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Natalie Conseur

Natalie Conseur
In Path To Sunday

21st Sunday In Ordinary Time

Matthew 16:14

"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Readings for Sunday: Isaiah, Romans, Matthew

Reflection:

Beneath St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome lies one of Christianity’s most fascinating archaeological discoveries: a first-century necropolis and, according to the Catholic Church, the tomb of St. Peter, the apostle and first Pope. Excavated in the 1940s—even during World War II and the Nazi occupation of Rome—the site can still be visited today through the Vatican’s Scavi tour. Above it stands the basilica’s main altar, built directly over Peter’s tomb. The Catholic Church really is built on top of St. Peter!

But why Peter? When Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Simon answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah,” explaining that this truth had been revealed to him by God. Then Jesus gave Simon a new name: “You are Πέτρος and upon this rock I will build my church.”

The Greek word Πέτρος (Petros) is literally the word for “rock,” and is translated into English as “Peter.” Peter eventually went to Rome, where he became the leader of the Christian community and was martyred. His successors, as bishops of Rome, came to be understood as successors to Peter.

Jesus also gave Peter “the keys to the kingdom of heaven,” granting him a unique responsibility to teach, govern, and preserve the Church’s unity. Those keys refer to the power and authority of the official representative of the king in Israel.

This representative, in older times called a vicar, functioned like a modern-day chief of staff, who controlled access to the King and spoke for him. We see this in Isaiah 22:20-22, “On that day I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah; I will clothe him with your robe, gird him with your sash,

confer on him your authority. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,

and to the house of Judah. I will place the key of the House of David on his shoulder; what he opens, no one will shut, what he shuts, no one will open.”  This does not mean every Pope, as the successor of St. Peter, is a saint or that everything a Pope says is infallible? No. Papal infallibility is narrowly defined, concerning faith and morals under specific conditions.

So why have a Pope? Ultimately, Catholics believe it is because Jesus gave Peter—and his successors—a special role: to keep the Church united and faithful to Christ.

Reflection Questions

  • What does Jesus calling Peter “the rock” and giving him “the keys to the kingdom” reveal about Peter’s role in the Church?
  • Why do you think the Catholic Church believes that the Pope, as Peter’s successor, has a special responsibility to preserve the Church’s unity and faithfulness to Christ?
  • How does learning about St. Peter’s tomb beneath St. Peter’s Basilica deepen your understanding of the connection between the early Church and the Catholic Church today?
Natalie Conseur
In Path To Sunday

20th Sunday In Ordinary Time

Matthew 15:26

"It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs."

Readings for Sunday: Isaiah, Romans, Matthew

Reflection:

Was Jesus in a bad mood? In today’s Gospel, a Canaanite woman comes to Jesus asking him to heal her daughter. At first, his response seems surprisingly harsh: “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” That sounds pretty tough, doesn’t it? But Jesus is not being cruel. He is teaching something much deeper about faith, salvation, and the relationship between Jews and Gentiles.

We sometimes forget something fundamental about our Catholic faith: Jesus was Jewish. So were Mary and Joseph. So were the apostles. In fact, the earliest members of the Church were Jewish. Since we as Catholics speak of Mary being our spiritual mother, we might say that we have a Jewish mother.

Through Mary, Jesus came into the world, and through Jesus, salvation was offered first to the Jewish people and then to all humanity.

The Old Testament tells the story of God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants, the people of Israel. God did not abandon that covenant. As St. Paul says, “the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.” The Jewish people therefore remain a people beloved by God.

Yet God’s plan was always bigger. Through the Jewish people came Mary; through Mary came Jesus; and through Jesus came the New Covenant, extending God’s mercy to every nation.

That is what makes the Canaanite woman’s encounter with Jesus so important. She was a Gentile, yet she recognized who Jesus was and trusted him completely. Jesus praised her: “O woman, great is your faith!” Her daughter was healed. The message is clear: salvation comes from the Jews, but salvation is for everyone.

As Catholics, there is no room for antisemitism. We should never forget our spiritual roots. Our faith is inseparably connected to the Jewish people and the promises God made to them. Our hope is ultimately for the day when all people will be united in Christ—not through force, but through freely embracing the truth and mercy of God.

