happiness of eternal life. Eternal life is promised to every believer who lives a life dedicated to Jesus and his teachings. This hope creates within the believer a desire or longing for the Kingdom of Heaven. Through the grace of God the believer begins living the reality of the Kingdom here on earth:

Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ's promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit. "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful."1 "The Holy Spirit . . . he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life"2 (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1817).

Emboldened by the hope of eternal life, believers live in a way that empowers them to follow Jesus' teachings—to love God and others. Believers allow every circumstance in their lives to be influenced by the conviction that they are living as members of the Kingdom here on earth. Committed to lives of holiness, believers are filled with joy and perseverance because they are intimately connected to Jesus, here and now, and look forward to the promise of eternal life and happiness:

We can therefore hope in the glory of heaven promised by God to those who love him and do his will.3 In every circumstance, each one of us should hope, with the grace of God, to persevere "to the end"4 and to obtain the joy of heaven, as God's eternal reward for the good works accomplished with the grace of Christ. In hope, the Church prays for "all men to be saved."5 She longs to be united with Christ, her Bridegroom, in the glory of heaven: "Hope, O my soul, hope. You know neither the day nor the hour. Watch carefully, for everything passes quickly, even though your impatience makes doubtful what is certain, and turns a very short time into a long one. Dream that the more you struggle, the more you prove the love that you bear your God, and the more you will rejoice one day with your Beloved, in a happiness and rapture that can never end"6 (Catechism, paragraph 1821).

Wisdom Connection
Today's Gospel teaches us the great value of the Kingdom of Heaven. It is like a hidden treasure or a fine pearl that a person finds unexpectedly or after a long search and then sacrifices everything she or he has to obtain it. The parables express the joy a person experiences in finding the great treasure of God in her or his life and the total commitment required in being a member of the Kingdom. Whether we come to know the Kingdom by accident or after a long search, we must recognize that it is priceless and must be ready to sacrifice everything to hold on to it. To be a disciple is to be single-hearted in accepting the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus wants his listeners to break out of their conventional way of thinking about the Kingdom of God and not confine it to a worldly kingdom that idealizes the past.

You may have heard the saying, "where your heart is, there your treasure lies." Is there anything for which you would sell everything to possess it? The cost of being part of the Kingdom of Heaven is no less than everything.

Acknowledgments
The scriptural quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Catholic Edition. Copyright © 1993 and 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

The quotations labeled Catechism are from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America. Copyright © 1994 by the United States Catholic Conference, Inc.—Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission.

Endnotes cited in quotations from the Catechism of the Catholic Church

1. Hebrews 10:23.
2. Titus 3:6-7.
3. Cf. Romans 8:28-30; Matthew 7:21.
4. Matthew 10:22; cf. Council of Trent: Denzinger-Schönmetzer, Enchiridion Symbolorum, definitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum (1965) 1541.
5. 1 Timothy 2:4
6. St. Teresa of Avila, Excl. 15:3.

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 3, 2014
Matthew 14:13-21

Opening Prayer

Jesus, give us the grace to see that everything we have been given is gift—a gift that when shared to feed the hungers of other human needs becomes a blessing to the world. Help us to see our potential, instead of our inadequacies, to be God's compassionate presence in our world today. Amen.

