Tag: Beth Price

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The readings today are so so fitting as we celebrate the memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi.  Francis, like Job in the first reading, had a privileged life, both being from upper-middle-class families. Job had his world changed by a conversation between God and Satan, yet today we see that Job is not condemning God, but longing for God.

In a similar way, Saint Francis gave back all of his earthly father’s possessions to allow himself to be consumed with the trials and teachings of his heavenly Father and his Son. This was not an easy path, yet both Francis and Job found consolation in the psalm of today, “I believe I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living”.  Each was faithful in their personal prayers to God.

For Francis, the call to a ‘gospel way of life’ was tugging at his heart once he made the commitment to follow the ways of God. He saw God in the world around him: the lepers, beggars, the Saracens, all non-believers, animals and all of creation. At times, we forget that it is God, not just Satan, that can be found in our world. Francis also sent his brothers in community, the friars minor, or little brothers, into the world just as Jesus said to do in today’s gospel from Luke.

As we go through our day today, try to go out of your comfort zone and reach out to someone you don’t usually interact with. Try looking at your day (or domain in which you travel) as outside your household and make an action from Jesus’ and Francis’ playbook: treat the stranger or one who you don’t know so well, as a brother or sister created in God’s image. Give a smile or head nod, start a conversation when you wouldn’t normally do so. If it’s welcomed by the other, great! If not, say a silent prayer for the individual.

If that’s way out of your comfort zone and you like to walk or jog, take a plastic bag with you and plog by picking up some trash on your way and dispose of it when you get home.

Caring for creation is a wonderful way of giving glory to God! Spend some time with St. Francis’ prayer for Creation. May your day be blessed. Shalom.

O most High, almighty, good Lord God,
to you belong praise, glory, honor, and all blessing!

Praised be my Lord God with all creatures;
and especially our brother the sun,
which brings us the day, and the light;
fair is he, and shining with a very great splendor:
O Lord, he signifies you to us!

Praised be my Lord for our sister the moon,
and for the stars,
which God has set clear and lovely in heaven.

Praised be my Lord for our brother the wind,
and for air and cloud, calms and all weather,
by which you uphold in life all creatures.

Praised be my Lord for our sister water,
which is very serviceable to us,
and humble, and precious, and clean.

Praised be my Lord for brother fire,
through which you give us light in the darkness:
and he is bright, and pleasant, and very mighty,
and strong.

Praised be my Lord for our mother the Earth,
which sustains us and keeps us,
and yields divers fruits, and flowers of
many colors, and grass.

Praised be my Lord for all those who pardon
one another for God’s love’s sake,
and who endure weakness and tribulation;
blessed are they who peaceably shall endure,
for you, O most High, shall give them a crown!

Praised be my Lord for our sister,
the death of the body, from which no one escapes.
Woe to him who dies in mortal sin!
Blessed are they who are found walking by your
most holy will,
for the second death shall have no power to do
them harm.

Praise you, and bless you the Lord,
and give thanks to God, and serve God
with great humility.

(St. Francis, 1182-1226)

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Beth Price is a Secular Franciscan (OFS) and spiritual director who has worked in several parish ministry roles during the last 20 years. She is a proud mother of 3 adult children. Beth currently works at Diocesan. You can contact her at bprice@diocesan.com.

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Today’s readings speak about following the light. We are called to clear out our boastful, prideful, wicked, immoral, malicious ways (yes, all of these in the reading from 1 Cor 5) so that we may be clean, and led in justice to hear his voice and follow the Lord.

I find my human nature relies heavily on the sacraments and scriptures to be vigilantly clean, helping me to avoid the sins listed above. It is so easy to fall into old habits or be caught up in gossip and judgemental conversations (which, of course, leads to my being boastful or full of pride in my own virtue, nay, lack thereof). How many times have I made a snide remark, oh so cautiously said to my companions who nod in agreement with my negative comment? Would Jesus speak this way about his friends? Would God want me to attack my neighbor with little criticisms that undercut that person’s confidence or relationship with a spouse, child, co-worker or neighbor?

