June 10, 2025
by George Butterfield
Creighton University - Retired
click here for photo and information about the writer

Refreshed Online Ministries Site Coming soon! 
Stay tuned! The new site will be accessible via the current web address. An archive of the current site will be available via a link on the homepage of the new site.

Praying Ordinary Time

Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer

Ordinary Time Symbols in Our Home

Praying in Times of Crisis

Saint Paul reminds us that God has made us many, many promises. “I go to prepare a place for you.” “I will raise you up on the last day.” “No one can snatch you out of my hand.” Will he fulfill them? Yes or No? Of Jesus, Paul says, “For however many are the promises of God, their Yes is in him.” Jesus’ response to our deepest desires and needs is “Yes.” Brothers and sisters, the Holy Spirit has been given to us “as a first installment.” Is he going to leave it at that or is payment in full going to eventually be given? What do you think the answer is from he who is the Yes to the promises of God?

“Lord, let your face shine on me” is the psalm response. This imagery is found throughout scripture, especially in the psalms (e.g., Psa. 67:2b). God’s shining face emphasizes his favor. This is part of the Aaronic-priestly blessing mentioned in Number 6:24-26: “The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!” His looking upon us or shining his face on us is a way of describing his graciousness toward us. This is also the language of Eucharistic Prayer 2 of the Mass. After mentioning those who have died in Christ, the priest asks God to “welcome them into the light of your face.” It’s a prayer for mercy and grace. Is it any wonder that today’s psalm, Psalm 119, focuses on such great love for God’s commands? How can one not love the commands of such a gracious God?

In the Gospel, Jesus refers to us as salt and light. I learned a lesson about salt when I was young. Each morning my brother and I ate cereal. My mom had several huge containers that would each hold about a fourth of a box of cereal. We would load them up and then pour on the sugar and milk. One morning I went to dig into the cereal and – yikes – I had put salt in the cereal instead of sugar. Of course, being so wise for a young age, I decided that I could nullify the salt by dumping a ton of sugar on top of it. You know how that came out! When salt gets in there, you essentially cannot negate it. My grandmother cooked with a ton of salt. Sometimes it made me feel like I had been hit in the face. Nothing you could do about it. Salt is like that. A little goes a long way. (Now they say we shouldn’t eat much of it. Probably right. My grandmother only lived to be 97). Real, salt of the earth Christians are like salt. They will impact everything they touch. And it doesn’t take a lot of them.

Jesus also challenges his disciples to be light. Jesus is the light of the world. His Father’s face shines upon us. When we do good, we are like a city set on a hill which cannot be hidden. This is to let our light shine. When we do this, we glorify the One whose face shines upon us and makes it possible for us to be light in the darkness.

Jesus is our Yes. The Father shines his face upon us. The Holy Spirit has been given to us. We are called to love his commands and be salt and light. How can we fail?