Context Connection
This Sunday's Gospel opens with Jesus hearing about the death of his cousin John the Baptist at the hands of Herod. Jesus' response is to get into a boat and withdraw to a deserted place to be alone in prayer, and, perhaps, to seek refuge from the irrational actions of Herod. Still in mourning for his cousin, Jesus encounters a large crowd waiting for him when he arrives on the seashore. Jesus is filled with compassion for the crowd, which motivates him to cure the sick among them. In his sorrow Jesus lays his heart next to the hearts of those in need of healing and makes them whole. Jesus' compassion moves him to meet the needs of the people even though he is still in mourning for his cousin. Jesus continues to heal throughout the day and into the evening. Already well past the dinner hour, the disciples approach Jesus and ask him to stop what he is doing and to dismiss the crowd so that they can get some food in the surrounding area: "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves" (14:15). Jesus' response surprises and challenges the disciples: "They need not go away; you give them something to eat" (14:16). Jesus wants his disciples to have the same compassion for the people as he has—to see their needs and reach out to care for them. The disciples do not understand and respond by saying, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish" (14:17). From the disciples' perspective, five loaves and two fish are not enough to feed the crowd, but from Jesus' perspective it is sufficient. After asking the disciples to bring him what they have, Jesus orders the crowd to sit down to prepare to receive something to eat. Jesus demonstrates for his disciples how to show compassion for the crowd. Taking the five loaves and two fish, Jesus gives thanks using, most likely, the traditional Jewish prayer a father would say before a meal: "Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth." Jesus then breaks the bread and gives it to his disciples, which empowers them to give it to the crowd. The amazing result is that all eat and are satisfied. They even collect 12 baskets of leftovers. Matthew closes the account by giving an estimate of how large the crowd was: "those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children" (14:21).

This story is found in each of the four Gospels. Christians see a connection between the feeding of the crowd and the story of Jesus' Last Supper. In Matthew's Gospel Jesus' gestures of taking, blessing, breaking, and giving the bread to everyone assembled are repeated in his account of the Last Supper (26:26–29). Matthew's community would later see this as a model for celebrating the Eucharist. Today these same gestures and words are used in our liturgical celebration of the Eucharist, particularly when the priest uses Eucharistic Prayer I. The feeding of the crowd not only foreshadows the Last Supper and our Eucharistic celebration today, but it also points to the anticipated future banquet in heaven described in Isaiah 55:1–3. Isaiah speaks of a time when all will be fed without cost or labor, when the providence of a merciful God will sustain us. This is in contrast to the fate of Adam and Eve when they are expelled by God from the garden:

By the sweat of your face

you shall eat bread

until you return to the ground,

for out of it you were taken;

you are dust,

and to dust you shall return.

(Genesis 3:19)

As in Isaiah, Matthew's emphasis is on the inclusive care of our God—all are fed.

Tradition Connection
The feeding of the large crowd with five loaves and two fish speaks of the miracle of the Eucharist that we share as Christians. The unique bread of the Eucharist can feed any hunger human souls experience. This bread is intended to be blessed, broken, and shared. Because of these actions, this seemingly limited bread becomes superabundant—feeding a multitude of hungers. This bread is intended for everyone:

The miracles of the multiplication of the loaves, when the Lord says the blessing, breaks and distributes the loaves through his disciples to feed the multitude, prefigure the superabundance of this unique bread of his Eucharist.1 The sign of water turned into wine at Cana already announces the Hour of Jesus' glorification. It makes manifest the fulfillment of the wedding feast in the Father's kingdom, where the faithful will drink the new wine that has become the Blood of Christ 2 (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1335).

The bread and wine used in Eucharist become the Body and Blood of Jesus through the words of consecration. Jesus, the Paschal lamb, was sacrificed to bring about the salvation of all humankind. This Eucharistic bread is the only kind of bread that satisfies the hungers of humankind. Regular bread only satisfies for a short time, but the Eucharistic bread, which is a foreshadowing of the heavenly banquet that Isaiah speaks of, has the ability to satisfy for an eternity:

Because it is the memorial of Christ's Passover, the Eucharist is also a sacrifice. The sacrificial character of the Eucharist is manifested in the very words of institution: "This is my body which is given for you" and "This cup which is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my blood."3 In the Eucharist Christ gives us the very body which he gave up for us on the cross, the very blood which he "poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins"4 (Catechism, paragraph 1365).

Eucharist is the greatest sign of hope that Jesus gives us. Through Eucharist righteousness comes to dwell in our hearts, making us alive in Jesus Christ. Eucharist is the antidote to death brought about by the sin of Adam and Eve, and it is the heavenly banquet that every believer anticipates in eternal life:

There is no surer pledge or clearer sign of this great hope in the new heavens and new earth "in which righteousness dwells,"5 than the Eucharist. Every time this mystery is celebrated, "the work of our redemption is carried on" and we "break the one bread that provides the medicine of immortality, the antidote for death, and the food that makes us live for ever in Jesus Christ"6 (Catechism, paragraph 1405).

