THE COURAGE TO CLIMB INTO THE CISTERN

READINGS: TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

On this 20th Sunday in ordinary times, Year C (Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10), we are told how Jeremiah was unjustly condemned and thrown into a cistern to die but was saved by Ebed-meleck. This story has so much relevance for us today because we live in a world that often rewards silence and punishes truth. It is a reminder that justice doesn’t always roar but sometimes whispers through the actions of the overlooked. 

Ebed-melech was not a prophet, not a priest, nor a rich and influential figure. He was a foreigner, a eunuch, a servant. By every social measure, he was expendable. Yet when Jeremiah was cast into a cistern to die for speaking truth, it was Ebed-melech who stepped forward—not with fanfare but with ropes, not with speeches but with compassion. He didn’t have power, but he had conviction. He didn’t have status, but he had courage. He didn’t wait for someone else to act; he became the someone.

Today, we are surrounded by cisterns where people are thrown into by injustice, indifference, and systemic structures that silence the vulnerable. The question is not whether we see them, but whether we will climb down, speak up, and even risk our comfort to rescue those who’ve been cast aside. Ebed-melech reminds us that righteousness is not reserved for the mighty but belongs to the courageous, to the fair-minded, to the ones who trust in something greater than fear, and to the ones who choose compassion over convenience.

May we strive to be Ebed-melech, with eyes open to see the cisterns, heart courageous to speak when silence is safer, and with spirits driven to act when action may be costly. 

Back-to-School Prayer for Our Children and Youth

As the summer fades and a new school year begins, we lift up our children and young people in prayer to the Lord.

Heavenly Father, You are the source of wisdom, the giver of strength, and the protector of every heart that seeks You. Today, we ask for Your divine blessing upon our children. Bless them with peace—in their minds, in their friendships, in their classrooms. Let anxiety give way to confidence, and confusion to clarity. Cover them with the Blood of Jesus and deliver them form harm, discouragement, underachievement, and from anything that seeks to dim their light. Send Your angels to guard their steps and surround them with grace. Fill them with purpose that they may learn not just facts, but truth; not just skills, but compassion; not just success, but character. May they be bold in their curiosity, humble in their growth, and joyful in their academic journey ahead. May St. Michael, our patron saint and protector, stand watch over every hallway, every classroom, every desk, every heart, and keep them safe.

Almighty God, please bless their teachers with patience and wisdom. Bless their parents and guardians with strength and peace. Bless our parish with unity, as we walk beside them in faith. We entrust this school year to You, Oh Lord, with hope, trust, and love in our hearts. Amen!