In this Jubilee Year dedicated to the pilgrimage of hope, we turn the page of a fresh calendar and consider how hopeful people engage a new year.

Do I believe we can make suffering redemptive? Is it possible to transform our pain into something useful to others, something that will last beyond ourselves?

No one likes the suggestion that suffering can be useful. If “no pain, no gain” is the rule, some of us would prefer the no gain, thanks!

When I go out to eat, I’m pretty picky about where I sit. Booths are preferred over open tables. I won’t sit at a high top. I don’t want to be near the kitchen or the front door or anywhere I could be bumped by foot traffic.

There are many symbols that reflect our society, some for better and others for worse. The professional athlete is one of those symbols that seems to endure generation after generation.

As we approach the altar of the Lord confident in God's mercy and in celebration of the mystery of Christ’s love, let us acknowledge our failures and ask the Lord for pardon and strength.

Teach us to give and not count the cost.

Browse our library for additional Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B material.

Click here to view the Take Five weekly for October 20, 2024.