Pastoral Reflections Finding God In Ourselves by Msgr. Don Fischer

Gospel Luke 7:36-50 A certain Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him, and he entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at table. Now there was a sinful woman in the city who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee. Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment, she stood behind him at his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner." Jesus said to him in reply, "Simon, I have something to say to you." "Tell me, teacher," he said. "Two people were in debt to a certain creditor; one owed five hundred days' wages and the other owed fifty. Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both. Which of them will love him more?" Simon said in reply, "The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven." He said to him, "You have judged rightly." Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet, but she has bathed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with ointment. So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little." He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." The others at table said to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" But he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." Reflection It's fascinating and very important, I think, to understand the work of Jesus. To recognize how people responded to people who were sinners. It was not just that they were rejected, but even if you touch them, you would be considered unclean. How strange that the work of God in freeing us from sin would be held in such regard. That it was something to avoid, something to not face, something to run from. Closing Prayer Father, so often our sins make us feel that we're unworthy, that we are ashamed of who we are. Wish we were better so you would love us more. Free us from that insane way of thinking. He came to us because we need forgiveness, and he offers it abundantly. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 7:31-35 Jesus said to the crowds: "To what shall I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another, 'We played the flute for you, but you did not dance. We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.' For John the Baptist came neither eating food nor drinking wine, and you said, 'He is possessed by a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said, 'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' But wisdom is vindicated by all her children." Reflection There are two responses to the Truth. One is rejection in the form of judgment. The other is acceptance and the transforming grace of what the truth brings. It's interesting to me to see the way the crowd perceived John the Baptist and Jesus. They didn't look at anything other than something they could condemn. Judge. Jesus is an alcoholic. John the Baptist was out of his mind. How easy it is to judge and condemn how difficult it is to receive the truth that God longs for us to receive. Closing Prayer Father, it's your grace, your presence within us that enables us to grasp and understand after pondering the mysteries of this wonderful story called Salvation History. Bless us with that wisdom. Keep us from judgment, condemnation, and we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel  Luke 7:11-17 Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him. As he drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming, “A great prophet has arisen in our midst,” and “God has visited his people.” This report about him spread through the whole of Judea and in all the surrounding region. Reflection This miracle happened at the beginning of Jesus ministry, and we know it was repeated toward the end of his ministry when he raised Lazarus from the dead. But in both cases, what Jesus is trying to make sure people understand is that his kingdom, that he is here to call into existence, is giving people the power over evil, over anything that would destroy us, harm us, keep us from the fullness of life. This is a beautiful example of the power that God is sharing with us. As the Holy Spirit enters us and empowers us. Closing Prayer Father, keep us always aware of the power that you share with us by dwelling with us. Give us a sense of the ability we have to overcome those things that we feel are obstacles to our growth, and we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 2:33-35 Jesus' father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted and you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Reflection Think of all the times that Mary and Joseph must have pondered who this child would be. They knew it would be the Messiah, and most likely they were very excited about the fact that he would come and save Israel, and bring the temple back to wholeness. Simeon is the one who speaks about the dark side, about the pain of his death. Without focusing on the resurrection. Closing Prayer Father, there are still many misconceptions about who Jesus is and who God is, and what we're here to do and to be when we surrender to him. Bless us with wisdom and we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Originally aired on September 14, 2014. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 6:43-49 Jesus said to his disciples: "A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thornbushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles. A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks. "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' but not do what I command? I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, listens to my words, and acts on them. That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been well built. But the one who listens and does not act is like a person who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed." Reflection It may be hard for us to realize that any authenticity that we have, any power to truly be a transforming agent for anyone else, we have to be integrated. We have to know who we are. We have to embrace everything about us. In that way, we are able to change people because what we're producing comes from something deep inside of us that's more than us. It's the heart that speaks, and the heart is the home of the Holy Spirit in all of us. And when we're speaking in his name, when we're speaking with his truth within us, there's great fruitfulness and all are fed. Closing Prayer Father, we know that we are here to learn and to understand. And knowledge can bring us to a certain point, but ultimately what we rely upon is this awesome Holy Spirit within us. It doesn't just teach us, but transforms us into the truth of the teaching. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 6:39-42 Jesus told his disciples a parable: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,' when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye? You hypocrite!  Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother's eye.” Reflection In these passages of Luke, we see the disciples becoming apostles. And apostles have great responsibility, and one of the things that would make them true apostles is that they experience things and learn from those experiences, not just talk about them from some kind of intellectual understanding. In other words, unless you go through the processes that you are going to teach, you cannot truly teach effectively. Closing Prayer Father, bless us with authenticity. Help us not to be talking about something that we were told, but about something we've experienced. Experience is the greatest teacher. So open us to all that you're longing to teach us through the experiences of our life. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 6:27-38 Jesus said to his disciples: "To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful. "Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you." Reflection Jesus is offering a very important truth when he's talking to his disciples about generosity and giving to people who can't give it back to you. He's saying that there's a mystery that you don't understand, everything is connected. You are connected to your brothers and sisters. They're connected with you. And when you have negative feelings toward them, when you hate them, for some reason. The oneness brings that back to you, and you receive the negativity that you've given out. It's an incredible insight. It reminds us of the importance of a disposition of trust, generosity, and love. And when we offer it to others, it will come back in abundance. Closing Prayer  Father, we sometimes think the things that we think in our head are not really dangerous. We may be condemning someone, hating someone, or thinking that as long as I don't act that way, it's going to be fine. It's the opposite. What's in your heart is your intention. If your attention is negative toward anyone, it is bringing negativity into your very soul. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 6:20-26 Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. "Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. But woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way." Reflection At the time that Jesus spoke these words, there was an understanding that people who follow the law would be prosperous in the world. The rich were a sign that God favored them over others. Jesus is acknowledging the mystery of emptiness, poverty, being without as the catalyst that truly is to reaching out for something to take care of us and help us. Poverty is really, in a way, a stepping stone spiritually into the richness in the fullness of God living within us. Closing Prayer Father, bless us with the patience that we need to go through the dark and difficult things that you place in our lives so that we can become more open, more receptive, more patient with others. Let us see this gift and let us engage in it. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel  Luke 6:12-19 Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground. A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured. Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all. Reflection Jesus had many, many disciples, men and women who were his students, who were listening to him and learning from him. But then he took 12 of them and named them apostles, which was a kind of graduation from being a learner, a disciple, to being one who has authority to teach and to preach as an apostle. What I love about this story is he no sooner named them, and then he stood on the same ground as everyone else. Almost to say, this is my humanity and say, you humans, you my apostles, will be able to do the same work you just saw me do. You will be given the power of the Holy Spirit to heal, to transform, and to free people from everything that would rob them of the Kingdom of God. Closing Prayer Father, there's a way in which we always continue to be learners. And by the very way we act toward each other, we say a great deal about what we believe about the dignity of human beings, about the presence of God. Bless us with wisdom. Bless us with the inheritance you promised us so that we truly can be the apostles you need us to be. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 1:18-23 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means "God is with us.” Reflection It's impossible to understand fully what this moment in history meant. In a way God has always been, since the call of Abraham, with his people. The ark went with him on their journey. But this new God is with us is more than just a God being near, it's about a God entering into our very being. The Holy Spirit that created Jesus is the same Holy Spirit that is given to us. He dwells in our hearts, he enables us to become like Jesus. Closing Prayer Father, awaken us to the fullness of what it means that you are within us. There's a reason for this, because without you, without your insight, your wisdom, your power flowing through us, we cannot be your apostles. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Originally aired on September 8, 2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 6:1-5 While Jesus was going through a field of grain on a sabbath, his disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. Some Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?” Jesus said to them in reply, “Have you not read what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry? How he went into the house of God, took the bread of offering, which only the priests could lawfully eat, ate of it, and shared it with his companions?” Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.” Reflection Anyone who is focused on religion as a rigid obligation to follow every rule and every law should be threatened by this particular passage. Because what he's saying is that when you have the Spirit of God living in you, guiding you, you don't need the law anymore. And the law can't apply to everything that one encounters in this life. But God in us, God's Spirit can guide us with wisdom and direction and bring us to the place that God has called us to be. We need to trust in his spirit more than rules and regulations. Closing Prayer Father, we have opened our hearts to a new vision that you have brought into the world of who we are with you, instead of who we are under your law. Bless us in this transition. Help us achieve this goal. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 5:33-39 The scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, "The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same; but yours eat and drink." Jesus answered them, "Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days." And he also told them a parable. "No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one. Otherwise, he will tear the new and the piece from it will not match the old cloak. