Scripture Reflections

Oct. 24, 2025
By:  Father Conrad S. Pecevich

“The Lord hears the cry of the poor” (Psalm 34:6).

As a young seminarian, I had the privilege of working for several summers with the elderly at a nursing home in New York City operated by the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor. My first day on the job, I received what I consider a very important “life lesson” from the sister-administrator regarding the “poor.” The sister assured me that the “poor” were not only impoverished people living in our inner cities and streets. The “poor” also included the often-forgotten folks such as those who filled our nursing homes, who so often are forgotten, abandoned and lonely. Her brief lecture would influence the way in which I would regard these elderly and others confined to our nursing facilities today. I’m ever grateful for that insight offered me back then. It helped to broaden my vision in terms of defining the “poor.”

I mention these “poor” first because they are so often the forgotten who reside behind concrete walls, abandoned by their families, left to live their last days in solitude. As the sister said to me, they are the “forgotten poor.”

It is a reality that there is always war somewhere in the world. No matter when or where we look, there is conflict, and a struggle for power and control somewhere in our world. As a result, there are horrific casualties. Most victims of these wars are the defenseless: women, children, the elderly, and the marginalized. They are the ones who cry out for justice and peace.

In today’s reading from the Book of Sirach, the author writes, “Though not unduly partial to the weak, yet [God] hears the cry of the oppressed.” And then our responsorial Psalm states: “The Lord hears the cry of the poor.” Father Jude Winkler writes in the Handbook for Lectors and Proclaimers of the Word that “they are the chosen ones of God for they recognize that they cannot survive without his intervention.”

The Book of Sirach speaks about God’s “preferential option for the poor.”

“Though not unduly partial towards the weak, yet he hears the cry of the oppressed.” Later, the author writes, “The prayers of the lowly pierce the clouds.”

Throughout the Old Testament, it is abundantly clear that God stands in solidarity with the poor. This is most clear in the Book of Exodus where God hears the cries of the oppressed Hebrews and leads them in freedom to the Promised Land. The author of Exodus writes, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come to deliver them” (Exodus 3:7-8).

The Old Testament contains countless references about the poor, “emphasizing the importance of justice, compassion, and helping those in need through commands like sharing harvest, lending to the poor, and speaking up for the destitute. Key themes include God’s care for the poor, the rich’s responsibility for the poor, and the consequences of oppressing them” (Wikipedia). Sacred books such as Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Psalms and Proverbs express these concerns.

Throughout the ages, the Church has stood at the forefront defending the dignity and rights of the poor. Current-day pontiffs have been stalwart in defending the poor and condemning their plight. Pope Leo XIV continues this tradition in his recently published apostolic exhortation, “Dilexi Te.”

Pope Leo XIV writes, “The condition of the poor is a condition that, throughout human history, challenges our lives, societies and political and economic systems, and, not least, the Church. On the wounded faces of the poor, we see the suffering of the innocent and, therefore, the suffering of Christ himself.”

“Pope Leo’s Dilexi draws directly from the biblical tradition, reaffirming that concern for the poor is not just a historical or theological idea, but a living mandate for believers today. His letter calls for a renewed commitment to justice, mercy and solidarity with the poor, full continuity with the teachings of the Hebrew Scriptures and the prophetic tradition” (Pilot, vol. 46, no.40. p.19).

Sept. 26, 2025
By: Deacon Greg Kandra

The Gospel of Luke 16:19-31

If we think “Well, no, not really,” maybe we need to of this Sunday’s readings is that Lazarus may be closer than we realize – and we need to look for him and, above all, seek to help the helpless.

Last week, you’ll remember, Jesus warned his disciples that you can’t serve two masters, and he put it simply: “You cannot serve God and mammon.”

This week, he ups the ante, with a parable about an astoundingly rich man who ignores the gnawing poverty right outside his front door. The fate of the rich man and the fate of the poor beggar Lazarus tell us all we need to know. The lesson is clear: We need to share what we can with those struggling with the hard reality of life.

We can’t shrug off or easily dismiss the urgent commandment to love one another – particularly when it comes to the poor.

But that’s just the beginning. This Gospel carries even more weight than we may realize.

First, there’s context. In Luke’s gospel, it is one of several stories that Jesus told his apostles as he was making his way to Jerusalem, where he was destined to suffer and die. We’ve been hearing these parables for the last few weeks. They matter. Greatly.

Given when they occur in the life of Christ, they take on added urgency. These are the last lessons he would share before his Passion – and these are the things he wants us to remember above all else. You might consider them his last testament.

They are fundamental lessons of selflessness and sacrifice that go to the heart of his earthly ministry.