Reflection Questions

  • How can the Canaanite woman’s faith inspire you to trust Jesus when his response is difficult to understand?
  • How does knowing that Jesus, Mary, and the apostles were Jewish shape your understanding of the Jewish people?
  • How can you help build greater unity, respect, and understanding among people of different faiths?
Natalie Conseur
In Path To Sunday

19th Sunday In Ordinary Time

Matthew 14:31

“O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Readings for Sunday: 1 Kings, Romans, Matthew

Reflection:

There is something very peculiar in today’s Gospel story. No, it’s not the miracle of walking on water. Compared to raising Lazarus from the dead, walking on water almost seems ordinary. Nor is it about Peter stepping out of the boat and having an extraordinary test of faith only to be saved from sinking. The detail is much simpler: Jesus prayed.

Years ago, an intrepid eighth grader asked a priest, “If Jesus is God, and Jesus prayed, to whom was He speaking?” It is a wonderful question. Jesus is fully God, but He is also fully human. In His humanity, He is like us in every way except sin. And in His humanity, Jesus needed to pray.

Prayer is about relationship. Jesus had a perfect relationship with God the Father, and that relationship was nourished through prayer. The Gospels repeatedly show Him withdrawing from the crowds, climbing a mountain, and spending long stretches of time alone with His Father. He prayed before choosing the apostles, before His Passion, and throughout His public ministry.

If the sinless Son of God needed regular prayer, how much more do we?

Every healthy relationship requires genuine communication. Imagine someone claiming to have a wonderful marriage because they speak to their spouse for only two minutes each day and when they do, every conversation is a list of requests and complaints. We would hardly call that a thriving relationship. Yet many of us have that type of prayer life.

The Catholic tradition reminds us that prayer takes several form. Alongside vocal prayer is meditation or listening. God already knows what we need before we ask. The greater challenge is whether we are willing to hear what He wants to say to us and if we are able to set aside the time to listen. That is why Elijah encountered God not in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire, but in a tiny whispering sound. God’s voice is often gentle, requiring silence and attentive hearts. Meditation is not emptying the mind but focusing it. Whether through Scripture, the Rosary, or quiet time before the Blessed Sacrament, we learn to listen. Like a guitar string tuned just right, a heart prepared in prayer becomes ready to resonate when God gently touches it.

Jesus prayed because He desired communion with His Father. He invites us into that same conversation. Aren’t you curious to hear what God wants to say?

Reflection Questions

  • How much of my prayer is spent talking to God, and how much is spent quietly listening to Him?
  • What distractions or habits keep me from creating the silence needed to hear God’s gentle voice?
  • If Jesus made personal prayer a priority, what changes can I make to make daily prayer a greater priority in my own life?
Natalie Conseur
In Path To Sunday

18th Sunday In Ordinary Time

Isaiah 55:2

Why spend your money for what is not bread; your wages for what fails to satisfy?

Readings for Sunday: Isaiah, Romans, Matthew

Reflection:

Have you ever noticed that we are never completely satisfied? This idea appears everywhere in our culture. The Rolling Stones famously sang, “I can’t get no satisfaction,” while U2 admitted, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.” Advertisements build entire campaigns around this same truth, convincing us that the next car, phone, or product will finally make us happy. Yet no earthly possession can satisfy the deepest longing of the human heart because we were created for something greater—we were created for God.

Similarly, we are all hungry, though not simply for food. Our hunger is much deeper. Consider how many people continue eating long after they have received enough nourishment. We often consume more than we need because we are trying to fill an emptiness that food cannot satisfy. The reason is simple: our hunger is ultimately for God. As St. Augustine wrote in his Confessions, “Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee.”

God created us for Himself, and only a relationship with Him can fill the infinite desire within us. The prophet Isaiah asks, “Why spend your money for what is not bread, your wages for what fails to satisfy?” Christ came not only to save us from sin but also to unite us with the Father, making it possible for finite people to receive the infinite God.

This is why we come to church. The Church is not merely a social club or charity organization but the People of God, called together to receive Christ. In the Eucharist, Jesus feeds us just as He fed the crowd in the Gospel by blessing, breaking, and distributing the bread. Every Mass reminds us that Christ alone satisfies our deepest hunger. If we truly seek lasting joy, we must turn to Him in the Eucharist, in prayer, and in Scripture, trusting that He alone can fill our hearts with lasting peace.