Wisdom Connection
In this Sunday's Gospel Jesus invites his disciples to act in response to the needs of the crowd, to respond to the hunger that they see before them. That hunger may be a physical hunger, as in the need for food, but it may also be a spiritual hunger. To feed someone means encountering an individual at a fundamental point of need. It is an invitation to become intimately familiar with what it means to be human and weak. Through this story Jesus invites his disciples to learn what it means to embrace, with compassion, all who hunger.

Initially the disciples' response is very tentative. When Jesus tells the disciples to give the crowd something to eat they say, "We have nothing" (14:17), when in fact they had something—five loaves and two fish. The five loaves and two fish were enough. At the prospect of feeding such a large crowd, the disciples were looking at what they did not have rather than at what they did have. In facing similar challenges, we might ask ourselves how we respond. Do we look at our inadequacies and, out of fear, choose not to use what we have been given because we judge it is not enough? In God's Kingdom whatever we have is more than enough if we allow God to act through us. Therefore when we take what we have, offer it to God to be blessed, and then share it with others, it is sufficient—more than sufficient—to meet the needs of God's people.

Acknowledgments
The scriptural quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Catholic Edition. Copyright © 1993 and 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

The quotations labeled Catechism are from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America. Copyright © 1994 by the United States Catholic Conference, Inc.—Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission.

Endnotes cited in quotations from the Catechism of the Catholic Church

1. Cf. Matthew 14:13-21; 15:32-39.
2. Cf. John 2:11; Mark 14:25.
3. Luke 22:19-20.
4. Matthew 26:28.
5. 2 Peter 3:13.
6. Lumen gentium 3; St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Eph. 20, 2: Sources Chrétiennes (Paris: 1942-) 10, 76.

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 10, 2014
Matthew 14:22-33

Opening Prayer

Jesus, your words to Peter are also meant for us as we continue to walk the journey of faith. May the faith we do have, as little and as imperfect as it might be, be enough to always hear and follow your command in our lives. Amen.

Context Connection
This Sunday's Gospel story of Jesus walking on the water is found only in the Gospel of Matthew. This story flows directly from last Sunday's Gospel of Jesus feeding a large crowd with five loaves and two fish. After feeding the crowd, Jesus has his disciples take him across the Sea of Galilee to a place where he can pray: "Immediately [Jesus] made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side" (14:22). Jesus then goes up a mountain alone to pray while the disciples remain in the boat. A storm with a fierce wind comes during the night and pushes the boat out into the sea: "The boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them" (14:24). Some translations use language that indicates that the waves were violent and the boat was being tossed about. Storms on the Sea of Galilee are a frequent occurrence, and the disciples had experienced them before. In Matthew 8:23–27 the disciples wake Jesus to calm the waters because they are afraid. In this story the disciples do not seem to be afraid of the storm. Their fear evolves from seeing what they perceive is a ghost walking toward them in the early morning or, as some translations state, "during the fourth watch," which was between three and six o'clock in the morning: "when the disciples saw [Jesus] walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, 'It is a ghost!'" (14:26). Because humans don't normally walk on water, this seemed like a logical conclusion. Jesus, however, is quick to identify himself: "Immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, 'Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid'" (14:27). Peter continues to question the identity of this being who is walking on the water: "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water" (14:28). Jesus commands Peter to do so with the imperative "Come!" (14:29). Peter gets out of the boat and begins to walk on the water toward Jesus; but when Peter allows his attention to be focused on the strong winds of the storm rather than on Jesus, he becomes frightened and begins to sink. Peter cries out, "Lord, save me!" (14:30). "Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, 'You of little faith, why did you doubt?'" (14:31). This is the same response Jesus gives the disciples in Matthew 8:26. Jesus recognizes that the disciples do have faith; even though it might be "little faith" it is not absent. As Jesus and Peter get into the boat the storm ceases. Then those in the boat give witness to Jesus' true identity based on their experience: "Truly you [Jesus] are the Son of God" (14:33).