They warn us that you cannot love God and money.

They remind us that we are all prodigals, and that God’s mercy endures forever.

They exhort us that we need to turn our backs on the things of this world if we want to inherit the next.

And they challenge us with the sobering fact that we can’t ignore the poor outside our door.

That brings us to the second point to remember. Sometimes the most serious sin we can commit is a sin of omission.

The rich man is damned not for what he did, but for what he didn’t do. He continually saw Lazarus suffering and did nothing. This was his most serious sin. We can’t help but ask ourselves: Is it also ours?

Do we see a need and ignore it? Do we see a problem and step over it? Do we see heartbreak and desperation, and then do nothing to alleviate it? Do we hear the cries of the poor and put our hands over our ears?

Do we fail to see in our suffering brothers and sisters the face of Christ? Whenever we pray the confiteor at Mass, the “I Confess,” we ask mercy for “what I have done and what I have failed to do.”

This Gospel makes us ask the hard question: What have we failed to do?

The scriptures this Sunday are collectively a cry against indifference – “Woe to the complacent!,” as the first reading puts it.

A little examination of conscience is called for. We need to shake off whatever complacency has taken over our lives. Pay attention. Seek solutions. Reach out a hand. Stop making excuses, avoiding, stepping over, looking away.

Whether we want to acknowledge them or not, the world is crowded with Lazaruses.

And this Gospel makes this much clear: at the end of our lives, we will be judged not only on what we do, but on what we have failed to do.

Sept. 19, 2025
By: Father Joshua J. Whitfield

The Gospel of Luke 16:1-13

In his “Second Homily on Lazarus,” St. John Chrysostom said the “rich man is a kind of steward of the money which is owed for distribution to the poor.”

That is how the Christian is meant to view his or her wealth, great or small, he thought. That’s what you’re meant to do with it – to share it.

He thought it obvious that one’s wealth should be shared, that there is no alternative, save the judgement of God. “For our money is the Lord’s,” he taught, “however we may have gathered it.” To those who are rich, or who simply have more than they need: “This is why God allowed you to have more,” to give it to the poor, to help others, he said.

Again, for Chrysostom, he assumed this was obvious to anyone who knew anything about Jesus.

But he also understood the strong countervailing temptation to be tightfisted. Luxury was like lust, both share the same Latin root; both vices involve taking what one shouldn’t, exceeding the moral limits of the goods given by God.

Our parable is complicated, difficult at some points to follow. However, the lesson is simple and of a piece with what Jesus has been teaching for the past several chapters in Luke. Jesus has been teaching his disciples about what not to fear and whom to fear (Luke 12:4-7). He’s told them not to be anxious, to rely not on their own power or their own wealth but first on God (Luke 12:22-30).

And, of course, free from fear, liberated from that stinginess which comes with worrying about the things of this world, the follower of Jesus should discover that he or she has a little bit of surplus, maybe a little more discretionary income. What to do with it?

Here’s where Jesus, the good rabbi, simply underlines the wisdom of ancient Jewish charity, telling his disciples to sell their possessions and give alms, which is to store up “treasure in the heavens that does not fail” (Luke 12:33). Freed from the fear that makes a person selfishly hoard, now with faith, the believer shares what he or she has with the poor. And thus charity becomes the beginning of heaven.

Which is what this parable is about: The crisis of fear and faith we each experience, the agonizing choice to be made betwixt tightfistedness and generosity. What should I give to the poor? What should I save for myself? Should I splurge? Should I indulge in luxury? If I’ve not meaningfully given anything to charity, or a mere pittance in proportion to my wealth, is chasing luxury something a Christian should do? That’s what’s going on in this parable.

After all that Jesus has said about fear and faith and anxiousness and giving alms, what does that really look like in a Christian’s life?

The steward, you see, understands he will soon be called to account – just like we all will be one day. And so, what does the steward do? Here’s where the parable gets complicated; we don’t need to get into the details. The basic point is that the steward reduces the amount of money that would have normally entered his own coffers; in a sense he is giving money away or at least a claim to money that would have been his. Maybe he’s trying to ingratiate himself with his master’s clients.

Again, it is one of the more complicated parables the Lord tells, yet we are already familiar with the moral of it. “I tell you,” Jesus says, “make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal habitations” (Luke 16:9). This is but another way to talk about storing up treasure in heaven; this is the ethical point of the story, that giving alms, for the Christian, is an unavoidable obligation.

But Jesus needles the point even more. ... We can make all the excuses we want for our lack of charity, but Jesus just calls it what it is – idolatry. “You cannot serve God and mammon,” Jesus says (Luke 16:13).

