Psalm 43: 1, 2, 3, and 4 “…Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.….” Luke 9: 18-22 “…Jesus asked the disciples ‘But who do you say that I am? Peter said in reply, ‘The Christ of God’…” Saint Elzear and Blessed Delphina (1286-1323 and 1283-1358) listed as the “only Franciscan couple to be canonized or beatified” by the Saints of the Day website. He was from a noble family in Ansouis in southern France. He served as a Count for Ariano in southern Italy, and was a counselor to Duke Charles of Calabria. They both treated the people with respect and concern, inviting a dozen poor people to dine with them daily. They had no children because of Delphina’s vow of perpetual virginity, which Elzear respected and took himself after they were married. She continued her work for charity for 35 years after his death, and is remembered for raising the moral level of the King of Sicily’s court. As students have returned for the new school year, it really does feel like a time to get back to work. Even if you don’t find your work at a school, many people use the summer to go on vacation, and hopefully find some time to rest. In our first reading from the prophet Haggai, we hear the Lord asking us to get to work as well. “Do not Fear” he says at one point, “for I am with you”. Throughout the old and new testament we are reminded that the Lord is with us, and not to fear. So, rebuilding the temple to restore it to a glorious state, feels like a continuing assignment even today. Are we not always in the state of rebuilding that work which seems lost? We are certainly always in the continued work of rebuilding ourselves so that the Kingdom can be carried on to future generations. In today’s uncertain times, we are called back to look to the Lord for guidance in our actions. Always in a hurry, stepping out of the race allows us to see our world from a different perspective. Many have gone before and struggled in the same way, but here we are with our Faith handed down to this generation, and we must rely on the good Lord to help us preserve it for those who follow us. Jesus asks in the Gospel reading from Luke “but who do you say that I am?” And this question likewise gives us pause, how we answer it will guide our work today and each day we stop to ask it again. I know we need this constant reminder to be called back to this Divine reality. Surrounded by the everyday life in a world that calls out for help, we are reminded that helping is just part of our work. And like the Saints we remember today, who extended an invitation to the poor people everyday to eat with them, let us reach out today and get to the work that lasts. |