In this story Matthew is drawing some parallels between Jesus' walking on the water and God's power over the chaos of the waters of the sea in the Old Testament. (See Exodus 14:21-29; Job 9:8; Psalm 77:16-20.) When Jesus identifies himself so that the disciples will know he is not a ghost, he says, "it is I" (14:27). In the Old Testament Moses comes to know God as "I AM WHO I AM" or "I AM" (Exodus 3:14). Matthew is pointing to the true identity of Jesus as God by having him say, "it is I" (14:27). The disciples give testimony to Jesus' true identity by responding, "Truly you [Jesus] are the Son of God" (14:33).

Tradition Connection
In this Sunday's Gospel Jesus speaks of Peter as being of "little faith" but then reveals to him and the disciples his true identity as the Son of God by having power over the stormy sea. Jesus, the manifestation of God made human, walked among human beings as friend and continues to invite people into a relationship of love through which he makes the invisible God known: "By his Revelation, 'the invisible God, from the fullness of his love, addresses men as his friends, and moves among them, in order to invite and receive them into his own company.'"1 The adequate response to this invitation is faith" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 142).

In this story Jesus' command to "come" to him on the water challenges Peter to completely submit himself to the will of God. In obedience Peter leaves the boat and walks on the water. Peter's obedience is based in a growing faith in Jesus. God asks all who profess belief in Jesus to totally dedicate their intellect and will to God: "By faith, man completely submits his intellect and his will to God.2 With his whole being man gives his assent to God the revealer. Sacred Scripture calls this human response to God, the author of revelation, 'the obedience of faith'"3 (Catechism, paragraph 143).

Why do we believe? Because we have come to know and understand that all has been revealed to us through the Scriptures, in the person of Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Spirit, who comes from God. It is God himself who reveals these truths, and God would never deceive us. We come to understand the truth of our faith through our personal relationship with Jesus and through our intellect:

What moves us to believe is not the fact that revealed truths appear as true and intelligible in the light of our natural reason: we believe "because of the authority of God himself who reveals them, who can neither deceive nor be deceived."4 So "that the submission of our faith might nevertheless be in accordance with reason, God willed that external proofs of his Revelation should be joined to the internal helps of the Holy Spirit."5 Thus the miracles of Christ and the saints, prophecies, the Church's growth and holiness, and her fruitfulness and stability "are the most certain signs of divine Revelation, adapted to the intelligence of all"; they are "motives of credibility" (motiva credibilitatis), which show that the assent of faith is "by no means a blind impulse of the mind"6 (Catechism, paragraph 156).

Wisdom Connection
If we believe that Jesus is the Son of God then we need to place our faith in him. Encouraged by Jesus, Peter was able to step out of the tiny boat, the only place that was secure at that moment, and walk on the stormy water. Peter's "little faith" was strong enough to enable him to begin the walk toward Jesus. Peter's faith, "neither perfect nor absent," allowed him to be open to God's presence and power in his life. As long as Peter kept his focus on Jesus and did not allow the other stormy things around him to be a distraction, Peter did not falter. Only when Peter was distracted did he slip beneath the waves. Is this not our story as well? In faith we begin to walk toward Jesus, but we also encounter distractions that cause us to lose our focus. It is precisely in this moment that Jesus reaches out to us and catches us as he did Peter. God stands with us on the journey of life, asking us to place our faith in him. God continues to reveal to us that power lies not in things that destroy, but in love that challenges death and brings new life.

Each of us is challenged to respond to Jesus' invitation to "come." We must leave our safe places as Peter left the boat, believing that God's love will conquer every fear. During those times when we may be afraid or overcome by doubts, Jesus is there reaching out to us, strengthening us for the journey toward the light. If we never leave the safety of the "boat," however, we will never be able to give witness to Jesus' true identity and to the saving power of God's love.