Reflection Questions

  • What are some things in your own life that you have looked to for lasting happiness, and have they truly satisfied you? Why or why not?
  • If our deepest hunger is for God rather than for material things, then how should we understand success and happiness, contrary to how our culture understands them?
  • If the Eucharist is Christ’s way of satisfying our deepest spiritual hunger, how can you prepare yourself to participate more fully in Mass and grow closer to Him throughout the week?
Natalie Conseur
In Path To Sunday

17th Sunday In Ordinary Time

Matthew 13:46

"When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it."

Readings for Sunday: 1 Kings, Romans, Matthew

Reflection:

If you were Aladdin and a genie granted you one wish, for what would you ask?

Of course, we don’t believe in genies or magic lamps. But we do believe in God, and we do pray. So if God guaranteed one, and only one, request, for what would you ask?

Perhaps asking for the miraculous healing of a loved one, who is sick, would not be the best choice. That may sound harsh but consider Lazarus. Jesus raised him from the dead—a stunning miracle. Yet Lazarus eventually died again. Every earthly healing is temporary because death still comes for us all.

King Solomon faced a similar question when God said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.” Solomon did not ask for wealth, power, or a long life. He asked for wisdom to serve God well, and God praised his request.

Too often we treat God like a genie, asking Him to grant our wishes. But God’s greatest desire is not simply to make this life more comfortable. His greatest desire is our salvation.

That is why, if we have one guaranteed request, we should ask for the salvation of those we love —as well as our own.

Jesus constantly points us toward eternity. He compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a treasure hidden in a field and a pearl of great price, worth giving up everything else to obtain. Nothing is more valuable.

This doesn’t mean we stop praying for healing or other needs. We should. God cares deeply about our suffering. But even suffering can become a path to holiness, as we see in Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection. As St. Paul reminds us, “We know that all things work for good for those who love God.”

There may be no magic lamps, but there is something far greater: a God who desires to be with us forever. The real question is not whether God wants to grant us eternal life. He does.

The question is: if you had only one wish, would that be yours?

Reflection Questions

  • If God guaranteed you one request, what would you ask for—and what does your answer reveal about what you value most?
  • Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a treasure hidden in a field and a pearl of great price. What are some things in your life that compete with God for first place in your heart?
  • How often do your prayers focus on temporary needs—such as health, success, or comfort—compared to praying for your own salvation and the salvation of those you love?
Natalie Conseur
In Path To Sunday

16th Sunday In Ordinary Time

Matthew 13:43

"the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father."

Readings for Sunday: Wisdom, Romans, Matthew

Reflection:

Imagine you’re at a family gathering or dinner party. Someone discovers you’re Catholic and asks, “So, you believe in heaven, right?” You answer, “Yes.” Then comes the follow-up: “What’s it like?”

How would you respond?

Jesus often described heaven through parables because it’s easy to misunderstand. We sometimes imagine heaven as earth—but better. No sickness, no diets, no losing seasons. Maybe Uncle Jim is finally playing golf every day, and Cubs fans never suffer another heartbreak.

But that’s not quite the picture Jesus gives us.

Scripture tells us there will be no more pain or death (Revelation 21:4). Christ’s resurrected body shows us that physical suffering has no place in heaven. Yet Jesus also teaches something just as important: heaven is free from moral evil.

Think about it. If heaven is perfect, there can be no hatred, gossip, dishonesty, or violence. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: those sins don’t begin “out there.” They begin in us.

In the parable of the wheat and the weeds, Jesus reminds us that God is remarkably patient. Rather than uprooting the weeds immediately, He allows time for growth and conversion. Why? Because God’s desire is not simply to judge sinners but to save them.

Entrance into heaven isn’t something we earn. It is God’s gift through Jesus Christ. Yet grace invites a response. We are called to turn away from sin and allow Christ to transform us into the people we were created to be.

That is why the Church treasures the sacraments, prayer, works of mercy, and even the doctrine of purgatory. God loves us enough not only to forgive us but also to make us ready for perfect communion with Him.

Heaven is perfect because everyone there has been perfected by God’s grace. And since we are not there yet — let us ask God to keep working on us.

