Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
The readings today give us a practical guide to good living. First, there’s the matter of faith. You need it! Without it there is nowhere to turn, no one to trust, no shelter from the storms and rocky roads of life. Like the ancient people that God called out of bondage in Egypt, we need faith to get us through the hardships and the adversities we all experience at one or more times in our lives. Let’s face it, we’re fine as long as things are going our way. We enjoy the good times, the happy moments when we celebrate birthdays, graduations, weddings and anniversaries. We delight when we are successful in moving up the corporate ladder and get the big promotion. But those days of disappointment when things don’t work our right, when relationships fall apart or end, when we lose loved ones, that’s when faith, if we have fostered and nourished it, enables us to endure and eventually to heal. Faith, a faith built upon a deep and intimate relationship with Jesus, is a lifelong friend and companion, that enables us to live life to the fullest, in good times and in bad.
The Responsorial Psalm provides the second ingredient to a happy life inviting us to recognize the blessings we have received and to give thanks and praise to God. He has called us into an intimate relationship with him to share in his love and goodness. In doing so he fills the deepest longings and desires of our hearts that helps us grow in faith in him and trust in his works.
The gospel completes the list of essentials reminding us of what we should bring into this relationship, namely…. attentiveness and faithfulness. God requires that we be diligent servants… Always mindful of what the master wants done; always faithful to do what is required.
Some say that life is a mystery and there is a lot of truth in that statement. The same can be said about faith. There is a mysterious element to it that awakens our need to praise and give thanks to God, and moves us to be faithful and attentive servants. Like essential nutrients, these ingredients aid us in living good spiritual lives. They enable us to give mature and effective witness to the world that we are Disciples of Christ.
Jesus knows how difficult it will be to live according to the high standards He has set. So, once again He reassures us and tells not to be afraid. Words to comfort us and encourage us to persevere in our efforts to live good lives of faithfulness, praise and service.
Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom
Please Visit www.deaconspod.com and listen in as the three deacons engage in a contemporary conversation exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those on the threshold, those thinking of joining our Catholic Community or walking away from it.
Recommended Reading: Christian Meditation: Experiencing the Presence of God by James Finley introduces an ancient practice to a contemporary audience. James Finley, a former monk and student of Thomas Merton, presents the fundamentals of both understanding and practicing Christian meditation. He provides simple, helpful instructions, as well as explaining the deeper connection with the divine that meditation can bring. Above all, he makes clear that the aim of meditation is to allow us to experience divine contemplation -- the presence of God.
Recommended Podcast: The Commonweal Magazine Podcast presents engaging conversations at the intersection of politics, religion, and culture. Th July 24, 2025 episode entitled: The Counterweight: Reclaiming Catholic Social Teaching. This episode takes up the purpose of government, an especially urgent topic given the radical departure from the principles and conventions of liberal democracy at work today. Fordham’s Christina Traina is here to explain how that departure is also a departure from Catholic social teaching’s more expansive and communal understanding of government—not just as a guarantor of rights, but a steward of the common good.
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