Acknowledgments
The scriptural quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Catholic Edition. Copyright © 1993 and 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

The quotations labeled Catechism are from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America. Copyright © 1994 by the United States Catholic Conference, Inc.—Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission.

Endnotes cited in quotations from the Catechism of the Catholic Church

1. Dei Verbum 2; cf. Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Exodus 33:11; John 15:14-15; Baruch 3:38 (Vulg.).
2. Cf. Dei Verbum 5.
3. Cf. Romans 1:5; 16:26.
4. Dei Filius 3: Denzinger-Schönmetzer, Enchiridion Symbolorum, definitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum (1965) 3008.
5. Dei Filius 3: Denzinger-Schönmetzer, Enchiridion Symbolorum, definitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum (1965) 3009.
6. Dei Filius 3: Denzinger-Schönmetzer, Enchiridion Symbolorum, definitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum (1965) 3008-10; cf. Mark 16:20; Hebrews 2:4.

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 17, 2014
Matthew 15:21-28

Opening Prayer

Jesus, the Canaanite woman was persistent in her pursuit of you and in asking you to heal her daughter. Help us to nurture the same kind of tenacity in our faith, knowing with confidence that you hear and answer all our prayers. Amen.

Context Connection
Jesus' earlier command to his disciples provides the context for this Sunday's Gospel: "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 10:5–6). With these words Jesus sends forth the Twelve to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven. In this statement Jesus clearly affirms the traditional Jewish understanding that salvation was first for the Jews. This norm provides the backdrop for the story of the Canaanite woman.

Jesus leaves the Gennesaret area, located on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, and travels a short distance to the district of Tyre and Sidon, located on the Mediterranean Sea north of Israel. This area is now part of Lebanon. It is not clear whether Jesus has entered the district of Tyre and Sidon when a Canaanite woman approaches him: "Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, 'Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon'" (15:22). The use of the phrase "Canaanite woman" clearly designates a certain identity to this woman. Canaanite is an ancient name used for the pagan inhabitants of the land of Canaan, the area where Abraham eventually settled as well as the Israelites upon their return from their slavery in Egypt. Matthew wants his audience to know that this woman is a Gentile, a non-Jew. This woman must have been familiar with Jesus' reputation for healing because she is asking that her daughter be healed of a demon. Even though she is not a Jew, the Canaanite woman uses a Jewish expression of prayer and a messianic title to address Jesus. Jesus ignores her and does not immediately respond to her request. Meanwhile, the disciples urge Jesus to get rid of her because she is drawing attention to them with her shouting. According to the culture of the day, if someone asked another person for mercy there was an expectation that the request would be granted. This expectation could have added to the disciples' discomfort because the crowd would then be watching them to see if Jesus would grant the request of a Gentile woman.

Jesus emphasizes the point he made earlier in chapter 10 of Matthew's Gospel: "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (15:24). The woman is persistent and kneels before Jesus, saying, "Lord, help me" (15:25). Jesus responds, "It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs" (15:26). It was common for the Israelites to refer to themselves as the children of God and to the Gentiles as dogs. Despite being called a dog, the Canaanite woman cleverly and quick-wittedly responds, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table" (15:27). The woman seizes the opportunity to show her tenacity in the face of silence, adversity, and insult. Jesus acknowledges this display of courage and tenacity in the woman and grants her request: "Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish" (15:28). Jesus names the Canaanite woman's strong will and persistence in faith as the reason her daughter is healed.

Tradition Connection
Jesus reveals that God wants everyone to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. It is not reserved for an exclusive or select group but available for all. Jesus, however, never diminishes in any way God's gift of free will, but his life does serve as a blueprint of how to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven if we so choose:

Everyone is called to enter the kingdom. First announced to the children of Israel, this messianic kingdom is intended to accept men of all nations.1 To enter it, one must first accept Jesus' word: "The word of the Lord is compared to a seed which is sown in a field; those who hear it with faith and are numbered among the little flock of Christ have truly received the kingdom. Then, by its own power, the seed sprouts and grows until the harvest"2 (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 543).

