Our readings today focus on the virtues of perseverance and persistence. In our first reading Israel’s battle with Amalek’s army would go well while Moses held up the staff of God with his hands. But when Moses grew tired and brought his arms down the battle would turn against Israel. To help Moses keep his arms up, Aaron and Hur would each hold an arm while Moses sat on a rock. In this case, Moses persevered with the support of others. Something for us to think about when we are hard pressed to keep going.
In the second reading St Paul encourages Timothy to be persistent in proclaiming the word whether the circumstances are easy or hard. To persist and go on when others are discouraged or decide to give up.
And in the gospel reading Jesus tells us, by way of the Parable of the Persistent Widow, that our efforts in prayer should remain resolute and strong. For even this dishonest judge would hear the demands of the persistent widow, and if that be the case then how much more will God our Father listen to us.
Whether we are resisting evil and battling temptation, whether we are encountering difficulties in studying and sharing the gospel message with others, or whether our prayers appear to go unanswered, in each case persistence and perseverance counteract discouragement and forestall a tendency to give up. Today I would like to spend a few minutes speaking about the challenges of prayer since, short of the sacraments, this is a principal means by which we can encounter and know our God and hear his voice in and for our lives. Prayer is foundational to our lives as Catholics, and it comes with its own, and at times difficult, challenges.
Typically, our intercessory prayers may comprise requests for peace, or healing, for reconciliation or conversion, a return to good health, and so on. These are all good things yet at times God seems not to hear us, remains silent, distant or even absent. This experience of God’s silence despite our prayerful efforts, sooner or later comes to most of us at a very personal level. And sometimes God’s silence may last a very long time. Our response to this silence must be a resolute persistence as Jesus instructs us, and as many of the saints teach us. St. Ignatius of Loyola would coin the term ‘Agere Contra’, which means, ‘acting against’. St. Ignatius encourages us to act against the temptation to spiritual desolation – the feeling of dryness in prayer associated with discouragement or spiritual suffering. For God desires that we not only go to him, but to do so often. Like a game of hide and seek, we are to chase our God without giving up. St. Ignatius tell us that God desires persistent prayer and is pleased when we keep knocking and keep chasing. We pursue a positive answer to our prayerful intentions, but God uses this time for our spiritual growth; to bring us closer to him, to experience a closer intimacy. Like the contradiction of the cross, we experience the contradiction of not feeling He is there, but nevertheless his presence is made nearer through these difficulties. Now of course, it is when God feels far away that the last thing we really want to do is pray or meditate but it is precisely in these moments when we go to him, despite our feelings – which may include a feeling of abandonment or even anger, for it is here is this discouraging experience that the seeds are planted for our spiritual reawakening. It is for our own good or for the good of others that God may not immediately answer our prayers or in fact may not do so at all.
That explanation may suffice for a time and may even help us recover our spiritual joy and trust. However, where do we go if even here we continue to receive no answer, or if God's answer to our prayer is a clear “no”. Here we are to recall that each life, including ours, has a particular and tremendous meaning – a meaning that goes well beyond the borders of our individual sense of self. For as Christians we are invited to participate ever more fully in the eternal plan of salvation which aims to gather as many souls as possible into the kingdom of God. We join Christ in this his mission and in so doing at times MUST sacrifice as Christ himself sacrificed. On this side of eternity there may be no explanation why some of our prayers go unanswered, and we are left carrying a cross, but a time will come when all will be revealed and our part therein.
Patience and perseverance are virtues which we can grow in. These are needed to help navigate the challenges of our lives. Jesus encourages us to keep praying despite what may appear at times to be God’s silence. We can look for various explanations to unanswered prayer but regardless, we persist and pursue our God and commend ourselves to him since our faith and trust remain resolute. God does hear all our prayers, and to each one will be given an answer - if not now then in the world to come.
Deacon Peter Bujwid
St. Agnes Church, Arlington, Massachusetts
Sunday 19th October 2025
Tuesday, November 18, 2025
C - Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Recently I have been recalling memories of my childhood. Little things from 55 or more years ago emerge from my memory banks. I recall the feeling that Sunday had, which was quite different from the rest of the week. The shops were closed; there was little to no traffic – it was quiet and calm, though we lived on a very busy street. I remember that on occasion the Salvation Army would march down the middle of the road with the brass band playing, cymbals crashing, and drums beating, while cars slowly followed behind. I recall the beer delivery to the pub opposite to where we lived. I loved watching the men roll beer barrels down a ramp into an open hatchway in the sidewalk. I also recall that on occasion, when we walked to town, there was a man with a large sign donned like a vest. On one side it read, “repent” and the other side was written, “for the wages of sin is death”. The older I become, the clearer the truth of these messages resonates.
In our first reading we hear about the impending judgement that is to befall Sodom for its sin. For the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah was so grave and serious that God would send two angels to see if what was said of Sodom would justify its destruction. Knowing what these two angels would see and confirm, Abraham made his intercessory prayers to dissuade God from his just judgement. We learn a lot about Abraham in this short passage, about his leadership role, his compassion, his sense of fairness and justice, his love for his family – for Lot his nephew lived in Sodom, and about his relationship with God. You can say that Abraham, fearlessly, and with determination pressed God to be merciful. And this he was able to do because of his faithful, though not faultless, relationship with the Lord.
The power of baptism brings us into the same relationship with God, and it gives us similar Abrahamic powers. And these powers Jesus himself affirms and encourages us to exercise. For God is not a power out there to which we are subject, as if to the wiles and whims of an impersonal force. Jesus tells us we can call God as He does, as Father. For that which separates man from an all-powerful God, is brought into an intimate relationship by way of the cross and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, as we read in Paul’s letter to the Colossians.
The consequence of sin is death; the extinguishing of life, yet with faith in the power of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, this just sentence is obliterated. As Paul writes, the legal claim opposed to our life is removed from our midst and nailed to the cross.
For us here and today, we are subject, not to a death sentence but to the love and mercy of a Father who wants to give good things to those who love him. Not a snake, nor a scorpion, but profound graces and holy gifts. But what is it that we ask for; what are the requests we make to our heavenly Father? In the days I was watching the Salvation Army march down our street, and the beer barrels rolling down the ramp, I remember asking God for many things, but one of them was a bicycle. It took a while asking but finally, I did get one. And for this I gave him thanks. We can together laugh at that request since it was childish, yet sometimes, we all ask for childish things. Yet we are clearly told what it is we are to ask for, for what it is we are to seek, and for what it is we are to knock for. Buried in the gospel reading today is this line, “how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?"
In our first reading we hear about the impending judgement that is to befall Sodom for its sin. For the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah was so grave and serious that God would send two angels to see if what was said of Sodom would justify its destruction. Knowing what these two angels would see and confirm, Abraham made his intercessory prayers to dissuade God from his just judgement. We learn a lot about Abraham in this short passage, about his leadership role, his compassion, his sense of fairness and justice, his love for his family – for Lot his nephew lived in Sodom, and about his relationship with God. You can say that Abraham, fearlessly, and with determination pressed God to be merciful. And this he was able to do because of his faithful, though not faultless, relationship with the Lord.
The power of baptism brings us into the same relationship with God, and it gives us similar Abrahamic powers. And these powers Jesus himself affirms and encourages us to exercise. For God is not a power out there to which we are subject, as if to the wiles and whims of an impersonal force. Jesus tells us we can call God as He does, as Father. For that which separates man from an all-powerful God, is brought into an intimate relationship by way of the cross and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, as we read in Paul’s letter to the Colossians.
The consequence of sin is death; the extinguishing of life, yet with faith in the power of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, this just sentence is obliterated. As Paul writes, the legal claim opposed to our life is removed from our midst and nailed to the cross.
