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Natalie Conseur
In Path To Sunday

20th Sunday In Ordinary Time

Luke 12:49

Jesus said to his disciples: "I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!

Readings for Sunday: Jeremiah, Hebrews, Luke

Reflection:

We all get passionate about something. It might be the Cubs, our careers, or celebrity gossip just to name a few. But Jesus calls us to be on fire for Him. In Luke 12:49, He declares, “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!” His “baptism” is his Passion, Death and Resurrection.

We look at our world and see violence, division, and death. Humanity has a problem. If someone offered a cure for death itself, wouldn’t you be excited? Jesus does exactly that. One challenge for us in appreciating what Jesus does for us is that we don’t properly understand death. A human is the unity of body and soul; death, a consequence of sin, is the tearing apart of a human, the separation of body and soul. When Jesus, in his humanity, rose from the dead, his human body and soul were reunited and transformed to live forever. He now offers a share in his new life, to all of us: we too can be resurrected to live forever in and with him.

For that reason, our relationship with Jesus must be primary, even to our relationship with our family. Our relationship with Jesus is not opposed to our relationship with our family members; in fact, when we authentically love Jesus, we will authentically love our family even more! However, there is an order of precedence, and hence Jesus’ admonition: “Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on a household of five will be divided… a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter…” We must be on fire with the love of Jesus, even if our family members do not approve, as it is Jesus who is the source of everlasting life.

Reflection Questions

  • What does it mean for me personally to be “on fire” for Jesus, and what habits in my daily life show that my relationship with Him is my highest priority?
  • In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks about division because of Him. How do I love and try to maintain unity with others, while putting Christ first?
  • If my faith is like a fire that needs tending, what practical steps can I take this week to “stoke” that fire so that it doesn’t grow lukewarm or cold?
Natalie Conseur
In Path To Sunday

19th Sunday In Ordinary Time

Luke 12:48

You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

Readings for Sunday: Wisdom, Hebrews, Luke

Reflection:

Jesus promised to return. After His resurrection, He ascended into heaven, but not without assuring us that He would come again. The question is: what will He find when He returns? If Christ came today, what would He see in my life, and in yours?In today’s Gospel (Luke 12), Jesus speaks of a steward. This is a servant entrusted with the care of the household in the master’s absence. This word “steward” in Greek is oikonomos. It derives from from oikos (household) and nomos (law, rule). In the ancient world, a steward managed the daily life of a great estate, ensuring the needs of the household were met. He wasn’t the owner, but he bore responsibility for the well-being of all within. So too with us. Our lives are not our own. As today’s second reading from St. Paul reminds us, faith is not mere abstract belief. Faith is trust, as seen in Abraham who obeyed and journeyed with God. We have received new life in Christ, purchased at a price (1 Cor 6:19–20). Everything we have (our time, energy, even our bodies) belongs to Him.

Jesus tells us to be vigilant stewards, living each day as though it were our last. The faithful steward serves even when the master seems delayed. But the unfaithful one forgets and lives for himself. So I ask: if you had one month to live, what would you change? Would you pray more? Reconcile with someone? Go to confession? Give more generously? The people of Israel in Wisdom 18 prepared in faith. Abraham journeyed in faith. You and I must live in faith that is faithful to God. Let us be good stewards, ready for the Master’s return. Not out of fear, but out of love, because we belong to Jesus, and everything we are is His.

Reflection Questions

  • If Jesus returned today, what would He find in the way I use my time, relationships, and resources? Would I be a faithful steward of what He has entrusted to me?
  • Do I live my faith with the trust and obedience of Abraham, even when the journey is unclear or difficult? How can I grow in that kind of faith?
  • What specific changes would I make in my life if I knew I only had one month left—spiritually, relationally, and materially—and what’s stopping me from making those changes now?
Natalie Conseur
In Path To Sunday

18th Sunday In Ordinary Time

Colossians 3:1

"If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above."

