Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: Luke 9:57-62

As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding
on their journey, someone said to him,
“I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus answered him,
“Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
And to another he said, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”
But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead.
But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.”
And another said, “I will follow you, Lord,
but first let me say farewell to my family at home.”
Jesus answered him, “No one who sets a hand to the plow
and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Saint Jerome is often depicted seated at his desk with a quill in one hand, a bible manuscript in the other, and a skull in the corner – each item symbolic of how he lived his life. 

He was studious, prayerful, and keenly aware of the passage of time.

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Born in the 4^th century just after the legalization of Christianity, Jerome was baptized and raised in a religious household. But he did not take a genuine interest in the faith until he became gravely ill at the age of 30.

While bedridden, he had a vision of himself standing before the judgment seat of Christ, who accused him of taking more interest in secular literature than in the Word of God.

The vision struck him to the heart. 

Shortly after his recovery, Jerome withdrew to the desert where he lived as a hermit for several years, studying the Old Testament in its original Hebrew.

Eventually, he was ordained a priest and became the secretary to Pope Damasus.

During that time, he began the most important work of his life – translating the bible from Hebrew and Greek into Latin, the language of the day, providing the translation of the scriptures used by the Church for more than 1000 years – and is still used today.

It was a labor of love that took him 40 years to complete. 

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After the death of Pope Damasus, Jerome was released from service, and allowed to establish a monastery in Bethlehem where he lived until his death.

Although he longed for a solitary existence, he was known for welcoming Christians fleeing from persecution into his home, saying, “We must always translate the words of Scripture into deeds.”

Jerome leaves us a few questions to ponder.

How important are the scriptures in my own daily life? In what ways do I translate my faith into action? Am I prepared to stand before the judgment seat of Christ?

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May Saint Jerome intercede for us, that we, too, would always find ways to translate our faith into action.

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Image credits: (1) SlideServe (2) Saint Jerome Writing, Caravaggio (3) Medium, young-catholics.com

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Revelation: 12:7-12

War broke out in heaven;
Michael and his angels battled against the dragon.
The dragon and its angels fought back,
but they did not prevail
and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.
The huge dragon, the ancient serpent,
who is called the Devil and Satan,
who deceived the whole world,
was thrown down to earth,
and its angels were thrown down with it.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have salvation and power come,
and the Kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Anointed.
For the accuser of our brothers is cast out,
who accuses them before our God day and night.
They conquered him by the Blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
love for life did not deter them from death.
Therefore, rejoice, you heavens,
and you who dwell in them.”

The Word of the Lord.

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Growing up, my mother, brother, and I huddled together each week on the family couch to watch one of our favorite feel-good tv shows, “Touched by an Angel.” 

Each episode included a person suffering for one reason or another, leaving them on the verge of despair. 

Heeding their cries, God sent an angel – veiled as a human being – to open their eyes, revealing how intimately God was working in their life, even in the midst of their suffering.

By the end of the show, the person is healed; a doubter comes to faith; a broken heart finds peace. Someone learns that they have been, “touched by an angel.”

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Throughout the bible, we see angels working in people’s lives, each with a different purpose, particularly the archangels Raphael, Gabriel, and Michael.

In the Old Testament, Raphael serves as an agent of healing, protecting Tobias and his father from blindness.

In the Gospels, Gabriel appears to Mary, encouraging her to be receptive to God’s will, and to bear the Son of God in her womb. 

And, as we heard in our first reading from the Book of Revelation, Michael will slay Satan at the end of time, casting him and his minions out of heaven – and out of our lives – forever.

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Today’s Feast of the Archangels reminds us that God is still at work in this world, often through the use of “angels,” literally messengers sent to accomplish his will. 

Sometimes these angels appear as bright and glowing figures as Gabriel did to Mary. But more often than not, they are veiled in flesh and blood; God’s angels are ordinary people like us – messengers of grace.

When have I been touched by an angel? 