For us here and today, we are subject, not to a death sentence but to the love and mercy of a Father who wants to give good things to those who love him. Not a snake, nor a scorpion, but profound graces and holy gifts. But what is it that we ask for; what are the requests we make to our heavenly Father? In the days I was watching the Salvation Army march down our street, and the beer barrels rolling down the ramp, I remember asking God for many things, but one of them was a bicycle. It took a while asking but finally, I did get one. And for this I gave him thanks. We can together laugh at that request since it was childish, yet sometimes, we all ask for childish things. Yet we are clearly told what it is we are to ask for, for what it is we are to seek, and for what it is we are to knock for. Buried in the gospel reading today is this line, “how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?"
The Holy Spirit is what you and I should be asking for. And it is by way of the Holy Spirit, that we can ask for truly big things, just as Abraham did – remember he wanted to save two cities filled with men, woman and children. My friends ask for the big things, the profound things in life. Ask for the Holy Spirit for he brings with him, spiritual gifts such as wisdom, knowledge, faith; he brings to us gifts of conviction, of fearlessness, and comfort in times of need. He brings us transformation and healing. He brings us intimacy with God, which is real, deep, extremely personal, profound, and revealing. As we read in the gospel, we are to ask for the right things and to ask them with persistence. We can and must approach God our Father frequently and with persistence for our spiritual welfare and development, because by this all things are won and nothing of true value is lost. But this activity is not just a spectator sport, for the Spirit reveals and empowers but does not replace our responsibility to make the effort, to ask, seek and knock. We must take the steps of the journey to reach the gates of heaven. This journey is neither easy, pain free, nor without many challenges. But we are promised victory if we persevere in faith. As you make this once in a lifetime journey with its tribulations, difficulties, pain, challenges, and yes, its hopes, joys, and visions, be encouraged by the words of Psalm 37, “The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand (Ps 37:23-24). Bicycles are fun, hearing the marching band is grand, reliving old memories is happily nostalgic, but life in the Spirit is everything, so ask, seek, and knock for your father is listening and waiting to give you good gifts. These good things may be epic in size and importance, or small and of no clear importance to anyone but you. But to God our Father, He delights in every detail of our lives.
Deacon Peter Bujwid
St. Agnes Church, Arlington, Massachusetts
Sunday 27th July 2025
Deacon Peter Bujwid
St. Agnes Church, Arlington, Massachusetts
Sunday 27th July 2025
Monday, June 23, 2025
C - The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ or Corpus Christi. In designating today as a Solemnity, the church wants us to know this is a feast day of the highest order – one which points to a foundational truth of our faith.
As regular church goers we know and acknowledge that Jesus is present in the Eucharist. Though for a time we do not see him face to face, we believe he has not left us alone but rather remains close to each of those who love him. St. Thomas Aquinas would write that, "It is the law of friendship that friends should live together. Christ has not left us without his bodily presence in this our pilgrimage, but he joins us to himself in this sacrament in the reality of his body and blood". So, by his body and blood you and I are joined to Jesus. But how often do we consider his soul and his divinity, which he also shares with us? For after all we do acknowledge, that he is present, body, blood, but also soul and divinity. His soul and his divinity are not to be separated from his body and blood.
How do we know that his soul is present to us? We can know that his soul is present because Jesus is alive and living. And to be alive means to be ensouled – for to be without a soul is to be dead. So, in receiving the Eucharist we also receive Christ’s soul. And since this is the soul of the one who broke the chains of death, in rising from the dead, we are wedded to the source of life that is itself freed from death. In this we can be confident.
We also receive His divinity. Christ is the Godman – he is God made man. And this too is shared with us, for his divinity is likewise present in the Eucharist because of the hypo-static union, which makes one his humanity and his divinity in his person-hood. Body, blood, soul and divinity are given to us unreservedly and with generous abundance.
When I was a little boy, we had only two TV channels. TV programs were in black and white and when not broadcasting you would see what was called a trade card transmission – this was a picture containing various shapes and patterns, at the center of which was a girl playing a game with a toy clown. Then between scheduled programming we would have a short film of a potter making a pot; forming it out of clay as it spun on the potter's wheel. It was never quite finished but was formed and reformed as the potter's wheel continued to spin. Frequently we ask for God to assist us, to help us, to form us, to heal us, to transform us, to remake us, and this he does by way of the sacraments and the Holy Spirit. It is his divine and soulful presence within each of us that works for healing, formation and transformation, like the potters' hands on the clay. Yet, ironically, we resist the change we pray for because, though we ask for it, we seldom want to really change. We are comfortable, and prefer what we know, so we pray, "Lord change me, but please don't let me have to make any changes”. There is therefore a spiritual tension formed between, who we are, what we were made to be, and what God is doing within us and for us. But by means of the Eucharist and by our willing and imperfect participation, we are gently sanctified and made holy.
