In 1935, Jewish crime boss Dutch Schultz was shot by fellow mobsters in New York. Doctors knew he wouldn’t make it through the night. 

Schultz began his life of crime as a petty thief after his dad abandoned his family. He later made his fortune through illegal alcohol and gambling. 

Being a notorious criminal, he shocked his doctors when he urgently requested for a Catholic priest. He wanted to be reconciled with God by being baptized on his deathbed. 

Pazzo d’amore. It’s an italian phrase that means “crazy” or “madly in love.” Saint Catherine wrote about God’s lavish, reckless, and crazy love that doesn’t make sense. But to a dying man like Dutch, it made perfect sense. 

God pursued this Jew who committed unthinkable crimes until his dying breath, when he finally surrendered to the Lord’s crazy love who never gave up on him. With his last breath, God’s unrelenting love finally brought Dutch home to where he belonged. Ronna Ledesma (ronna_ledesma@yahoo.com.ph)

 Reflect:

Are you as madly in love with God as He is madly in love with you? 

Father, teach me to always love You back lavishly and recklessly! 

St. Edwin of Northumbria, pray for us.

The Gospel does not have favorites. Every man, woman, and child stand before the Gospel in exactly the same need of salvation. The Gospel treats us all equally. No one is exempt from its message. Let us ask Jesus to keep our lives on the “straight and narrow path” that leads to heaven. 

²² Brothers and sisters: Scripture confined all things under the power of sin, that through faith in Jesus Christ the promise might be given to those who believe. ²³ Before faith came, we were held in custody under law, confined for the faith that was to be revealed. ²⁴ Consequently, the law was our disciplinarian for Christ, that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a disciplinarian. ²⁶ For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendant, heirs according to the promise. 

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 105:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R: The Lord remembers his covenant forever. 

² Sing to him, sing his praise, proclaim all his wondrous deeds. ³ Glory in his holy name; rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord! (R) ⁴ Look to the Lord in his strength; seek to serve him constantly. ⁵ Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought, his portents, and the judgments he has uttered. (R) ⁶ You descendants of Abraham, his servants, sons of Jacob, his chosen ones! ⁷ He, the Lord, is our God; throughout the earth his judgments prevail. (R) 

Gospel | Luke 11:27-28

Let us not remove the elements of faith and obedience from the concept of blessedness in the Christian life. Without faith and obedience to God’s will, there is no happiness for the Christian. This may be difficult to grasp as the world often sees obedience as contrary to happiness and imposed upon a person from the outside. However, we know that obedience to the will of God is the perfect use of the gift of freedom. 

Gospel Acclamation 

Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it. 

²⁷ While Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” ²⁸ He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” 

Reflect:

Recall the times when you followed God’s will and experienced joy.How can you be more obedient so as to experience true happiness? 

Read the Bible in one year! Read EZEKIEL 17 - 20 today.

When we are impressed by certain individuals, what do we do? The most natural thing is not only to praise them or to give them a thumbs up but also to give due recognition to those who have been instrumental in making them the persons they have become. 

A similar adulation happened in today’s Gospel reading. This came from a woman from the crowd who articulated her respect for Mary when she addressed Jesus: “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” In more contemporary terms, we might rephrase it as, “May God bless the woman that produced such a fine son like you!” We know that what the woman shouted out is marvelously true. One of the compliments people can never deny our Blessed Mother of is how well her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, turned out. Like Mary’s good Son, Jesus turns the woman’s words around, retorting, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” 

Although it may appear that Jesus resisted in giving a compliment to His mother, He made it clear instead that God’s blessings are not only reserved for a few like Mary. It is in imitating her that we will receive those same blessings. We have to let the Word of God make His home in us as He did so most profoundly in Mary’s womb and heart. Mary is, for us, the epitome of observing God’s Word and keeping it as she stood at the foot of the cross. “Let it be done unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38). If we did so, how blessed we would truly be like her. 

In the First Reading, Saint Paul convinces the Galatians that belonging to Christ in faith is all that is needed to live a blessed life. He urges the Galatians that they need to fully commit themselves to the person of Jesus, the Word of God, in order to be saved. 

Today, we are invited to renew our commitment of faith, our unconditional surrender to God through Jesus and to His Gospel, so that we can also be numbered among those who are truly blessed in God’s eyes. Fr. Rick Montañez, AA

 Reflection Question:

How can you follow Mary’s footsteps? 

Jesus, I commit to obey and live out Your Word. Amen.

Today, I pray for: __________________________________