Reflection for Sunday – September 7, 2025

Gloria UlterinoSunday Readings Homilies

Readings: Wisdom 9: 13-18b; Philemon 9-10, 12-17; Luke 14: 25-33 
Preacher: Gloria Ulterino

 Another school year begins.  What memories immediately come to mind for you?  I can vividly recall 10th grade geometry—a real puzzle at first, until it suddenly made sense!  Then, many years later, I walked into my very first theology class, “The Church of the Future” – and my life would never again be the same.  Lo and behold, I had found my calling!

 Yes, another school year begins.  What does it take for each of us to respond and grow into the person—the people—God dreams of our becoming?  More precisely, how might we go about doing this?

 Sometimes, as with Paul—in his Letter to Philemon—a person comes along who changes everything for us.  In Paul’s case, it is Onesimus.  Understand, first of all, that in Paul’s day, slavery was commonplace.  It was “how things were.”  And yet, this “slave” of Paul’s friend Philemon, has been totally transformed in Paul’s eyes as a beloved brother—no longer a slave.  Consequently, Paul is returning this much loved Onesimus to Philemon.  Why?  So that his dear friend Philemon might also experience and claim him as brother.  In Paul’s words, claim him simply as “a man in the Lord.”  Can we take those words to heart?  Can we imagine this power of transformation in our own lives?

I can.  By the grace of God, I have experienced it as I began to study theology.  One course after another opened my eyes to the beauty and challenge of Scripture.  Opened my eyes to our Catholic Tradition, with so many ongoing struggles to become ever more faithful to God, by continually growing in our understanding of what it is to love.

The role of women in the Church is one of those struggles that persists to this very day. When I began my theological studies, I experienced the power of one woman’s preaching.  Her name is Sr.  Joan Delaplane, a professor of theology and a magnificent preacher.  She spent a week with us, delivering the possibilities of great preaching… giving us examples, showing us the way, and inspiring us to go and do the same.  Wow!  She was phenomenal!  She gave us hope!  The value that St. Augustine pronounced as the greatest of the triple capital virtues of faith, hope, and love.  She brought the passages to life as she “became” one of the people in the Scriptural story.  I still remember thinking at the time: I’ve got to learn how to do that!

Fortunately, at that time in our diocese, it was quite common for well qualified women to preach on the Good News at Sunday Mass.  It was the time when Bishop Matthew Clark was our leader, and he believed in the perspective that women could bring to the Good News.  My co-pastors at that time concurred, and encouraged me to preach, after getting to know the folks in the parish.  What a joy!  I became part of the preaching rotation, once a month.  So, I prepared by praying with the readings, meeting with a “homily team” to hear their wisdom and questions … and then going to work.  It meant writing, erasing, polishing, and continually learning and growing.

At this moment in time, unfortunately, women are still being denied the use of their God-given gifts to preach in this diocese.  I keep asking, “Why?”  If women have the gifts and desire to preach, aren’t those gifts meant to be used?  And hopefully inspire the folks to go forth, each of them using their own God-given gifts for the betterment of this world?

It is my profound hope that the time will soon come when all well-qualified preachers can use their God-given gifts for the good of us all.  Perhaps then we will be numbering our days aright.      

Gloria Ulterino
Latest posts by Gloria Ulterino (see all)
Share