I can think of too many situations where I have witnessed a situation where someone in the group has been spoken to in a way that you can visibly see their confidence wither or the light in their eyes change. How many times have I neglected to speak out or intervene in the group, or go console the one affected after the fact? Does that make me the ‘goody two shoes’ or ‘girl scout,’ that I have been accused of before?. Being a bully, hurting no matter how well-intentioned the teasing may be if the recipient is hurt by it, is bullying. Unless you really know someone’s personal history, you may not be aware of what deep seeded hurt you may have unintentionally brought to mind.

Being compassionate is one of the reasons I follow Jesus. Jesus, in compassion for the man with the withered hand, healed him on the Sabbath in front of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus knew they would be angry because he broke the law (of not working on the Sabbath) to help the man who would have been viewed as unclean due to the deformity of a withered hand. He was living the new law, to love your neighbor as yourself.

Today is part of Rosh Hashanah, a ten-day period of the Days of Awe, and a time for introspection and casting out of sins in the Jewish faith. I find myself thinking of the thief at Jesus’ left hand at Gethsemane. He knew he was not worthy, yet spoke up in Jesus’ defense to his companion in crime, the thief on the right. Jesus pardoned him and told him he would join him in paradise. May each of us continue to ask for pardon when we sin and cause others to suffer or sin. May we hear the Lord’s voice and follow him as he leads us in justice, truth and light.

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Beth Price is a Secular Franciscan (OFS) and spiritual director who has worked in several parish ministry roles during the last 20 years. She is a proud mother of 3 adult children. Beth currently works at Diocesan. You can contact her at bprice@diocesan.com.

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“…God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong,…” 1 Cor 1:27

The readings today are very timely to help address the challenges within our church. Edward Hays’ writings, “Holy Fools and Mad Hatters” came to mind in particular. In his book, Fr. Hays gives many insights as to what it means to be a holy fool. He speaks about early Christian mystics (most notably St. Francis of Assisi) who humbly went about seeking change in the Church and the world’s view of the poor and outcast.

At the time, many thought Francis was a fool for Christ. There were many challenges and corruption in the Church. Francis wholeheartedly and faithfully loved the Church. He went about seeking to reform the Church by loving it more. He preached the Gospels and loving all as Christ would love. He did not ridicule or cast stones at the Church hierarchy, yet loved them more (as he too was a sinner, he could not cast a stone). He prayed for reforms in the Church leaders and abusers of power. He sacrificed and repented for the conversion of the souls of the unjust; for change in the status quo by living through the example of Jesus Christ in the Gospels.

As a professed member of the Secular Franciscan order, I was deeply heartened by my national executive council (representing over 6,000 Secular Franciscans) response to the current scandal in the Church.

Here is the bulk of their message:

“It saddens all of us that a small minority of men who committed to serve the Church betrayed the promises they made to serve and used their positions of being an authority figure to aid predatory behavior; truly we have wolves in sheep’s clothing. (Mt 7:15) If it were only a case of a few parish priests, the trust of Church leaders might be more easily re-established; but when it is demonstrated that our chief shepherds, the bishops, were involved in secrecy, cover-ups and payouts, the trust, respect and moral authority of the Church as an institution suffers great damage. We must all face the truth and make no excuse for those who are guilty of these crimes against the living stones of the Church, the mystical body of Christ; those who have been unfaithful spouses to the Church as the Bride of Christ!

St John Chrysostom, a fourth-century bishop, described pastors as the “salt of the earth.”
(Mt 5:13) He said of pastors, “If others lose their savor, then your ministry will help them regain it. But if you yourselves suffer that loss, you will drag others down with you.” Sisters and brothers, we have witnessed many being dragged down by those shepherds who have lost their savor as the salt of the earth.

Some demons can only be cast out through prayer and fasting. (Mark 9:29) This is our call to action! Our Lord asked St. Francis to rebuild the Church which was falling into ruin. Are we called to do anything less as followers of Francis? Francis lived his vocation authentically as a living example of Gospel Life. We must do the same. Only by living an authentic Gospel life will our light shine and the Church be rebuilt.

We must also stand with our brothers and sisters who have and are serving the Church as good and faithful servants. These men and women who are committed to their call are now called to be suffering servants. They are guilty by association with the Church institution that has betrayed their trust. How difficult it will be for them to preach the Gospel as representatives of a Church that has lost its moral authority in the public square and the pew. We must stand by those faithful servants and help them continue to look after the well-being of others.

