Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Friends,

The window of my childhood bedroom faced west. Many evenings, I’d find myself gazing out that familiar window, watching the clouds shift shapes and the colors deepen as the sun settled into rest. The clouds always made the sunsets feel more alive like the sky was breathing. It is said that when one of the sisters in her convent came to her troubled, St. Teresa of Ávila would often suggest stepping outside to look at the clouds. Nature heals and refreshes, it gives us perspective and reminds us that God is near.

That image of clouds appears again in today’s first reading, “The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds” (Sirach 35:21). It echoes the message from last Sunday’s gospel—God hears and answers every prayer. He listens when we are oppressed. He is not deaf to our cries. We are willingly heard, and He will not delay. The promise of our small prayers is powerful—strong enough to pierce the clouds. But how can that be, when we feel so small and our voices so soft? Perhaps it’s because we are already close to His ear. Like a child whispering into the ear of a parent, our petitions reach the heart of the Father.

Knowing our place in this tender Child-Father relationship, held close to His ear, we can join our voice with today’s psalm: “I will bless the Lord at all times.” We praise Him for always giving us what is best. And when the clouds of a sunset suddenly shift into a storm, we can still proclaim His promise: “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those whose spirit is crushed” (Psalm 34).

- Anthony Quinn, Young Adult Coordinator