It’s not simply that we’re stingy; it’s that we’re idolaters. Jesus here cuts us to the soul. Chillingly, he underlines a stark spiritual fact we do not like to think about, the possibility that our bank account and our budget, our income and expenses, do indeed measure our soul.

Sept. 5, 2025
By: Father Conrad S. Pecevich

"No longer a slave, but more than a slave, a brother” (Philemon 1:16).

This Sunday’s epistle reading comes from the Letter of St. Paul to Philemon written somewhere between 61 and 63 A.D. Paul is appealing to Philemon, a friend, concerning the freedom of the friend’s runaway slave, Onesimus. Paul is requesting that Philemon release him.

A summation of this Letter of St. Paul is as follows: Philemon is a personal letter, written by St. Paul humbly requesting freedom for a runaway slave. The letter serves as a plea to Paul’s friend and fellow believer, Philemon, to reconcile the relationship between Philemon and his slave, Onesimus, based on Christian brotherhood, charity and mercy. Although small in its content, Philemon’s message transcends the ages.

Paul’s specific request is that Philemon welcome Onesimus just as he would welcome Paul himself, with love and fraternity in Christ. At the time of his writing, Paul was imprisoned in Rome. Scholars believe that Onesimus had been captured and was subsequently placed in the same cell as Paul. Onesimus, influenced by St. Paul, became a believer in Christ. The Apostle regarded him as a potential companion in the ministry.

In the Bible, both in the Old and the New Testaments, there is no specific condemnation of slavery. The Letter to Philemon is often described as such a reference, however it is definitely not a strong one. In the time of Jesus, for example, slavery was an accepted institution in society. In the Gospel accounts, Jesus never gives a teaching condemning slavery. However, there are several Scriptural passages that concern the proper treatment of slaves. In Galatians 3:28, St. Paul writes about the equality of all persons in Christ: “There is no longer Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor freeman, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Paul emphasizes the spiritual equality and unity of believers in Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, Paul employs the metaphor of the Body of Christ to show that, although diverse, all believers are one body in the Spirit, regardless of their background. In the Old Testament, the Year of Jubilee commands the Israelites to release all slaves and restore their properties.

What is the overall message that makes the Letter of Philemon relevant today? I cite the following reference: “The teachings that make the Letter to Philemon relevant today are radical lessons of reconciliation, forgiveness, and the power of God to transform human relationships across all social divides … The core of the letter’s teaching is that Christian identity supersedes all social and economic status” (Wikipedia).

Some commentators hold that Philemon concerns the “emancipation of slaves.” This belief is perhaps based on the decision of Philemon to release his slave Onesimus to custody of Paul. The decision was based on their common Christin faith.

Let’s attempt to briefly define a “slave” and “slavery.” For our purposes, a slave is someone placed into slavery who works excessively hard without proper remuneration; or a person who is dependent upon or controlled by something or someone. Current economic structures and responses to them oftentimes tend to reduce workers to this level. For example, in America’s farms, factories, mines and fields, migrants and America’s poor are forced to perform menial and servile work for wages that are minimal, and inadequate. The subject of their labors is work positions that the average American would shun as being beneath his or her dignity. These people who undertake such menial positions work to survive.

In this succinct treatment of slavery, one must include human trafficking, sex trafficking and the myriad forms of personal addiction. Addictions are or can be forms of slavery. The Scriptures remind us that Christ came to set us free and that we are all one in him.

There may not be any specific mandates written by Christ condemning slavery in the Gospel accounts, however it is evident that he came to set all humankind. Slaves were persons whose dignity must be respected.

Aug. 15, 2025
By: Father Conrad S. Pecevich

Sunday’s First Reading is taken from the book of the prophet Jeremiah, Chapter 8. It describes the outrage of the princes of Judah towards the prophet Jeremiah and their desire to put him to death for his prophesying to the soldiers and people regarding their idolatry and disobedience towards God and the Covenant. For forty years he prophesied in the southern kingdom of Judah between 626 and 587 B.C.

Jeremiah preached a message of warning, judgment and of hope. His message centered on the present decline and the pending destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. He called the people to conversion. “He preached messages of judgment and exile, also of a future restoration and hope for the Jewish people” (Wikipedia). The fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple occurred in 586 B.C.

Jeremiah is known as the “weeping prophet,” because of his prophecy during the tumultuous years of Judah, also because he truly loved the people of Judah even though they had rejected him. Though he was later banished to Egypt by the people during the Exile, he continued to proclaim his prophetic message.