We stand in support of the victims and in favor of holding those responsible for these crimes accountable for their actions. We pray for healing, forgiveness, peace, reconciliation and a Church that will be rebuilt and with God’s grace, and the movement of Holy Spirit, one day, will once again be a beacon of light, hope, and refuge. Let us go forth and witness to the light of Christ and rebuild the Church so that it may once again be full of grace and truth.
The National Executive Council of the Secular Franciscan Order USA (OFS-USA) August 26, 2018″

We can use our prayers, sacrifices, and voices to be part of the solution, similar to the two servants with the five and two talents in today’s gospel reading, or we can choose to do nothing and bury our heads in the sand as the servant buried his master’s talents.

Pray with me:

Lord Jesus, the Church, Your Bride, is suffering from a profound confusion. Your people feel betrayed, confused, and are weary of scandal. But You are the same yesterday, today, and forever! We turn to You, the Rock on which we stand in expectation. Shed on us Your light. Give us Your peace. Show us the way that you desire for each of us. St. Michael, friend of the friends of God, protect and defend us. St. Joseph, protector of the universal Church, pray for us. Mary, Mother of the Church, intercede for us!

What are you prepared to do for your church? What can you sacrifice today to make way for grace? Here are some extra words for thought from Fr. Lankeit in Phoenix, his homily from 8/26/18.

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Beth Price is a Secular Franciscan (OFS) and spiritual director who has worked in several parish ministry roles during the last 20 years. She is a proud mother of 3 adult children. Beth currently works at Diocesan. You can contact her at bprice@diocesan.com

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As I prayed with today’s readings I kept going back to the kingdom of heaven being similar to a wedding feast for a king’s son, like in the gospel and the first reading when the Lord says “I prove my holiness through you.” Ezekiel goes on to speak about cleansing us from our impurities and giving us a new heart and spirit, taking away our stony heart and receiving a natural heart. We are made holy by this process and are given the Lord’s spirit so we can live by his statutes, careful to observe his decrees. We go through preparation to be his instruments (people) on earth.

I compare this to how we go through preparations for all the sacraments we receive in the church. Granted, as infants it’s our parents who go through the formation (the babes scrubbed clean and clothed in a white garment). Pause and think back on your own reception of sacraments: How did you have to prepare? Was family coming to the special liturgy or a party to celebrate after? What were you feeling about the upcoming event? Looking back, were you ready to receive the gift that God was giving you in the sacrament?

Fast forward to this past weekend; were you prepared to receive God’s gift in the Eucharist or were you like the guest at the wedding feast who was not in a wedding garment? Were you just going through the motions or were you really present at the feast being prepared at the altar in church?

I find myself thinking about the gospel reading and the man not dressed in a wedding garment. He showed up as he was asked to do, but had not prepared himself. He was reduced to silence either from shame or guilt when asked why he was there without a wedding garment. I cannot imagine the shock he would feel from hearing the king’s statement,

“Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Many are invited, but few are chosen.”  

How many times have I not taken the time to change into something a little dressier and just shown up at Mass? I’m not talking about the times I may have dressed for the task I have to do right after Mass (like going to work or a building site), because I’m hoping that my intent to be present for morning liturgy trumps taking the time to change right after Mass is over so as not to add any more time to my busy day. Was I really taking to heart the prayer said right before I received communion “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” Isn’t it another way of asking the Lord to take the stony heart from my body and giving me a natural heart?

I am worthy of a natural heart because of my baptism. I want to be chosen to enter the kingdom of heaven and not found wanting, and then to be cast out into the darkness, wailing that I was not ready. It is my job to prepare myself for the feast.

Help me Lord, to hear your voice, to keep your statutes and a humble, contrite heart, so I will be welcome when I am called to your kingdom. Amen.

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Beth Price is a Secular Franciscan (OFS) and spiritual director who has worked in several parish ministry roles during the last 20 years. She is a proud mother of 3 adult children. Beth currently works at Diocesan. You can contact her at bprice@diocesan.com.

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The gospel today has Jesus saying, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you?” (Mt 17:17). He’s addressing the disciples who were not able to drive out a demon from a boy. Jesus’ exasperation brings a Mona Lisa smile to my face. Why? The apostles are so human and Jesus, as their Rabbi and teacher, has to help them focus, again. How many times do I make the same mistakes, can’t get a project done, forget to pick something (or someone) up? When I honestly look back to review the day or reflect on my process, or lack thereof, I tend to notice a pattern and one I hate to admit as it does happen frequently; I have usually forgotten to pray.

I have neglected to put my faith in my Lord and Savior. I did not call on Him when I began whatever task and intentionally ask for His will and blessing. When I skip that step, to begin the process with His intentions at the forefront of my thoughts, I seem to have many false starts. My focus is so scattered and my personal agenda is so prevalent that even my best intentions make the project a huge mess as I continue to fumble with my actions and words. I have to make myself stop, take a breath and call on the Lord to focus my next step. I have a very good friend who will actually call me out on this, asking me to stop and breathe before I continue as she had noticed my harried (or over-caffeinated) frenzied self.

I feel the same frustration that the apostles felt in not being able to accomplish the tasks that Jesus so easily seems to do. Jesus points out the disciples’ “little faith” and shares the parable of the mustard seed. St. Teresa of Calcutta had that kind of faith, as did St. Francis of Assisi. We celebrate today St. Clare of Assisi whose faith must have been bigger than a mustard seed. At the age of 18 in 1212, Clare fled her home in the middle of the night to escape an arranged marriage. Fleeing to the Portiuncula, the little chapel of St Mary of the Angels in Assisi, she asked Brother Francis to accept her into his order of ‘little’ brothers; Francis did so and cut off her hair (making her undesirable for marriage) much to her father, uncles and brothers’ chagrin. Women religious of the middle ages were cloistered. Clare wished the women following Francis’ example would be able to go out into the world to serve the poor. She faithfully pursued approval for her vision and rule for women which was granted by Pope Innocent IV, just 3 days before her death in 1253, 41 years later.

Living alongside the disciples and teaching them must have at times been frustrating for Jesus. There were moments when the apostles seemed to get it and to be following God’s way in faith.
But today’s Gospel shows us that there were times when Jesus became frustrated with their lack of focus. Through their inconsistency, the disciples make the gift of Jesus so much more profound.

Jesus’ absolute commitment to faith and connection to God changes lives in ways which the 12 seem incapable. Jesus’ power is very evident, and even in a moment of frustration, he does not waver. He continues his ministry to heal, preach and teach the apostles and all of his followers. Let us pray for faith rooted as mustard seeds so we too, can grow strong and flourish in our ministries and prayer life.

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Beth Price is a Secular Franciscan (OFS) and spiritual director who has worked in several parish ministry roles during the last 20 years. She is a proud mother of 3 adult children. Beth currently works at Diocesan. You can contact her at bprice@diocesan.com.

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The Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord is not a holy day of obligation in the Catholic Church. It is, however, written about in all three synoptic gospels: Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 9:2-9 and Luke 9:28-36. A Transfiguration account is also read on the second Sunday of Lent each year, proclaiming Christ’s divinity to the Elect in the RCIA process, as well as to those of us who are baptized.

I humbly submit that my words cannot come close to any of the reflections you may hear on this great feast day. I do, however, have a selection of  very good homilies you may like to listen to:

Cardinal Seán O’Malley, Aug 6, 2014, some wonderful insights in this homily addressing a gathering of Knights of Columbus. He has such a beautiful way of bringing in his personal experiences and relating them to the scripture. He speaks about a time with Pope Francis and also the transformative experience of St. Francis of Assisi with the leper.

Fr Joseph Mary, MFVA, has a wonderful homily which speaks about the source of unity through Jesus Christ in many great illustrations of community around us. If you don’t want to listen to the readings and psalm, scroll to the 8:45 time stamp on the Youtube video from the EWTN broadcast a few years ago.

Fr. Alex Valladares, from the Archdiocese of Mobile, has a powerful homily that looks at the Transfiguration. The actual Transfiguration probably occurred between 2 high feasts of the Jewish faith, Yom Kippur, or the Feast of Atonement and the Feast of the Tabernacles, Sukkot, which is also called the Feast of the Booths. This too, was broadcast on EWTN, and if you would prefer not to hear the readings of the day, start at 8:28 into the feed.