Readings for Sunday: Ecclesiastes, Colossians, Luke

Reflection:

Today’s readings remind us to strive to be rich in what truly matters: the things that matter to God. Money, possessions and status can easily consume our lives, but they do not satisfy the deepest hunger of the human heart. As St. Teresa of Calcutta once said, many suffer from a deep spiritual poverty: “You… have millions of people who suffer such terrible loneliness and emptiness… What they are missing, really, is a living relationship with God.”

Jesus addresses this reality in today’s Gospel from Luke. A man asks Him to settle an inheritance dispute, and Jesus refuses, warning instead about greed. He tells a parable of a rich man who stores up earthly wealth but neglects his soul. When the man dies, all his riches are meaningless. Jesus concludes, “Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.”

So what are real riches? We might include love of God, love of neighbor, and holiness. These riches grow from a life rooted in prayer, the sacraments, and service. As St. Paul reminds us in today’s second reading, if we’re not living in and for Jesus, we will never be truly rich.

Although God calls each of us to holiness, not everyone’s call is the same. People like Pier Giorgio Frassati showed us how to live richly in Christ. He was not a priest or missionary, but a student who lived a simple life of service and prayer. Like St. Thérèse of Lisieux observed, holiness is found in little things done with great love.

To grow in real riches, you might ask yourself: do I love my spouse, my children, my neighbor as Christ does? Do I seek God daily in prayer and the sacraments?

Because in the end, the only riches that matter are the ones that lead us to heaven.

Reflection Questions

  • What areas of my life show that I am seeking earthly riches over the riches that matter to God?
  • How am I actively growing in love for God and my neighbor?
  • Do I believe that holiness and a deep relationship with Jesus are the real purpose and fulfillment of my life?
Natalie Conseur
In Path To Sunday

17th Sunday In Ordinary Time

Luke 11:10

"...To the one who knocks, the door will be opened."

Readings for Sunday: Genesis, Colossians, Luke

Reflection:

Many of us pray, and many of us are frustrated with prayer. Why? Because we treat it like a transaction: I ask, God gives. When He doesn’t give us that for which we ask, we wonder what’s wrong. Sometimes we become angry with God. But what if the problem isn’t with God, but with our understanding of prayer?

In this Sunday’s Gospel reading from Luke chapter eleven, Jesus’ disciples ask Him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” These were good, devout Jews. They already knew how to say prayers and ask God for things. But they saw something deeper in how Jesus prayed. The prayer practice of their teacher was rooted not in asking, but in relationship. As Jesus begins to teach them The Lord’s Prayer, one thing they notice immediately is that the Son of God begins His prayer with a declaration of love and reverence: “Father, hallowed be your name.”

Remember that when Jesus prayed, He wasn’t handing God a to-do list. He was seeking His Father’s will. Even in the garden before His crucifixion, Jesus asked the Father to let the cup of suffering pass him by. Nevertheless, He added, “not my will, but yours be done.”
That’s the heart of real prayer: not asking for stuff or even miracles, but for God’s will, God’s kingdom, and to be in God’s presence now and forever. When we pray like that, when we seek the Holy Spirit, we start to understand prayer as Jesus did. And God, who is our loving Father, will always respond with what we truly need. So maybe the question is not just, “Am I praying?” but, “Am I praying like Jesus?”

Reflection Questions

  • What does it mean to approach God as a loving Father, and how might that change the way I pray?
  • In what ways can my prayer become more about my relationship with God rather than simply asking for things?
  • How can I learn to trust God’s will, even when the answer to my prayer is “no” or silence?
Natalie Conseur
In Path To Sunday

16th Sunday In Ordinary Time

Colossians 1:24

"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake"

Readings for Sunday: Genesis, Colossians, Luke

Reflection:

Challenging us with the bold statement, “I rejoice in my sufferings,” Saint Paul has a lot to tell us about our path to heaven. At first, this may seem puzzling: why would anyone rejoice in suffering? But behind Paul’s declaration is an important truth: suffering is not meaningless, but rather a means of sanctification, becoming holy and “perfect” in Christ.