In the New Testament we often read that the Kingdom of Heaven is for those who are poor in spirit. This refers to those who are willing to do God's will and to place Gospel values before individual personal gain. The Canaanite woman gives witness to this kind of person by putting her daughter's needs first and by seeking out Jesus to heal her daughter of the demon regardless of the personal cost to her. Because the Canaanite woman is able to let go of wanting to control God and because she places her faith in God, she is able to witness to the disciples that trust in the will of God leads to grace:

The kingdom belongs to the poor and lowly, which means those who have accepted it with humble hearts. Jesus is sent to "preach good news to the poor";3 he declares them blessed, for "theirs is the kingdom of heaven."4 To them—the "little ones"—the Father is pleased to reveal what remains hidden from the wise and the learned.5 Jesus shares the life of the poor, from the cradle to the cross; he experiences hunger, thirst, and privation.6 Jesus identifies himself with the poor of every kind and makes active love toward them the condition for entering his kingdom7 (Catechism, paragraph 544).

Faith in Jesus, and in his Father who sent him, is the key to salvation. Everything else is based on this fundamental belief:

Believing in Jesus Christ and in the One who sent him for our salvation is necessary for obtaining that salvation.8 "Since 'without faith it is impossible to please [God]' and to attain to the fellowship of his sons, therefore without faith no one has ever attained justification, nor will anyone obtain eternal life 'but he who endures to the end'"9 (Catechism, paragraph 161).

Wisdom Connection
Matthew preserves the story of the Canaanite woman in his writings because it was important to his community. Relations between Jews by birth who converted to Christianity—those who were in the majority—and Gentiles who converted to Christianity were very sensitive. This story points out that the Canaanite woman's great faith is the one criterion that Jesus judges as most important. Therefore, the criterion for being a member of a Christian community should be based on one's faith in Jesus Christ and not on a person's origin of birth—such as being a Jew or a Gentile. This is a break from the traditional Jewish understanding that salvation is first and, therefore, exclusively for the Jews. A glimpse of God's plan of salvation is foretold in Isaiah's vision of a time when the house of God "shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples" (56:7). But the healing of the Canaanite woman's daughter is the first indication that this time has arrived and that there is a place for Gentiles in God's plan of salvation. Salvation now extends beyond "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (15:24). Salvation is for everyone.

Acknowledgments
The scriptural quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Catholic Edition. Copyright © 1993 and 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

The quotations labeled Catechism are from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America. Copyright © 1994 by the United States Catholic Conference, Inc.—Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission.

Endnotes cited in quotations from the Catechism of the Catholic Church

1. Cf. Matthew 8:11; 10:5-7; 28:19.
2. Lumen gentium 5; cf. Mark 4:14, 26-29; Luke 12:32.
3. Luke 4:18; cf. 7:22.
4. Matthew 5:3.
5. Cf. Matthew 11:25.
6. Cf. Matthew 21:18; Mark 2:23-26; John 4:6-7; 19:28; Luke 9:58.
7. Cf. Matthew 25:31-46.
8. Cf. Mark 16:16; John 3:36; 6:40 et al.
9. Dei Filius 3: Denzinger-Schönmetzer, Enchiridion Symbolorum, definitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum (1965) 3012; cf. Matthew 10:22; 24:13 and Hebrews 11:6; Council of Trent: Denzinger-Schönmetzer, Enchiridion Symbolorum, definitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum (1965) 1532.

Saint Francis Solano "went places" for the Gospel. He was a Franciscan missionary who left his native Spain to preach the Gospel in South America (in what is now Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Peru). He was noted for his simple austerity, his service to the poor, and his defense of indigenous peoples. He learned many native languages (if had lived today, he would have certainly Tweeted and texted) and shared his love of music by playing the violin to those to whom he preached. The revolution of tenderness!

Mission San Francisco Solano is the 21st, last, and northernmost mission of the California missions, and was named for Saint Francis Solano in 1823. It is in Sonoma, California. While no longer an active church, it is maintained as a historical site and museum.

To learn more about Saint Francis Solano, go to the interactive Liturgical Calendar on the Saint Mary's Press website.