I don’t know if I have a favorite of the three. Each homily is so very different. That’s what draws me deeper into my faith. Each and every time I hear or read scripture or listen to a homily, the experience is unique and strikes me in ways that may not have resonated with me during my last hearing. What is a homily you enjoyed? Go back and take a listen to it. Although the same words, you may hear something entirely different.

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Beth Price is a Secular Franciscan (OFS) and spiritual director who has worked in several parish ministry roles during the last 20 years. She is a proud mother of 3 adult children. Beth currently works at Diocesan. You can contact her at bprice@diocesan.com

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“I will appoint over you shepherds after my own heart, who will shepherd you wisely and prudently.” Jer 3:15  

Today’s readings are full of imagery: rebellious children, shepherds after my own heart, the Lord guarding us as a shepherd guards his flock. I will turn their mourning into joy. Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance. The parable of the sower. So much wisdom, insight and beauty packed into 13 lines of scripture. That’s what keeps drawing me back to the scriptures; I can read a few verses that are very pertinent to my life in that moment. When I pick up the same verses either later that day, or the next year, the verses will not strike me in the same way it had before. (If you’ve not started using pencil in your bible to underline the verse or word that jumps out at you, I highly recommend it). Put a thin notebook in with your bible to jot down any insights, thoughts or phrases going through your mind as you reflect on the scripture verses. Yes, read them to yourself or out loud, and yes, more than once. Sit with whatever has caught your attention for a few minutes.This is a type of lectio divina.

What kept popping up to me as I read and listened to the Word was the good shepherd, who has kept the word with a generous heart, yielding a harvest through perseverance. Jesus Christ is the ultimate Good Shepherd, but who have been the shepherds on your own journey? The individual among the other sheep, who by his or her own perseverance of listening to the word, has invited or nudged you to follow the Lord?

Deacon Dean at my parish, is a wonderful homilist. Deacon Dean is a sheep of the flock, just like you and I. He perseveres in his service to the Lord through his prayer and leads through his daily practices and commitments in his life. He breaks open the Word through his own life struggles and prayer. My pastor has been sitting with Deacon’s Sunday homily all this week and sharing where his prayer has lead him during the daily homilies.  Both my pastor and deacon are shepherds (and sheep) whom I trust and follow. There are many members of my Franciscan fraternity, family and friends, authors and other leaders whose voices I trust and follow.

There are many people whose call I do not respond to as they represent a seed sown among thorns to me, as it seems “worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke out the word and bears no fruit” (Mt 13:22). For me, they may have had the “evil one steal away what had been sown in their hearts” and now do not hear the Good Shepherd’s voice in the word or world around them (Mt 13:19). I personally feel called to pray for all those who have this happen in their lives, and for the times when it has happened in my own. Pray with me, that the good shepherd open my eyes, ears and heart to follow the right leaders and path to the Lord.

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Beth Price is a Secular Franciscan (OFS) and spiritual director who has worked in several parish ministry roles during the last 20 years. She is a proud mother of 3 adult children. Beth currently works at Diocesan. You can contact her at bprice@diocesan.com

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The readings today are harsh. In the Gospel, Jesus is reproaching the towns in which many of his miracles had been done. Many of those in the towns did not repent and change their ways.

They saw people healed, heard his parables and teachings, tasted the wine changed from water yet they did not believe.  His practices fell on deaf ears. They harden their hearts to his voice.

How many times have I done that in my own life? I cannot even count the times I’ve mentally checked out at Mass and not paid attention to the liturgy of the Word or the liturgy of the Eucharistic sacrifice right before me. How many times have I heard about someone with a life ending illness or accident be miraculously healed, that I write off as a misdiagnosis or just a medical team supporting those involved in the process. I’m skeptical and sometimes cynical about many situations. Is it possible that the owner of an object that just went by me on a flatbed, totally unrecognizable as a car, survived with minor injuries? How are 12 boys and their soccer coach rescued after almost three weeks from a flooding cave in Thailand?

The answer for me is simple, because of faith. We choose to believe because of our faith in the healing, saving power of God. Faith helps guide and inspires us to dream and do the seemingly impossible or take the next small step in an arduous situation. Faith keeps hope alive.