St. Paul’s joy in suffering stems from his understanding that perfection is not about worldly success (our bodies, finances, or careers) but about becoming more like Christ. At baptism, we are adopted into God’s family and cleansed of sin, but this is only the beginning. The Christian life is a lifelong transformation, a process by which we are perfected in Christ. That means being conformed to Christ in His humanity, authentically loving God and neighbor.

Too often, we assume that getting to heaven is simply about avoiding hell by not murdering people. Yet, if all of us were taken to heaven right now, just as we are and hence without any transformation, heaven would no longer be a place of perfect love, peace and joy. We are the ones who gossip, lie, and lust. For everlasting life to be true love, peace, and joy, we have to be a people perfectly conformed to Christ.

Suffering plays a necessary role in that transformation. St. Paul wrote, “in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of His body, which is the church.” He wasn’t implying that Christ’s suffering was incomplete. Only Christ’s suffering and death on the cross has opened the gates of heaven to us. Christ has saved us.

The power of what he has done for humanity, however, must be actualized in each of us, here and now, across the centuries. Moreover, none of us does it in isolation: if heaven is our union together in Christ, then we are called to love by sacrifice for our brothers and sisters.

This way of enduring is called redemptive suffering, and was summed up in the older phrase, “offer it up.” We are called to offer our afflictions for each other, letting Christ’s power move in us, transforming us in the process.

Reflection Questions

  • In what ways have I tried to avoid suffering instead of embracing it as a path to holiness?

  • How can I better unite my daily struggles and pain with the suffering of Christ for the good of others?

  • For whom, besides myself, should I be “offering up” my afflictions, sacrifices, and suffering?

Natalie Conseur
In Path To Sunday

15th Sunday In Ordinary Time

Luke 10:37

"Who is my neighbor?"

Readings for Sunday: Deuteronomy, Colossians, Luke

Reflection:

When we hear the parable of the Good Samaritan, we often focus on its moral: be kind to others. But there’s much more beneath the surface. In Jesus’ day, one always went “up” to Jerusalem, even if the journey took you from north to south to get there. Regardless of elevation change or direction, one always went “up” to Jerusalem. The reason is that Jerusalem was where the temple was, and the temple was where God dwelt with his people. Thus, the man attacked by robbers, as well as the priest and the Levite, were all leaving Jerusalem and going “down” the road to Jericho.When the man was attacked, he was left for dead. According to the Old Testament, contact with the dead made a person ritually unclean. Priests and Levites, whose service centered around the temple, were bound by strict purity laws in order to serve at the temple (see Leviticus 21). Even though the priest and Levite in the story were going away from Jerusalem, probably done with their duties, they still avoided the man, walking on the opposite side of the road to be certain not to touch him. Maybe they feared ritual impurity. Perhaps they were unwilling to take the time for purification if he were dead.

Samaritans were considered to be non-Jews. As a people, they descended from the intermarriage of the Jews in the Northern Kingdom of Israel after the Assyrian Exile (~722BC) and the gentiles (pagans) brought in to populate the Northern Kingdom. Thus, even though they thought of themselves as descents of Abraham, they were considered to be non-Jewish: a mixed race with a mixed religion. They were despised and considered impure; they were not “neighbors.” Yet, it is the Samaritan who stopped to help the robber’s victim. He doesn’t just feel compassion; he acts. He dresses the man’s wounds, pays for his care, and expects nothing in return. This is agape, one of the different Greek words for “love.” It is an action, doing good for the other’s sake, without expecting repayment. We are all wounded: by sin, by life, and by each other. Jesus’ meaning behind the parable of the Good Samaritan is to recognize that everyone, even those different from us, even our enemies, are our neighbors. And we are called to love and serve them, as Christ loves and serves us.

