Saturday February 4, 2023: “Bless them, change me”

Today’s Readings

Father Dave Swantek is the pastor of St. Martha’s Catholic Church in Point Pleasant, NJ in the United States. He is one of the most dynamic homilists that I have ever heard. And not just among Catholic priests. He has the unique ability to take scripture and apply it on a personal level. So that each person can understand the message individually. I would highly recommend listening to him on YouTube as a supplement to regular Sunday Mass attendance.

Father Dave often tells the story of an automobile accident he was in when another driver slammed into the car he was driving, along with some fellow seminarians. He was injured fairly significantly and his response was persistent disdain for the other driver. He could not go a day without thinking hurtful thoughts for the individual and it began to effect his daily outlook. He approached his spiritual advisor for some help in managing his emotions. To his surprise, the advisor recommended for Father Dave to recite this prayer each time he had angry thoughts:

“Bless them. Change me

Well, needless to say, Father Dave was incensed. “What do you mean bless them? And change me?!” CHANGE HIM!! He reluctantly went along with the advice, at first repeating the phrase dozens of times per day. Over time, he found himself only needing to repeat the prayer infrequently. Eventually the hate diminished and disappeared. He now uses the phrase anytime someone causes him to be upset.

What the phrase does is essentially subscribing to Jesus’ command in today’s Gospel. To love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. To ask for God to enter their hearts with His grace and blessing and open them up to His love. And at the same time, Father Dave’s phrase asks God to change us. To take away our hate, changing from wishing the person harm to offering them God’s mercy and forgiveness.

“Tit for Tat”. This is the phrase we used often as children when we were harmed by someone. They should get exactly what they gave. You throw a rock at me. I throw a rock at you. We go to see our high school play in a basketball game, and you walk out on me to hang with a more popular group of kids. And I never talk to you again (yes…that actually happened to me, as I am sure you can tell). “An Eye for an eye”. But Jesus calls us to be more than a “getting even” people.

Jesus calls us to be “Perfect” as your heavenly Father is perfect. In my readings I learned that perfect means, “complete, whole, and fully developed”. In a way, it means we are mature. No longer childish. While we are called to be child-like. We are not meant to be childish. So to pray for those who harm you…Bless Them…we are displaying a level of maturity that God intended for us…Change Me.

And in a way, the nation of Israel was asked by God to behave in the same way. Being captives in Egypt for over 400 years, they had lost their faith. Their traditional practices. They had become childish in their relationship with God. The time spent in the desert allowed God time to help them to mature in their faith. The Mosaic law was meant to take a people from religious infancy to maturity by the time they crossed into the land of Canaan. Abraham made a covenant with God to serve Him as the one true God. And in response, God would bless him immeasurably. This covenant was passed down through the generations but was interrupted by the exile in Egypt. It was renewed again at the foot of Sinai. God asking His people to strive for perfection. To grow to maturity.

And why was it important for the Israelites to be perfect? Because God intended for them to be a model for all nations. A light to shine in the darkness. For pagans to know the wonder of that One, True God. And we are asked to be that same light to a world that believes in, “an eye for an eye”. While, instead, we pray “Bless Them. Change Me”

About the Author

Hello! My name is John Ciribassi. I live in Carol Stream, IL in the USA. My wife Elise and I are parishioners at Corpus Christi Catholic Church. We have two adult daughters. One lives in Senegal, West Africa with her husband and her 3 sons. The other teaches Anthropology at the University of Oslo, Norway. We also have a home in Mainesburg, Pa in the North Central part of Pennsylvania. My wife and I are both retired veterinarians, and my specialty is in animal behavior. I attended college and veterinary school in Illinois, where I met my wife who is from the Chicago area, and the rest is history! My hobbies include Racquetball, Pickleball, Off Road Motorcycle Riding, Hiking and Camping. I continue to enjoy the opportunity to offer what little insight I have on the scriptures. But I have always felt that the scriptures can speak for themselves. My job is just to shine a little light on them for people who maybe don't have the time to look into the readings deeply. I hope you enjoy and find value in my writings. I continue to be grateful for this opportunity.

Author Archive Page

11 Comments

  1. Fantastic and informative reflection! Will use the “bless them, change me” prayer. Thank you!

  2. Thanks John,I will endeavour to recite that little prayer whenever I feel I’ve been wronged or slighted.

  3. Thank you John, great reflection and like the prayer, bless them, change me. Just listened to Father Daves talk on YouTube titled “how to have a kick-ash Lent….he is excellent and I feel others here at ACM would enjoy his teaching and style as well ….

  4. Thanks John. This is a eye opener for even the little things that others frustrate me with. “Bless them change me” my new go to thought…boy this one will be put to good use. Always a good reflection JC. Peace with you my brother…I’m a changed man!

  5. Bless them, change me–I like that. I will check out Fr. Dave. The USCCB reflection today said “Bless those who irk me.” Thanks John and all ACM contributors!! I look forward to your reflections daily

  6. Thank you John. This is the crux of Christianity and why it differs from every other world religion–a kind of love that only God can provide us so we can pray for our enemies and ultimately, forgive them.

  7. I so so love this reflection! Thank You for speaking such a great truth! Praying Jesus blessings for you and that you continue to listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit! ☺️🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

  8. Fr. Dave was our lifeline during the Pandemic and after when we were it comfortable with going back.
    We heard his account of “Bless them; Change me”
    I have shared that account with many others and even tried it myself. I will tell you that it worked and allowed me to move on.
    Thank you for sharing this.

Post a Comment

Your email address will not be published.