Take a look at the language in the catechism that speaks about the theological virtues of faith, hope and love. Listen to the song Aware by Salvador: ‘Make me aware. Help me see that everything I am is not all about me.’ Let us not to harden our hearts to your voice Lord, in those things seen all around us. Let us grow in the virtues of faith, hope and love.

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Beth Price is a Secular Franciscan (OFS) and spiritual director who has worked in several parish ministry roles during the last 20 years. She is a proud mother of 3 adult children. Beth currently works at Diocesan. You can contact her at bprice@diocesan.com.

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“Your sins are forgiven”. Four words that are so very powerful. These words give me such peace when the priest confessor says them to me as I receive a blessing at the close of each and every confession. These four words tell me I have been reconciled with God. It brings great joy, and usually tears, as I hear them spoken to me. As Jesus says to the paralytic, “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven” (MT 9:2b).

In today’s reading, Jesus tells the paralytic man to “rise…and go home” (MT 9:6c). There is an action here. The man must leave and go home. From the confessional, I too must leave the presence of the Lord and go back into the world. I can’t just sit in the moment forever. After my confession and absolution, I have been asked by the priest to share my story with others, say some prayers, reflect on specific scripture readings, and a few other things, all requiring some action on my part. I believe each of us is called to go out and do something because we live in communities. We are to be witnesses to others, charged to do so by our baptism, as a light in the world.

Yes, I can go home and sit by myself – which I do regularly. God, however, does not want me, or you, to be alone all the time. We come together to be fed by the Word of God and Body of Jesus each time we go to Mass. At the end of Mass, we are all told to ‘go out and share the Good News’. You don’t have to do anything earthshaking. It can be as simple as smiling, coordinating Vacation Bible School (or buying supplies), helping a co-worker in a way you don’t normally assist, or speaking up when you see an injustice occur. Yes, absolutely tackle the big project or take the first step to healing a personal or societal ill on any level. You can take your gift of forgiveness and pray it forward by praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet for the sins of the world.

We are so very blessed as Catholic Christians. Now, take those blessings out into the world and share the Good News. Each new day, every new journey begins with one step, no matter the size. Take a breath, say a prayer and keep walking the Way with courage, child.

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Beth Price is a Secular Franciscan (OFS) and spiritual director who has worked in several parish ministry roles during the last 20 years. She is a proud mother of 3 adult children. Beth currently works at Diocesan. You can contact her at bprice@diocesan.com

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“Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord”, is the responsorial psalm for today. I don’t know about you, but I need this constant reminder. I must focus on the decrees of the Lord because it is too easy for me to think, ‘yea, yea, I know all that. Let me tell others what I think the Lord is saying to them in their own situations.’ Wrong! That is not the way to bear good fruit. As the Alleluia refrain reiterates, “Remain in me, as I remain in you, says the Lord; whoever remains in me will bear much fruit” JN 15:4a, 5b.

These passages always reminds me of 2 of my all time favorite saints. Mother Teresa (aka St. Teresa of Calcutta) and St. Francis of Assisi. As a member of the Secular Franciscans, I am part of 300,000 professed lay people who love and support the Church with a focus of the life and witness of St. Francis. St. Francis produced much good fruit because of his faithful obedience and love of God. Take a look at the following article to learn a bit more about the Saint and his charisms here

Mother Teresa bore much good fruit in her life by following the decrees of the Lord. This one young woman, who began by listening to the voice of God while traveling on a train, is a beautiful example of a good tree. St. Teresa’s commitment to “remain in me, as I remain in you”, was a testament to her dedication. In her book, “The Simple Path”, Mother Teresa shares a prayer that hangs on the walls of the Sisters of Charity homes around the world. I share it with you today because it has become a touchstone for me over the last 20+ years due to its simplicity. That being said, it is a prayer that has borne fruit for me; for you, dear reader, it may not strike an accord, or bear good fruit. It is for you to decide.

The Simple Path

The fruit of silence is PRAYER.

The fruit of prayer is FAITH.

The fruit of faith is LOVE.

The fruit of love is SERVICE.

The fruit of service is PEACE.

