Reflection on the Word: Saturday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time – October 1, 2022
To be able to experience God, to encounter God and to be changed by the encounter, is, at its core, the heart of the Christian life.
To be able to experience God, to encounter God and to be changed by the encounter, is, at its core, the heart of the Christian life.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls us to courage and affirms our value even when we think we don’t matter. And St. Paul’s words remind us to be humble – not because we don’t matter, but precisely the opposite!
In the Gospels, Jesus is often most upset with those who – while thinking they are doing God’s will – actually make it harder for people to experience the love and mercy of God.
The prophet Ezekiel reminds that God is calling us to take on a new heart and a new spirit – one that recognizes past failings and sins, their impacts, and the desire to live more justly. And in the Gospel for today, Jesus strikingly points to children as examples of that new heart and spirit.
“Transforming Ministry Formation” recognizes the work of Dr. DelMonico for resourcing development of professional lay ministry standards at the national level.
In 2021, I wrote an essay on the possibilities for strategic change in various aspects of Catholic ministries in the U.S. based on learnings from innovative ministries provided during the COVID-19 pandemic.