How might I be an angel, bringing a message of hope and healing, for someone else today?

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Image credits: (1) Touched by an Angel, IMDb (2) The Triumph of Christianity over Paganism, Gustave Dore (3) Woodstock Bookfest

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Job: 1: 6-22

One day, when the angels of God came to present themselves before the LORD,
Satan also came among them.
And the LORD said to Satan, “Whence do you come?”
Then Satan answered the LORD and said,
“From roaming the earth and patrolling it.” 
And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job,
and that there is no one on earth like him,
blameless and upright, fearing God and avoiding evil?”
But Satan answered the LORD and said,
“Is it for nothing that Job is God-fearing?
Have you not surrounded him and his family
and all that he has with your protection?
You have blessed the work of his hands,
and his livestock are spread over the land.
But now put forth your hand and touch anything that he has,
and surely he will blaspheme you to your face.”
And the LORD said to Satan,
“Behold, all that he has is in your power;
only do not lay a hand upon his person.”
So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

And so one day, while his sons and his daughters
were eating and drinking wine
in the house of their eldest brother,
a messenger came to Job and said,
“The oxen were ploughing and the asses grazing beside them,
and the Sabeans carried them off in a raid.
They put the herdsmen to the sword,
and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
While he was yet speaking, another came and said,
“Lightning has fallen from heaven
and struck the sheep and their shepherds and consumed them;
and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
While he was yet speaking, another messenger came and said,
“The Chaldeans formed three columns,
seized the camels, carried them off,
and put those tending them to the sword,
and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
While he was yet speaking, another came and said,
“Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine
in the house of their eldest brother,
when suddenly a great wind came across the desert
and smote the four corners of the house.
It fell upon the young people and they are dead;
and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
Then Job began to tear his cloak and cut off his hair.
He cast himself prostrate upon the ground, and said,

“Naked I came forth from my mother’s womb,
and naked shall I go back again.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
blessed be the name of the LORD!”

In all this Job did not sin,
nor did he say anything disrespectful of God.

The Word of the Lord.

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We’ll be reading from the Book of Job all week. Engrained in the story are several spiritual lessons that are as challenging as they are rich in wisdom.

It begins with a dialogue between God and Satan. 

God praises Job, his worthy servant. But Satan rebuffs God’s claim, arguing that Job only praises God because of his security and material possessions; if these were taken from him, Satan argues, then Job would abandon his faith.

So, God allows Job to be put to the test; everything may be taken from him, except his life. In the following verses, reports come to Job that he has lost everything – his life-stock, his material possessions, even his children.

In this darkest hour of his life, when the audience awaits his despair, Job’s sole and greatest possession is revealed – his faith. “The LORD has given, and the LORD has taken away,” he says. “Blessed be the name of the LORD.” 

Job understands that everything and everyone – even the bone of his bones, the flesh of his flesh – comes from and belongs to God. We are merely entrusted with such treasures for a short time.

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Scholars believe Job was not, in fact, a real person. Rather, he was the “ideal Jew,” the personification of what Israel hoped to be – faithful in times of trial, grateful in times of prosperity, unshaken in his praise of God.

That’s the kind of faith I’m sure everyone wishes for. So, how might we attain it?

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Ultimately, faith is a gift from God. It must be placed in our hearts before we take possession of it. However, once it’s given, God allows us to nurture our faith through prayer, study, and charity. 

Conversely, if we never use it, or if we abandon it during times of trial, then our faith begins to wither.

As we read through the Book of Job this week, we will experience a type of spiritual rollercoaster as Job is tested even further and his faith is pushed to the brink. Job will ask God the one question every human being asks: Why?

Why is there suffering? Loss? Evil in the world?

How does God respond? Is his response sufficient for Job – or us? … Stay tuned.

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Image credits: (1) GK Chesterton, Facebook (2) Book of Job, BibleWiki, Fandom (3) Neato Shop