2026/08/09 SCRIPTURE REFLECTION

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

- Mary Kate Boyle, Coordinator of Campus & Youth Ministry

Within my role at Saint Clement, I have the joy of working with our school students. This includes everything from Church visits with our preschoolers, to preparing our eighth graders for Confirmation, and I absolutely love the work that I get to do.

One of the things I reflect on often is the beauty of childhood—the wonder and awe that children have for, well, everything. There is something deeply moving about learning about Jesus through their eyes.

This past Spring I was teaching a lesson on a Scripture passage to some of our preschoolers, and after it one of them said to me, “Miss. Boyle – Jesus is always in our hearts. We need to be still and listen to Him!”

His words are ones that have stayed with me ever since as they were so simple, yet profound. As we heard in our first reading from the Book of Kings, sometimes we expect God to speak to us through big, dramatic signs – the wind, earthquake, or fire. But, more often, He comes to us in a quiet whisper, through a gentle nudge. We have to spend time in prayer to learn how to listen for His promptings.

This very idea is reinforced through something remarkable that happens at the beginning of today’s Gospel. We are told that Jesus “went up on the mountain by himself to pray.” God’s Only Son, the same One who performed countless miracles, who healed the sick and drew in great crowds to hear Him speak, took time to step away from the noise of the world and be alone with God in prayer. That very action is one that should make us stop and reflect.

If Jesus Christ Himself took time for quiet prayer and reflection, how much more do we need it?

We live in a world where things are constantly competing for our attention: there is always another task to be done, another phone call to make, another reel to watch. However, God doesn’t typically shout over the noises of the world, but rather speaks to us through gentle nudges.

Perhaps that preschooler hit on something that we, as adults, often forget: “Jesus is always in our hearts. We just need to be still and listen to Him!” God is speaking, we just need to take the time, slow down, and listen.