Reflection Questions

  • In what ways might I, like the priest or Levite, prioritize my own comfort, schedule, or “purity” over helping someone in need?
  • Who are the “Samaritans” in my life (the people I tend to avoid, judge, or consider outside my circle) and how might God be calling me to love them as neighbors?
  • How can I live out agape this week? How can I love, not just through feelings of compassion, but through concrete actions that serve others without expecting anything in return?
Natalie Conseur
In Path To Sunday

14th Sunday In Ordinary Time

Luke 10:2

"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few."

Readings for Sunday: Isaiah, Galatians, Luke

Reflection:

Why do Catholics display crucifixes rather than empty crosses? The answer lies in what the crucifix proclaims. First, when St. Paul boasts only in, “the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal 6:14) he never imagines a bloodless beam. For him “the cross” always means the suffering Lord—“we preach Christ crucified”
(1 Cor 1:23). A crucifix makes that invisible proclamation visible: yes, Christ is risen, but the victory was won through a real death freely offered for us.

Second, the corpus reminds us at once of the price of sin and the immensity of divine love. Gazing on the Crucified we recall that, “Christ suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous” (1 Pet 3:18). Healthy guilt is not morbid; it can lead to repentance. And repentance is necessary if we want to receive God’s forgiveness.

When forgiven, we should respond with gratitude. Like the debtor who loved the creditor more after forgiveness (Lk 7:41-43), we love God more deeply because we see what redemption cost Him. Ultimately, the image of Christ Crucified is a reminder of the radical love God has for us.

Third, the crucifix keeps our eyes fixed on salvation, not self-help. Some preachers promise earthly blessings in the sense of health and wealth, yet St. Paul—martyred for the gospel—trained, “to win an imperishable crown” (1 Cor 9:25). Christ on the cross tells us discipleship is costly (“Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me’” Matt 16:24).

The empty tomb tells us that discipleship is worthwhile. Faced with that contrast, we must choose Christ over the fallen “world” that was crucified to Paul and to us (Gal 6:14). Far from denying the Resurrection, the crucifix anchors Christian hope: the Lamb once slain now lives—and invites us to follow.

Reflection Questions

  • When you look at a crucifix, what personal meaning does it hold for you?

  • Do you find yourself more drawn to the comfort of the Resurrection or the challenge of the Cross?

  • How can you cooperate more intentionally with God’s grace in your life, like St. Paul and the other apostles did?

Natalie Conseur
In Path To Sunday

The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul

Matthew 16:18

“You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.”

Readings for Sunday: Acts, 2 Timothy, Matthew

Reflection:

This Sunday, we celebrate the two great evangelizers of our faith—St. Peter, the apostle to the Jews, and St. Paul, the apostle to the gentiles. Though very different in background and personality, both were chosen by Christ and gave their lives to build His Church. The readings for today offer us a powerful reminder of who they were, what they endured, and what their lives mean for us.

In our first reading, from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter is imprisoned for preaching the Gospel. An angel of the Lord comes, light fills the cell, and Peter walks free. God isn’t done with him yet. It’s a reminder that when we follow Christ, no prison—physical or spiritual—can hold us back.

Next, in Paul’s second letter to Timothy, we read the apostle’s words: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” What a testimony! Paul’s life wasn’t easy—he was beaten, shipwrecked, and imprisoned—but he never gave up. And through it all, he trusted that the Lord would see him through.

Finally, in today’s Gospel from Matthew, we hear that it is Peter, who answers, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus responds with those unforgettable words: “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.”

This isn’t just about Peter personally—it’s about the Church’s foundation. Jesus entrusts Peter with leadership, showing us how God works through human instruments to guide His people.

Peter and Paul weren’t perfect; both would admit that they were sinners. Paul originally persecuted members of the Church and Peter denied Jesus three times before the crucifixion. But grace transformed them—and through them, the world. Their lives encourage us to say “yes” to Jesus, no matter our past, and to trust that God can do great things through each of us.

Let us pray today for their courage, their faith, and their love for Christ. May we, like Peter and Paul, become living stones in the Church that the Father continues to build—in and through Christ, our Lord.

Reflection Questions

  • In Your Prayer Ask: How is God calling me to be a “rock” in my own community, like Peter was for the early Church?