Reflection Questions

  • How does Jesus’ teaching that heaven is completely free from both physical and moral evil change or deepen your understanding of what heaven is like?
  • In what area of your life is God patiently calling you to greater conversion and a deeper commitment to living according to Christ’s ways?
  • What is one concrete step you can take this week to cooperate more fully with God’s grace as He prepares you for heaven?
Natalie Conseur
In Path To Sunday

15th Sunday In Ordinary Time

Matthew 13:23

"The seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it."

Readings for Sunday: Isaiah, Romans, Matthew

Reflection:

Everyone seems to have an opinion about what’s wrong with the Church—and usually an opinion about how to fix it. Someone once asked Mother Teresa that very question. Her answer was simple:

“I am.” As holy as she was, she still recognized that she was a sinner in need of God’s grace. She understood that renewal in the Church begins with personal conversion. That insight helps us understand today’s Gospel.

In the parable of the sower, the farmer scatters seed everywhere: on the path, among rocks, into thorns, and onto rich soil. He seems either reckless or extraordinarily generous. Of course, Jesus is describing God’s generosity. In Baptism, God freely plants the seed of Christ, the Word, in our hearts. We become adopted sons and daughters of the Father, filled with the Holy Spirit, and cleansed of sin. However, Baptism is not the end of the journey; it is the beginning. God’s goal is to transform us into the image of Christ.

The challenge is that we often resist that transformation. Some of us are like the path, where God’s Word struggles to take root. Others are like rocky soil, enthusiastic at first but quick to fall away when faith becomes difficult. Still others are like thorny ground, allowing anxiety, comfort, pleasure, or worldly priorities to choke the life of grace within us. Yet Jesus also speaks of rich soil that bears abundant fruit—thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold. The difference is not the power of the seed but the receptivity of the soil.

That is where cooperation with grace becomes essential. Through prayer, confession, Scripture, works of mercy, fasting, and faithful discipleship, we allow God to remove the rocks and weeds from our hearts. If we’re honest, each of us contains a little of every kind of soil. Like Mother Teresa, we can say, “I am” part of what’s wrong with the Church. But by cooperating with the Holy Spirit, we can also become part of what is right with the Church: saints who bear abundant fruit for the Kingdom of God.

Reflection Questions

  • How does Mother Teresa’s humble perspective challenge the way I think about the Church’s problems? Am I more focused on changing others, or allowing God to change me?
  • In Jesus’ parable of the sower, which type of soil best describes my heart right now? Are there rocks, thorns, or hardened places that are preventing God’s Word from taking deeper root?
  • What is one concrete step I can take this week—through prayer, confession, Scripture, an act of mercy, or another spiritual practice—to cultivate the soil of my soul and bear greater fruit?
Natalie Conseur
In Path To Sunday

14th Sunday In Ordinary Time

Romans

"[Y]ou are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you."

Readings for Sunday: Zechariah, Romans, Matthew

Reflection:

Sigmund Freud generally thought that belief in God was a projection of one’s need and desire for love, protection, and so on onto the cosmos in the image of one’s father. While God is real, and in fact more real than we are, for many people Freud was in a way correct. Many people do construct their own image of God which is just a larger version of themselves or a projection of what they think God should be. They don’t know the real God. That is why the Bible presents God as being very different, very “other.” In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word kadosh (which we translate as “holy”) means “set apart,” “distinct,” or “other.” To say that God is “holy” is to say that He is unlike anything else in creation. His thoughts, His ways, and His love are far beyond our own.

While we can know that God exists, and know things about him from his creation, at the same time we need God to reveal himself to us if we are going to truly know him. In the Gospel, Jesus says, “No one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.” Christ is the perfect revelation of the Father.

As the God-man, He serves as the bridge between humanity and God, revealing the Father’s character through His words, actions, and sacrifice. If we want to know what God is like, we must look to Jesus.

Additionally, as sinners, we struggle to truly understand God. We tend to be selfish and struggle to know God, who is holy, different than us. This is why Jesus repeatedly calls us to repent. The Greek word metanoia literally means “to think differently.” When we repent, we decided that something is wrong or the wrong way, such as lying, in order to embrace something else, like the truth. To follow Jesus requires that we change our way of thinking and instead conform our minds to his; we must learn to think as Jesus thinks, live as he lives, and love as he loves. This what St. Paul meant in the second reading by urging us to live according to the Spirit, rather than the flesh. It isn’t a denial of our humanity, but “flesh” here means humanity in its sinful tendencies. Jesus invites to live in the Holy Spirit, that we may truly know God the Father.

