Br. Joseph Trout, OP

Paul tells us never to grumble, but to rejoice whatever comes our way, so that we can shine as a beacon of faith and hope for others. This is particularly important as the world get darker.

We long for a political system that will be just and perfect, but it will never happen in this life. Jesus came not to fix everything in this world, but to open for us a better one in heaven. The effects of original sin are still in this world, and it can never be perfect, but if we can be life Jesus, not grasping for power but humbling ourselves for the sake of others, we will join him in heaven.

Br. Joe Trout, OP breaks open the readings for the Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time, expanding on the center of God's law—the shema: love the Lord your God with everything, and love your neighbor as yourself. In the Old Testament and the New, this does not change, and it requires us to actually live according to our love in God and neighbor.

Readings: Deuteronomy 6:2-6; Hebrews 7:23-28; Mark 12:28-34

Jesus said, "whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it." Children are dependent on others for the basic needs of their lives, and they know it. We are dependent on God's mercy to to be able to live in the kingdom of God. Do we always remember that?

Today we have the end of the Book of Job, where Job realizes that he cannot understand the ways of God, but at least he knows that God loves him and will, in the end, make things right. That is enough for Job. Is it enough for us?

Br. Joe Trout, OP breaks open the readings for the Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. First, the prophet Isaiah tells a people who were suffering in darkness that God will send a messiah to save them. In the Gospel, Jesus does the things that show that he is the promised messiah, though he does not want everyone to know yet. Then, the second reading is from the Letter of James, a "brother" of Jesus, who does not claim to be the new messiah to carry on Jesus' work. Rather, James claims that Jesus is still alive and is alone the messiah, and is working though him to keep bringing about the kingdom.