On this Solemnity consider not just the body and blood which Jesus gives to nourish and to sustain us. For Jesus gives not only his body and blood but also his soul and divinity. This divine and soulful presence finds a place within each of us who believe and welcome him, and by means of this we grow in holiness, in the love of God, and in the service of his plan of salvation.
We pray for the courage, not just to ask for change, but to also make the changes we know we need to make, accepting that this may not always be easy. We draw consolation in this life task since we are not left to do this by ourselves, for Jesus is present to us, body, blood, soul and divinity.
Deacon Peter Bujwid
St. Agnes Church, Arlington, Massachusetts
Sunday 22nd June 2025
As regular church goers we know and acknowledge that Jesus is present in the Eucharist. Though for a time we do not see him face to face, we believe he has not left us alone but rather remains close to each of those who love him. St. Thomas Aquinas would write that, "It is the law of friendship that friends should live together. Christ has not left us without his bodily presence in this our pilgrimage, but he joins us to himself in this sacrament in the reality of his body and blood". So, by his body and blood you and I are joined to Jesus. But how often do we consider his soul and his divinity, which he also shares with us? For after all we do acknowledge, that he is present, body, blood, but also soul and divinity. His soul and his divinity are not to be separated from his body and blood.
How do we know that his soul is present to us? We can know that his soul is present because Jesus is alive and living. And to be alive means to be ensouled – for to be without a soul is to be dead. So, in receiving the Eucharist we also receive Christ’s soul. And since this is the soul of the one who broke the chains of death, in rising from the dead, we are wedded to the source of life that is itself freed from death. In this we can be confident.
We also receive His divinity. Christ is the Godman – he is God made man. And this too is shared with us, for his divinity is likewise present in the Eucharist because of the hypo-static union, which makes one his humanity and his divinity in his person-hood. Body, blood, soul and divinity are given to us unreservedly and with generous abundance.
When I was a little boy, we had only two TV channels. TV programs were in black and white and when not broadcasting you would see what was called a trade card transmission – this was a picture containing various shapes and patterns, at the center of which was a girl playing a game with a toy clown. Then between scheduled programming we would have a short film of a potter making a pot; forming it out of clay as it spun on the potter's wheel. It was never quite finished but was formed and reformed as the potter's wheel continued to spin. Frequently we ask for God to assist us, to help us, to form us, to heal us, to transform us, to remake us, and this he does by way of the sacraments and the Holy Spirit. It is his divine and soulful presence within each of us that works for healing, formation and transformation, like the potters' hands on the clay. Yet, ironically, we resist the change we pray for because, though we ask for it, we seldom want to really change. We are comfortable, and prefer what we know, so we pray, "Lord change me, but please don't let me have to make any changes”. There is therefore a spiritual tension formed between, who we are, what we were made to be, and what God is doing within us and for us. But by means of the Eucharist and by our willing and imperfect participation, we are gently sanctified and made holy.
On this Solemnity consider not just the body and blood which Jesus gives to nourish and to sustain us. For Jesus gives not only his body and blood but also his soul and divinity. This divine and soulful presence finds a place within each of us who believe and welcome him, and by means of this we grow in holiness, in the love of God, and in the service of his plan of salvation.
We pray for the courage, not just to ask for change, but to also make the changes we know we need to make, accepting that this may not always be easy. We draw consolation in this life task since we are not left to do this by ourselves, for Jesus is present to us, body, blood, soul and divinity.
Deacon Peter Bujwid
St. Agnes Church, Arlington, Massachusetts
Sunday 22nd June 2025