The reading from Jeremiah describes the plot that the princes of Judah hatched against Jeremiah. To rid themselves of the prophet and silence his prophesies against Israel, they had him thrown into a large cistern. A cistern is a deep well or a storage area for water. Jeremiah sunk into its mud on the bottom of the clay cistern and was left to die. Eventually he was rescued by the Cushite Ebed-Melech, a foreigner. On being spared from death, Jeremiah continued his prophetic work.

In ancient Israel, prophets were considered “God’s mouthpiece.” According to Rabbi Abraham Heschel, true prophets in Israel had insight into God’s mind and thoughts. They boldly spoke God’s word. Their messages contained judgment, doom and punishment, as well as hope for the nation if the people would change their ways. They were loved and hated by their fellow Israelites. Prophets were loved because of their holiness but resented and despised because of their sharp and judgmental predictions. Jeremiah was rejected by Israel because of his oracles of doom and destruction owing to their sinfulness, idolatry and infidelity towards God.

Regardless of the fate of these prophets of God, their prophecies and words have long endured. They were in effect God’s spokespersons who delivered his words and judgments. Their messages were often uncomfortable and challenging to their recipients.

God never leaves his world without its holy prophets. These men and women today confront injustice and social evil head-on wherever they may be found. They hold humanity to higher ethical standards based on divine law. Like the prophets of old, their messages are like “double-edged swords.” Prophets challenge humanity’s godless ways, unethical behavior, its hedonistic lifestyles and materialistic culture. Like John the Baptist, they often are like “voices crying out in the desert” of our world. These contemporary prophets beg to be heard. People who care about our future must stand in solidarity with them and take to heart their words. Our world and nation today are at critical junctures regarding their futures.

You and I, by virtue of our baptism in Christ, are called to be prophets like Jeremiah but in a less dramatic way. The future is entrusted to us as well. Our daily ethical choices and moral decisions make a difference. We too must be voices in our world who challenge evil and promote good. The adage goes, “Silence is death.” Our personal responsibility here according to Deuteronomy 30:19 is always to “choose life!” I conclude with a quote from St. Catherine of Siena: “Be the good that God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”

Aug. 8, 2025
By: Father Conrad S. Pecevich

“Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own” (Psalm 33).

I often wonder if our Catholic worshippers are really listening to what they are proclaiming when they recite the responsorial verse at Mass. So often I feel that what they are repeating is going right over their heads. This Sunday’s Psalm response could serve as a perfect example for us. The particular response contains three important affirmations for us as believers. It informs us that we are God’s very own possession; that we are God’s chosen ones; and that we are blessed. These are profound statements regarding our identity as Christians. My particular interest here is this, “How many Catholics truly believe what they are proclaiming that moment during the Mass?”

Let’s consider the thought of our “being blessed” as we repeat today’s Psalm verse,“Blessed are the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.” The Scriptures frequently inform us that we are uniquely blessed by Our Heavenly Father. The Scriptures teach that those who hope in God and put their trust in him will yield the fruits of their righteousness in abundance.

“In the Bible, ‘blessed’ primarily signifies spiritual wellbeing and divine favor, rather than simply material prosperity or good fortune. It often refers to an inner state of peace and joy, a sense of wholeness and satisfaction regardless of external circumstances,” according to Wikipedia. It frequently denotes being in a proper relationship with God and being favored by him. While “blessed” can imply a feeling of happiness, it is deeper than earthly or worldly contentment. It implies a focus on spiritual rather than material things.

The Beatitudes in Matthew’s Gospel are a key example for us here. They stress the blessings discovered in humility, kindness, forgiveness, peacefulness and a thirst for justice.

There are many other references in the Bible regarding “blessed” and “blessing.” Here are a few:

“Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, those whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by water (Jeremiah 17:7-8).

Psalm 3:1-3 describes the blessedness of the person who walks in the Lord’s way avoiding the sinners.

“Blessed be the God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ who has bestowed on us every spiritual blessing in the heavens” (Ephesians 1:3).

Psalm 146:5 states “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God.”

We are “blessed” because we have been given the gift of faith by God. Faith enlightens every other blessing that we have or will be given. We often wonder why we personally have faith and eternal life in God while others don’t. Do you recall being told there are others in the world who could benefit more from the gift of faith than you? They may be suffering deeply or near death or be in a serious and seemingly dire life crisis. Faith in God’s power and love is our supreme blessing.

Being blessed is a special awareness in my own life. I have learned through the accumulated experiences of my lifetime, both good and bad, from my personal triumphs and failures, that I am precious to the Lord and abundantly blessed by him. The past few years have taught me that indeed the Lord’s favor has been upon me. My health setbacks reminded me that each new day is a gift to be lived well and for God. Yes, I am greatly blessed! And you?