-St. Teresa of Calcutta

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Beth Price is a Secular Franciscan (OFS) and spiritual director who has worked in several parish ministry roles during the last 20 years. She is a proud mother of 3 adult children. Beth currently works at Diocesan. You can contact her at bprice@diocesan.com

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The verse announcing the Gospel today is crystal clear: “I give you a new commandment; love one another as I have loved you”. John 13:34   

So why is it that I have said, “I hate you” to even my sisters, my spouse, my parents and so many others? Today’s Gospel states this great commandment another way, ”But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.”  

Just sit with that for a bit. Go ahead. Read it again and close your eyes. Clear your mind to focus on what Jesus meant when he said, “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,… for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and unjust.”

God created each and every one of us out of love, made in His image. This is a universal fact. It doesn’t matter who my parents are, or what country I’m born in, rich or poor; I’m a member of the human race.

Each and every person has attributes both physical and emotional. We have physical and emotional needs to be met and nurtured. When a child is born a new creation comes into this world to be loved and cherished. When there is death, a light goes out and needs to be mourned. It does not matter if a child wasn’t planned or not perfect. It doesn’t matter if the person who died was your greatest antagonist or tormentor. That person was a child of God, just like you and me.

Jesus came into the world for the salvation of all, not just the ones that look like me, talk like me, or are born into my faith, or country. If they are persecuted and have no safe place to call home, do I care any less for them as a fellow human being? Where is my compassion and love for the refugee, asylum seeker, the person working 3 jobs struggling to make ends meet? Who loves the residual casualties in any violent conflict? How can we even think a person is ‘residual’?

God commands us to “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Mt 5:48 This boggles my mind. I have to be vigilant to make sure that at all times I am striving for perfection. I must constantly being on guard against the evil one and his minions who are seeking to creep into my daily life at any moment, ready to pull me and trap me into little lies and deaths to the truth, the love of God.In the perfect ‘Shalom,’ or peace, of God’s kingdom as he meant it to be (as in the garden of Eden before the fall) all can live in harmony: the lion lies down with the lamb, the family is together–not torn apart– as it enters into the garden.

We are created with so much potential to do and be good, to love all. Let’s try to remember, “love one another as I have loved you.” Pray it throughout this day, to remember our world needs this unconditional love poured out into each corner of the world.

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Beth Price is a Secular Franciscan (OFS) and spiritual director who has worked in several parish ministry roles during the last 20 years. She is a proud mother of 3 adult children. Beth currently works at Diocesan.

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While praying with today’s readings, my mind kept being pulled to the following two lines in the Gospel: “Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion. You do not regard a person’s status but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.” I also am drawn to a line in the first reading from 2 Peter 3:17, “Therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, be on your guard not to be led into the error of the unprincipled and to fall from your own stability.”

My own stability is in the way of God, in accordance with the truth, but it hasn’t always been. It is so easy to be led into the error of the unprincipled, to be caught up in a passionate speech of half truths. I keep thinking of all the terrible illustrations in our human history that whip up popular sentiment and leads people to terrible things because they are told to believe a lie. “A wall will protect us”, “a vulnerable life is easily dismissed or disposable”, “someone who has a different way of life or color of skin has a different worth than me”.  This is where my fall from stability can come into play if I am not aware of the truth or choose to ignore the truth.

It is usually very controversial to address the half truth; to call out the lie and state the truth. I have to be as Casting Crowns sings, to “Love You with the Truth.” Why is it that speaking the truth (in love) can be so threatening to others? Is it because we might realize that we’re wrong, that so many mistakes have been made and have to be accounted for and atoned? Atonement is, after all, what allows us to be “Free”.

I would like to believe I am a truthful woman. I do ponder though, how concerned am I with the opinions of others. I can struggle with doubt. I can struggle with the opinions of others, especially when I neglect to be grounded in the teachings of the Gospel. I find His truth in my surroundings and today I was called to these embedded songs (from my long ago youth ministry days). I hope you take a moment to listen to His voice in these songs. Don’t fall into the trap of forgetting that “I Believe in God”. Know your focus is to be on His love and His truth spoken through His son Jesus Christ.  The truth will “set you free”.

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Beth Price is a Secular Franciscan (OFS) and spiritual director who has worked in several parish ministry roles during the last 20 years. She is a proud mother of 3 adult children. Beth currently works at Diocesan.

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