Mary M. McGlone

Mary M McGlone, a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet, gives retreats and days of reflection and is a writer and interpreter/translator. She may be reached at [email protected].

By this Author

(Unsplash/Jared Murray)

Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time: Apocalyptic times call us to act

Scripture for Life: We are living in apocalyptic times. Our moment calls us to a realistic assessment of our crises and a response that springs from the grace of believing that now is the time to lift up our heads and see that the Son of Man is at the gates. 

A homeless person in Birmingham, Alabama, eats breakfast during the distribution of food and clothes April 18, 2020. (CNS/Reuters/Carlos Barria)

Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time: We are all vulnerable

Scripture for Life: The widows of today's liturgy invite us to ask ourselves how we can allow our experience to lead us into solidarity. Rich or poor, we are all vulnerable, even if we are not courageous enough to admit it.

(Unsplash/Scott Rodgerson)

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time: What it was like to be Jesus

Scripture for Life: What it was like to be Jesus was to be hopeful, generous, capable of much, but able to do only as much as others would accept from him. That is how he was Godlike.

In the kitchen of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Phoenix in June 2016, volunteers prep food for struggling families and individuals. (CNS/Nancy Wiechec)

Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time: To be great, be a servant

Scripture for Life: The nearer we come to God the more we will share in God's glory: passionate, self-giving. Then we will understand the invincible power of vulnerable love.

Detail of a 20th-century painting of Jesus and the rich young man in the Church of Santa Maria de Montalegre, Barcelona, Spain (Dreamstime/Jozef Sedmak)

Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time: A story of inheritance

Scripture for Life: There's a trick in this story of inheritance. Like the wealthy man, we can forget that our inheritance is about genetics and biology, status and goods, things we did nothing to deserve.

Couple on a hillside (Unsplash/Casey Horner)

Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time: Made for each other

Scripture for Life: Genesis 1 and 2 teach that God placed us in the midst of creation to enjoy and grow in communion with one another in the image of the Trinity. Jesus invites us to live into that truth for the rest of our lives.

A statue of St. Martin de Porres stands at the entrance of St. Augustine Church in Washington, D.C. (CNS/Elizabeth Bachmann)

Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Room for everyone

Scripture for Life: Those who carry on Jesus' work are his co-laborers, no matter what disqualifications others might wish to put in their way. Disciples are recognized for how they serve others. That trumps everything else.

A volunteer carries coffee for people waiting for a free meal at the Church of Santa Anna in Barcelona, Spain, April 21, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. (CNS/Reuters/Nacho Doce)

Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Power, service and love

Scripture for Life: Today's liturgy invites us to assess our personal and communal relationships with God and one another. Are we willing to gamble that servant love is sufficient to transform evil?

Shadow of a crucifix (CNS/KNA/Harald Oppitz)

Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Whose disciples are we?

Scripture for Life: Much as we resist it, the God we meet in Jesus, the Christ who is our savior, is thoroughly unlike the materialistic, political or militaristic gods the world urges us to worship.

A woman and man join hands during the Our Father during Mass. (CNS/Bob Roller)

Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time: Faith comes from Christ, community

Scripture for Life: The Gospels portray discipleship as a long apprenticeship that comes to fruition as Jesus' followers begin to comprehend their vocation in the light of his death and resurrection.

Baked bread (Unsplash/Serghei Savchiuc)

Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time: Scandalously ordinary

Scripture for Life: Jesus was scandalously ordinary, except in how he loved God and made God's love available to others.

A plaque of the Magnificat in English is seen at the Church of the Visitation in Ein Karem, Jerusalem. (Wikimedia Commons/Deror avi)

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary: A practical creed

Scripture for Life: Neither church nor society has probably ever been quite ready for Mary of Nazareth. Her Magnificat leads us to seek God in the times and places where the lowly are cherished and the hungry filled.

(Unsplash/Pablo Heimplatz)

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Invited to imitate Christ

Scripture for Life: Today's Scripture stories dare us to risk an encounter with the living God who answers prayer in ever-new, life-giving, mind- and soul-transforming ways.

A leavened flatbread akin to pita has been made in the Middle East since before the time of Christ. (CNS/Nancy Wiechec)

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Our greatest potential

Scripture for Life: Jesus' sharing of himself as the bread of life illustrates the greatest potential of human life. The Son of God entered our history not to wow us with miracles, but to show us how we can live as Paul suggests: as new selves, people truly renewed in spirit.

Loaves and fishes in stained glass (Wikimedia Commons/Nheyob)

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Unreasonable expectations

Scripture for Life: When was the last time you considered the question, "What is my calling?" That's not a question of your job, although the hope is that any occupation we engage in becomes an expression of our deeper call. 

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Who are the good shepherds?

Scripture for Life: This week's Scriptures tell us that as followers of Christ the Good Shepherd, we must remember that the invitation to repose by restful waters is for refreshment, not permanent residence. 

(Unsplash/Dennis Ottink)

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: More than just chosen

Scripture for Life: Like the last chosen kid and Jesus' disciples, we too are chosen, not because of our talent or achievements, but because we are willing to be here to answer the call. That's all the qualifications required.

Beatrice Anne Borman is seen during her baptism April 18, 2020, at St. James Church in Falls Church, Virginia. (CNS/Zoey Maraist, Arlington Catholic Herald)

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: An amen to prophecy!

Scripture for Life: Instead of offering comfort and safety, our faith puts great expectations on us. Baptism calls each of us to be prophetic, priestly heirs of the creator of the universe. 

The woman touching Jesus' cloak, depicted in stained glass at St. Andrew's Church, Nuthurst, West Sussex, England (Wikimedia Commons/Antiquary)

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: The inside story

Scripture for Life: While some might approach prayer as if ordering from a menu, the purpose of prayer — be it petition, praise or penitence — is to bring us into an encounter with the God of life who desires the encounter more than we do. 

"Calming the Storm" (1637, detail) by Simon de Vlieger (Wikimedia Commons/Art Collection of the University Göttingen)

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Impelled by Christ's love

Scripture for Life: Like the disciples, we can consider God with such frugality of imagination that we are blind to anything bigger than our own plans and expectations. But God has fashioned us to be capable of more.

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