  • Reflect on This: What are the “chains” in my life that might be holding me back from fully following Christ?

  • Consider in Quiet Reflection: Like Paul, can I say I am “fighting the good fight” and “keeping the faith”?

Natalie Conseur
In Path To Sunday

Corpus Christi Sunday

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

"This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me."

Readings for Corpus Christi Sunday: Genesis, 1st Corinthians, Luke

Reflection:

If you go to an evangelical or mainline Protestant church, you probably will not see what you see in Catholic Church: communion every day. Some of those churches only have communion on Sundays, some only once in a great while. And if you ask them, what is communion, they will generally tell you it is bread and wine that reminds us of Jesus and what he has done for us.

So what is with us Catholics? In English, when we hear Jesus say, “Do this in remembrance of me,” we often think of a simple mental recollection. But the New Testament is written in Koine Greek. The usual word for “remember” is mimneskomai, which is similar to our English word, evoking the concept of a mental connection. However, the word Jesus actually used was anamnesis. This Greek word is more unusual, and means that, by recalling (God’s) action of the past, it becomes present here and now. Thus, by repeating Jesus’ words and actions, the bread and wine become Jesus himself here and now.

At the Last Supper—celebrated during Passover—Jesus connected His sacrifice on the cross to the ancient deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt. Just as the Israelites had to eat the Passover lamb to partake in God’s salvation, so too we must partake of the true Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who takes away the sins of the world. We describe our participation in the sacrifice of Christ for our salvation through the word transubstantiation: the substance of bread and wine truly becomes the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ, though the appearance of bread and wine remains the same.

So why wouldn’t we have Communion every day? If Christ Himself becomes present to offer salvation, to nourish us for eternal life, and to unite us to His sacrifice—how could we not?

Reflection Questions

  • What does it mean to you personally that, through anamnesis, Christ’s sacrifice becomes present at every Mass, rather than just being a memory?
  • How does understanding the Eucharist as truly Christ’s Body and Blood — through transubstantiation — change the way you approach receiving Communion?
  • If the Eucharist is the ongoing gift of Christ’s saving presence, how might you deepen your devotion to the Mass and make it a greater priority in your life?
Natalie Conseur
In Path To Sunday

Trinity Sunday

John 16:13

[The spirit] will guide you to all truth.

Readings for Trinity Sunday: Proverbs, Romans, John

Reflection:

A human rights lawyer once described her conversion from Judaism to Catholicism with a single, striking line: “One day, I figured out that God is love, so I had to convert.” This simple declaration carries profound meaning. To say that “God loves,” is to speak of what God does. To say that “God is love,” refers to what He is. God is love in himself. Even if God had never created the angels, humans or anything else, God was, is and will always be love.

Love, by definition, requires more than one person. Thus, if God is love in Himself, there must be, within God, a relationship – a communion of persons. This is the mystery of the Trinity: one God, three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – eternally. To paraphrase St. Augustine: God is the lover (Father) the beloved (Son) and the bond of love they share (Holy Spirit).

Sometimes, people misunderstand what the Church teaches in terms of the Trinity. Some imagine that the Trinity is really three gods huddling close together. Others fall into modalism – believing one person merely acts in three different ways or modes.

In the end, we will struggle to fully understand God as Trinity because God is infinite, and we are not. The idea of one God in three persons is not irrational, but suprarational; it exceeds the ability of our finite minds to understand.

For that reason, we say the Trinity (God) is a mystery. For us, a “mystery” is not a problem to be solved or a whodunit. It is a reality so profound and deep that we can never completely understand.  God is love, and while we can understand a lot, there is always so much more, to the point that we can spend forever in heaven knowing God better and better, and yet there will always be more.

Reflection Questions

  • What does it mean for God to be love, not just in action but in His very being? How does this shape one’s understanding of the Trinity?

  • If God is love, then what does this tell me about why he created the universe, and me?

  • If God is love, what should my life on earth look like?  What should my priorities be?  What is heaven really like?

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