Reflection Questions

  • In what ways might your own expectations shape your understanding of God, and how can you become more open to knowing Him as He truly is?
  • What is one habit in your life that God may be inviting you to change so that you can live more fully according to the Spirit rather than the flesh?
  • When have you experienced God’s guidance or support during a difficult time, and how can you grow in trusting Christ more deeply in your daily life?
Natalie Conseur
In Path To Sunday

Corpus Christi Sunday

John 6:55

"Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him."

Readings for Corpus Christi Sunday: Deuteronomy, 1st Corinthians, John

Reflection:

In the first reading this Sunday from Deuteronomy, Moses reminds the Israelites that God guided them through forty years in the wilderness. After rescuing them from slavery in Egypt, God led them toward the Promised Land. However, before they could enter it, they had to learn to trust him completely. The desert became a place of testing, growth, and dependence on God. Faced with hunger and uncertainty, the Israelites discovered that human beings do not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

To sustain them, God provided manna, a mysterious bread in the form of small flakes that appeared each day from heaven. This gift met their physical needs and taught them to rely on God’s daily care.

The manna was not only food; it was a sign of God’s presence and faithfulness. Without it, the Israelites could not have continued their journey through the wilderness.For Catholic Christians, manna serves as a foreshadowing of the Eucharist. Jesus gives himself in the Eucharist as spiritual food for his followers. Through the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist made present through the celebration of the Mass, believers receive the grace and strength needed to persevere in their relationship with God. Like pilgrims in the desert traveling toward the Promised Land of Heaven, we require nourishment for the challenges and struggles of life.

Reflection Questions

  • Do I have a love for Jesus in the Eucharist? Do I encounter him sustaining me in my day-to-day life as a disciple through my reception of communion?
  • What are the challenges in the desert of this life that I am experiencing and how is Jesus trying to help me?
  • Have I considered deepening my devotion to the Blessed Sacrament/the Eucharist through Adoration?
Natalie Conseur
In Path To Sunday

Trinity Sunday

2 Corinthians

The God of love and peace will be with you.

Readings for Trinity Sunday: Exodus, 2 Corinthians, John

Reflection:

Wouldn’t it be easier for us Catholics, in terms of explaining our faith to others, to just drop the idea of God being the Trinity? In a way it would, and yet, it would be false; it wouldn’t be true. The belief that God is one and yet, at the same time, three, seems like “new math.” It really isn’t, it is just more advanced math.  Instead of 1+1+1=3, think of 1x1x1=1. It is 1F x 1S x 1HS = 1GOD.

It is not only what Jesus revealed to us by speaking of God as Father, himself as a distinct person, the Son, yet being one with the Father and that they send the Holy Spirit. (Think, last week we celebrated Pentecost). Jesus also said that God is Love, and not merely that God loves us.  (One is a noun; the other is a verb). God literally is Love, which means that God is at least two persons, because Love to be Love, requires at least two persons. In the end, we learn that Love is tri… (t)rinitarian. Think of husband, wife and child; earthly families reflect, analogically, God who is family.

But unlike an earthly family where you literally have three separate beings, God is three persons who literally share one existence. The hard part for us today using modern English, is that the definition of “person” is now “a human being.”

We do not distinguish between personhood and personality, between personhood and human existence. For us Catholics, the word “person” is so much broader and deeper a concept. Each angel is a person, and angels are neither physical nor human. God is beyond all and is three persons in the most profound and true sense of the word “person.” Think of “person” as “unique identity.” Even if you have an identical twin or a clone, who shares the same DNA as you, you would be a unique identity, so that when you say “I think,” the “I” means not him, not her, not anybody else.
In the end, the fact that God is Love, that God is Trinity, explains so many things: why God made a universe he doesn’t need, why God freely chose to save us in Christ, and why we can see God as self-emptying love in the cross of Jesus Christ. Would it be easier for us Catholics, in terms of explaining our faith to others, to just drop the idea of God being the Trinity? Not really…

Reflection Questions

  • Why is the doctrine of the Trinity important to the Christian understanding of love?
  • How does the idea that “God is love” differ from the idea that God simply performs loving actions?
  • In what ways can understanding God as eternal love influence the way people treat others in their daily lives?
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