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins. And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new, for he says, 'The old is good.'" Reflection What Jesus is revealing is the great mystery that the teaching that he's offering to those who will listen is not just inviting them to understand it, but to understand something much greater. What it means to be redeemed, what it means to be freed of evil in a way that was unthinkable before the coming of the Christ. It's a new world that Jesus came to establish. The old world was based on the law and performance, and the new law is based on openness to the presence of God. It takes grace not just understanding, but a change of heart that can only be accomplished by God in order to do the work of the New Covenant. Closing Prayer Father, bless us with a better understanding of the transformation that you've won for us. We are not the same people that were living before you came into the world and redeemed us. Help us to see and feel the power of your spirit within us. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 5:1-11 While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch." Simon said in reply, "Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets." When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that the boats were in danger of sinking. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men." When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him. Reflection What I love about this passage is that Jesus is revealing to his future disciples the essence of what he longs to accomplish while he is here on this planet. What he wants to do is to infuse people with his power, with his strength, and to be partners with him in the work of salvation history. You know, it's interesting that they weren't just called to a place where they would understand more about the mysteries of God, but they were going to be engaged in the work of God. This is so important for us to understand. It's not that we are so well versed in theology, it's that we are well versed in understanding the Spirit's presence within us. Closing Prayer Father, we have a shared task with you in this world. Bless us with confidence that you can fill us with the wisdom we need, the talent we need, the energy we need to do the work you've given us to do. Give us confidence and joy in participating in establishing the Kingdom of God with you. We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 4:38-44 After Jesus left the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon. Simon's mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever, and they interceded with him about her. He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up immediately and waited on them. At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases brought them to him. He laid his hands on each of them and cured them. And demons also came out from many, shouting, "You are the Son of God." But he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Christ. At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place. The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him, they tried to prevent him from leaving them. But he said to them, "To the other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God, because for this purpose I have been sent." And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea. Reflection Jesus wants to make clear his purpose. His purpose is to preach, to teach, to awaken people to who God is and ultimately what the Holy Spirit will be within them. But he also had miracles that he performed that were signs that prove that he was not just another person thinking that they were the Messiah. But the tension was difficult for him. And it's difficult for us because there are times when we turn to God and say, do this, do that, he doesn't and we lose faith in him. We need to focus on his message. Closing Prayer Father, we know you can do anything. But more important for us is that our faith in you opens us to the message that you long to place in our hearts. It's all about our role, helping you to do the work you came into this world to do. Bless us in our ministry. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel  Luke 4:31-37 Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee. He taught them on the sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching because he spoke with authority. In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out in a loud voice, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One of God!" Jesus rebuked him and said, "Be quiet! Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down in front of them and came out of him without doing him any harm. They were all amazed and said to one another, "What is there about his word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out." And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region. Reflection We see Jesus' ministry evolving. Now he's using a sign to prove who he was. But the interesting thing about this sign, it came from evil. And Jesus did not want people to know yet that he was the Son of God. But he does prove his authority by simply drawing that evil out of that person. That's the symbol that is so important about Jesus' ministry. He's come to overpower the power of the evil one. Closing Prayer Father, we know the tug and the pull of that which draws us into darkness. Help us to always turn to you and know that you are longing to awaken us. Fill us with the Holy Spirit, the light and life that is our inheritance. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 19:16-22 Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, "Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing." And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, "Is this not the son of Joseph?" He said to them, "Surely you will quote me this proverb, 'Physician, cure yourself,' and say, 'Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.'" And he said, "Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them and went away. Reflection What we see revealed here is something very common. How does something so extraordinary as God's Spirit works through ordinary human beings? I know Jesus wasn't an ordinary human being, but certainly those who grew up with him saw him as that. Maybe they had some resentment against him for whatever reason, but the thought that someone ordinary could have this kind of wisdom and this kind of understanding, just blew away their basic understanding of the way the world works. And it's interesting that their reaction was not disbelief, but anger. And they wanted to destroy him as if to say, God can't work in ordinary people. Closing Prayer Father, your grace and our humanity are made for one another. We should expect, and we should long for those moments when we can feel you moving through us. Help us to be aware of this gift. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Gospel Matthew 25:14-30 Jesus told his disciples this parable: "A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one– to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master's money. After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, 'Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy.' Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, 'Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy.' Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, 'Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.' His master said to him in reply, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter? Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'" Reflection When we talk about the evolution of consciousness, which is the human person growing, developing and becoming who God intends us to be. We realize that there are stages, and one of the stages is that we have to look carefully at who we are, what talents we have, what abilities we have, and to develop them, to improve on them, to learn about them, to master them. That's God's plan for the kingdom of God, that we are here to take what God has given us and to make it more. That's the heart of this parable, though this parable has a kind of negative feel to it, unfeeling on the part of the master when he's just been afraid. But in that fear, you see a most dangerous disposition of not becoming who God has called you to be, because if you try to do it, you're afraid you'll be punished. You're afraid you'll lose his favor. He's a tough master. And the fear kept this man from acting as God intended him to act. Closing Prayer Father, give us wisdom, the knowledge we should have of who we are and who we are becoming, and what we are here for. These are the hardest questions for us. And sometimes the answers are so distant that we simply lose interest. Burn within us a passion for self-discovery, developing the gifts that we have for the good of the Kingdom of God. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Mark 6:17-29 Herod was the one who had John the Baptist arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.” Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so. Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him. She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee. Herodias' own daughter came in and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.” He even swore many things to her, “I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom.” She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the Baptist.” The girl hurried back to the king's presence and made her request, “I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” The king was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests he did not wish to break his word to her. So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back his head. He went off and beheaded him in the prison. He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The girl in turn gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. Reflection It's always perplexed me about the death of John the Baptist. He was the greatest prophet. He was the forerunner of Jesus. He presented Jesus to the world. He had such an important role, and yet he dies at night in a prison with no one around. And it's caused by a bizarre promise made by an intoxicated king. How do we read that? It strikes me that John had always placed Christ so far above him, and he knew the difference. And it seems proper in a way that when you look at the death of Jesus in the death of John the Baptist, they couldn't be further apart. And that seems proper. And in the humility of John the Baptist, it seems appropriate. Closing Prayer Father, help us to have the humility of John the Baptist. Help us to recognize that we are not the Messiah, and that anything we do through him, with him, for him, is a gift to us. It's not about us, not about our greatness, not about our holiness. It's about surrendering to the story, and the story is Jesus. We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 24:42-51 Jesus said to his disciples: "Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come. "Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so. Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is long delayed,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards, the servant's master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” Reflection Jesus shifts the role of those who are called in positions of responsibility over someone. People with power. That not only is he concerned about the way in which the temple was filled with hypocrisy, he worries about every one of us in any position that we have. If we're not doing it with love, care, compassion, we run the risk of a strong, serious punishment. There is no excuse for someone who has power over someone else to abuse that power. Closing Prayer Father, our humanity is filled with so many beautiful, wonderful things. And also very vulnerable to that which would corrupt those things. Please give us the attention we need as to who we are and how we treat one another. Because these things are so essential to the well-being of our community. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 23:27-32 Jesus said, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and every kind of filth. Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the memorials of the righteous, and you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets' blood.' Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets; now fill up what your ancestors measured out!” Reflection When evil is involved, things don't stay the same, they get worse. The lies get bigger. The hypocrisy grows. And when that happens, there's such a terrifying end to it all. When we look at these men who Jesus has complained about being not good ministers of the temple. Now he actually says what their evil has led to. They, the ministry of the temple, is willing to kill the greatest prophet, the Son of God. Closing Prayer Father, help us to be aware of evil in our lives. Hypocrisy. Little lies that we think are not that bad, but then they grow. So help us always to pay attention to who we are and where we have weakness, give us strength to change and to grow, and to enter the light. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel  Matthew 23:23-26 Jesus said: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. But these you should have done, without neglecting the others. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.” Reflection If religion loses its focus, if those who are in charge of a religious community lose a sense of what's really essential, it's often that they replace what is essential, what is most basic, with things to do. Ways to act without any reflection on transformation. So in this passage, we see so clearly Jesus saying, in place of the law, which are the Ten Commandments, you have simply turned all of that into a long list of how to wash dishes, how to clean a room, how to fix anything. It was turning from the essence of the law to simply things that gave you a sense that when you did them, you were pleasing God. Closing Prayer Practices in religion are important, but their goal is always to put us in touch with you, God. In a personal relationship where we feel your presence, know you are with us and engage with you so much so that we are able to share your gifts with others. Bless us with that kind of integrity and keep us away from busy work, that gives us the illusion that we are holy. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 23:13-22 Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves. “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.' Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.' You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it; one who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it; one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it.” Reflection As a minister of the church today it's really hard to listen to these woes, these criticisms of the Pharisees and the scribes, and the fact that they were playing at being what they were supposed to be. And there's always that temptation when you have a role that exalts you and puts you above others, it's hard to be humble. It's hard to accept your faults or even talk about them. So the problem with these men were that they were so caught up in a system that gave them automatic authority without earning it, and this was the disaster that happened to the temple. Not only did the Pharisees not lead people to God, but they themselves wouldn't even go near God as he truly is, leaving the impossibility that those who teach could ever find God. Closing Prayer Father, help us to understand that we need to face very clearly anything in us that inflates us, that makes us feel better than we are. Integrity, authenticity is what was missing in the scribes and Pharisees. Help that not to happen to us. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Gospel Matthew 23:1-12 Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people's shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.' As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.' You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Reflection Our human nature is something that we need to embrace, accept. There's a part of all of us that would love to be the center of the universe. There's a part of us that want to be esteemed, that we want people to thank us, we want people to look up to us. It's all a motive that can produce effective teaching, but if it gets out of control, if the ego gets in the way of the heart and really robs us of the most important quality, the humility, everything we achieve, everything we do in the kingdom of God is from God. And yet, our ego would love to claim everything that we do as something special in us. It's a lie. Remind yourself over and over when that voice comes along and says, why don't they appreciate what I do? God appreciates everything you do. Closing Prayer Father, there's a voice that comes into our minds over and over again. And it is somehow focused solely on whether or not we are seen as valuable. Heal us by awakening in us an awareness that the greatness that we are called to is always your work within us. Your work through us. Keep us from pride. Keep us humble and receptive and thankful. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 22:34-40 When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law, tested him by asking, "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” Reflection It's so important that Jesus puts these two commandments in a particular order. What he's really saying is, there is no way for us to be who we are called to be loving, caring for our neighbor without first understanding the love that God has for us. In our openness to God what we have to get past is that need that we think we have been told to do, and that's to earn his love. We don't earn it, we just have to allow it to enter into us, and only then are we able to follow the second commandment. The two are most essential, but the first is the most important. Closing Prayer Father, we need to spend time with you. We need a time to just be still and open our hearts and minds to this love that you have for us. We know that you long to awaken us. A sense of it, a feeling about it. So bless us in our time of reflection and meditation. We will truly see you, feel you, know you. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 22:1-14 Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and the elders of the people in parables saying, “The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. A second time he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast.”' Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then the king said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.' The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to meet the guests he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?' But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.' Many are invited, but few are chosen.” Reflection What Jesus is trying to awaken us to is, there are two things that are required of us. One, which seems so simple, is to accept the invitation to enter the work of the Kingdom of God. Allow God's love to enter into us and celebrate union, the marriage of humanity and divinity. And some just aren't interested, and some actually work against the whole message. But even though you were invited without any necessarily credentials to get to this wedding, Jesus reminds us that the wedding invitation itself is a transformative invitation, and the person who receives it should be changed. And that's why we have this interesting part of the story, where he throws out somebody who was grabbed from the streets and came in and didn't have a chance to get his wedding garment on, was rejected. Closing Prayer Father, your attentiveness to calling us into an awareness that we do not have on our own and that only you can give us, is a sign of something so deep and so powerful that what we want is to receive the message of invitation and let it change us. Let us not get in the way by trying to become someone or do something ourselves. It's all about a gift, but it has to be received. Open our hearts to receptivity. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 20:1-16 Jesus told his disciples this parable: "The Kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. Going out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just.' So they went off. And he went out again around noon, and around three o'clock, and did likewise. Going out about five o'clock, he found others standing around, and said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' They answered, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard.' When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first.' When those who had started about five o'clock came, each received the usual daily wage. So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage. And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying, 'These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day's burden and the heat.' He said to one of them in reply, 'My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?' Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.” Reflection We see the same theme about having to change your way of understanding and seeing. And one of the things that we get caught up in is merit. If we do a lot, we should get a lot. And in life is not that way and the kingdom it's not that way, and so Jesus is trying to say, look, not everybody is going to have to do as much as someone else might have to do, but that's up to me. I'm the one in charge. I will tell you. I will show you. I am saying to you, let go of comparison. Don't compare yourself to others. It's not the way in which God is working. He's not engaged with each one equally, but each one is unique. Each story is unique, and God works with each of us where we are. Closing Prayer Father, thank you for the gift of understanding that you continually call us into. We need your wisdom, we get caught up in our own mind, our own way of thinking. Awaken us to a new way of thinking, to the way in which the kingdom is intended to be lived. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel  Matthew 19:23-30 Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” Then Peter said to him in reply, “We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” Reflection Jesus again makes a statement that confuses the disciples. At the time Jesus ministered to these men, it was considered that riches were a sign of the love that God had for someone. And Jesus turns it completely around by saying, the first will be last, and the last should be first. He said, think of it entirely differently. And what I want you to understand is that I am the only way in which you can be saved. I am telling you, that it's a gift, not something you earn. It's difficult for us to believe that, but that's the call of the gospel. Closing Prayer Father, we think a lot the way the world thinks. But you continue to ask us to turn things around. To see them from the eyes of the kingdom of God that were called to establish on this planet. So bless us with the insights that only you can share with us. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 19:16-22 A young man approached Jesus and said, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He asked him, “Which ones?” And Jesus replied, “You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Reflection What I love about this passage is the way in which Jesus gently works with him, in a sense by saying, look, it's not about doing, it's about what I want you to become. So he uses a rather radical statement, obviously. Give up everything you have and give it to the poor. And he walked away sad. It's so interesting the sadness is about not understanding, being confused. Jesus makes it so clear that when we understand him fully, we'll understand that the key to the whole thing is allowing God to create a new person in us. The real person, the true person. And that's what he wants for us to possess our own identity, our own character. He wants us to be authentic. Closing Prayer Father, you look at us, you long for us to become who you want us to be, instruments of love, instruments of peace and unity. Yet we do get caught up so much in doing the right thing, but it's becoming. Bless us with an awareness of this, and let us put ourselves in a disposition of receiving what it takes to be authentic. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Gospel Matthew 19:13-15 Children were brought to Jesus that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." After he placed his hands on them, he went away. Reflection There's something so powerful about giving us all an image of who we are to become, by going back to who we were when we were born, when we came into this world. It underscores that so often that things have happened to us, that rob us of what we had naturally as children. And they're all the beautiful, wonderful qualities that any human being, any adult, would want to have if they understand the kingdom of God, to be receptive and curious and trusting and imaginative. All those qualities are those that we need to work on. The kingdom is not about people being controlled, it's about people returning to their origin, to their beauty, to what God created. Closing Prayer Father, bless us with the qualities we see so often in children. They're amazing. What they say, what they see, how they ask questions. Let us be like that with you, children. Children of you, God. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 1:39-56 Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, and has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.” Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home. Reflection I want to talk about the feast of the assumption. Mary did not die a physical death, but she was fully human. And her destiny was to one day be with God in heaven. A feminine figure standing next to Jesus and God. And between them is flowing the love of the Holy Spirit, and what she does over and over again is breaks into our imaginations, into our world, with message after message that flows from her heart. She cares. She worries about us. She encourages us. She's always there to help. What a gift. What a beautiful way for the one who brought God into the world. That she now stands with him. Closing Prayer Father, bless us with the awareness of the fullness of all that we are taught about who you are and how the world works. To have one of our own. One human being in heaven working for us. Loving us. Teaching us is such a gift. Help us never to lose sight of it. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 18:21–19:1 Peter approached Jesus and asked him, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.' Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, 'Pay back what you owe.' Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' But he refused. Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?' Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart." When Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan. Reflection What always stands out to me in this passage is the fact that this man who represents humanity has been given an enormous gift, say $1 million, and turns around and beats up a buddy who owes him five. Why such a split between the two? It's because Jesus is making reference to the awesome gift of forgiving all of our sins in his act on the cross, and we won't forgive our brothers and sisters? when we refuse to forgive our brother over whatever they have done, it's clear that we've lost sight of what's been done for us. That's the key to understand the redemption that Jesus won for us. Freedom from all sin. Closing Prayer Father, you ask that we face our sins, that we own them. But we often don't do that for fear that we will alienate ourselves from you or from ourselves or others. Lead us to a place we accept our selfishness. Face it and change. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 18:15-20 Jesus said to his disciples: "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church. If he refuses to listen even to the Church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Reflection The part of this gospel that stands out so clearly to me is the one that talks about the nature of what it means to be a believer in Jesus. It has everything to do with a communal life, working with other people. And in these last few words of this gospel, it's clear that there's this uniformity, this oneness of what we need, and what we want. And when 2 or 3 are gathered together and have the same mind, the same heart. There's effectiveness in that. And that's all an image of church. Wherever 2 or 3 who gathered together is church. When I think about the way liturgy unfolds in a community that is filled with an understanding of why they're there, that moment when they receive the Eucharist, they're aware, all of them praying, that this gift will be fruitful within them. Closing Prayer Father, free us from any kind of sense of a private relationship with you. Yes, there's intimacy, but there's always a call on your part that we be close to one another, open to one another, connected to one another. It's essential for the kingdom to come. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel  Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14 The disciples approached Jesus and said, "Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?" He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father. What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.” Reflection Children did not have status at the time of Jesus. Yet Jesus see's in children such a beautiful image of what he wishes adults would be. The qualities of a child are perfect for the kingdom of God. Closing Prayer Father, it's strange that sometimes we believe that religion is there somehow is a block, not allowing us to become who we really want to be, or who we are. And the truth is that everything that Jesus teaches leads us into a place of acceptance of our human nature, acceptance of everything potentially we have within us, and longs for us. And we pray that we will mature and grow. We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 17:22-27 As Jesus and his disciples were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day." And they were overwhelmed with grief. When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and said, "Does not your teacher pay the temple tax?" "Yes," he said. When he came into the house, before he had time to speak, Jesus asked him, "What is your opinion, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax? From their subjects or from foreigners?" When he said, "From foreigners," Jesus said to him, "Then the subjects are exempt. But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax. Give that to them for me and for you.” Reflection Jesus reveals to his disciples that he's going to be murdered, and that order is going to come from the temple. And then there's this strange question that comes up next. Do you have to pay tax to the temple? And Jesus explains, no, in his case, he doesn't really have to. Then he creates a miracle to take care of the payment. But he's not required to. But he does it because it's the right thing to do. So often it's not about rules and regulations. It's about where we are in our hearts. And he didn't want to create a lot of confusion. Closing Prayer Father, life is not made up of obligations only. It's not about fulfilling them. It's about making decisions that create an environment and an atmosphere of peace and understanding. Bless us with that kind of wisdom when it comes to our obligations. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Gospel Matthew 17:14-20 A man came up to Jesus, knelt down before him, and said, "Lord, have pity on my son, who is a lunatic and suffers severely; often he falls into fire, and often into water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him." Jesus said in reply, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring the boy here to me." Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him, and from that hour the boy was cured. Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said, "Why could we not drive it out?" He said to them, "Because of your little faith. Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Reflection It's interesting to me that Jesus uses such a dramatic example of the power that we have, because God dwells within us. Move a mountain. It's impossible. Does that mean that God wants us to move mountains? No. He's making a simple, profound truth clear to us. Faith isn't about how much you believe, it's whether or not you believe. It's not something you have a little bit of and then grow, and we have a lot more of it. No, it's a decision you make that God can do anything. It's not you that can do anything with God's support or help. That's not the point. It's whatever God wants to use you for, it will be effective. The belief is not in us being able to do it, but in God being able to do it through us. And there is no way that God deserves anything but absolute trust in faith in his power. Closing Prayer Father, it's easy for us to be overwhelmed by things. Things that we want to see changed, but they're not yet changed. And often times, if we're waiting and waiting, we think, well, nothing's going to happen. So give us this conviction that whenever we see things falling apart, whenever we see lies in place of truth, we need to know that we believe that these things for God are not a problem. And if he uses us then we should be grateful. If he's not using us yet, we should be hopeful. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 16:24-28 Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory, and then he will repay each according to his conduct. Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.” Reflection Jesus makes clear here that his second coming, yes, is at the end of it all. But he's saying that people who are listening to him now will experience the Son of Man coming into his kingdom. We are his kingdom. The church is his kingdom. Those who love and care for one another create the Kingdom of God here on this earth. What's so important is that we understand this distinction between life in the world and life in the Kingdom. We know the difference. One is filled with lies and negativity, and one is filled with life and truth. The kingdom is beginning. The kingdom is here, and we're a part of it whenever we choose truth over lies. Closing Prayer Father, the kingdom of God is a great mystery. But we are living it. Give us the wisdom to understand the nature of what we are doing as we're called to continue the work that you began on this earth. The work that you promise us you are infused within us to accomplish it. Free us from anxiety or worry, and fill us with the kind of conviction that we should have after we listen attentively to what you have taught us, and we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices