Pastoral Reflections Finding God In Ourselves by Msgr. Don Fischer

Gospel  Matthew 18:12-14 Jesus said to his disciples: "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 I often wonder how the disciples would receive a simple story like this, based on their own human experiences of being preoccupied by what is lost and wanting always to find it. Jesus is describing God, God's life in you and in me, and he's saying that he is very, very much engaged in the work of finding us, searching for us, helping us back into the flock. It's a beautiful image of the church, of a community of people who care deeply for one another. Closing Prayer Awaken our imaginations to the beauty of a simple story like this that reminds us over and over again that we don't have a distant God, a God who is not connected to us. He's deeply connected. He's inside of us. He worries about how we're doing, and his energy, his grace, his Holy Spirit guides us always. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 1:26-38 The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of Davidhis father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end." But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?" And the angel said to her in reply, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God." Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her. Reflection When the angel Gabriel tells Mary that she is to be the mother of the Messiah, he also reveals another special birth. Elizabeth, her cousin, who is way past the time of being able to have a child, is also pregnant, and this child will be named John. It is important to note that John is the necessary link, the transition, the liminal space through which the world will understand fully the corruption of the old, and the beauty and the dignity and the value of the new. Closing Prayer Father, there's a continual work, a continual transformation from religion that has a power over us and a spirit that can enter into us and infuse us with the gifts that we're here to share with one another. Bless us in this continual transition. Never let us get lazy. Let us not fall back to what is simple and easy. Let us continue to work with this great mystery. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT Original Airdate: December 4, 2022 Isaiah 11:1-10 | Romans 15:4-9 | Matthew 3:1-12    Almighty and merciful God, may no earthly undertaking hinder those who set out in haste to meet your Son, but may our learning of heavenly wisdom gain us admittance into his company, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 9:35–10:1, 5a, 6-8 Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest." Then he summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, "Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: 'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” Reflection We've been focusing all week on the healing power of Jesus. Encountering someone who needs a gift from God. But we have to be careful, because the work of being a follower of Jesus is to create small kingdoms of individuals like minded, trusting in one of their believing in this power of the spirit within them to create a life giving environment. The healing that God has promised to us enables community to thrive. Individuals to get past their own egos and to be caring most about those around them. It's a beautiful image of the Kingdom of God. That's what we're here for, and that's what's happening now. Closing Prayer Father, life can become a distraction or can become something that is a kind of workshop for everything that God is asking us to become. Help us to see it as a place where we can learn how to develop a community of life giving friends. That's the goal. That's the work. The Kingdom of God is near, it is at hand, it is already here. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 9:27-31 As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out, "Son of David, have pity on us!" When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I can do this?" "Yes, Lord," they said to him. Then he touched their eyes and said, "Let it be done for you according to your faith." And their eyes were opened. Jesus warned them sternly, "See that no one knows about this." But they went out and spread word of him through all that land. Reflection The message that this reading contains is that there is something so essential about us opening our hearts or minds to something far beyond what we could ever understand. And so when we look at the blindness of these two men and God's desire, God's Spirit in Jesus longing to help them to see. The important thing is what they're going to see is the truth, the essence of what life is. That they will know that the Holy Spirit is given to every human being and awakens in them. The power that that spirit is intended to be used for. To help other people to see, to understand, to know. Closing Prayer Father, the Holy Spirit is the one that enlightens. And the image of being healed of blindness is a simple image of being freed from everything that is not true. Free from all the illusions and half truths that we are stuck with because they were given to us in such a vulnerable age. Bless us with freedom to know you fully, to see the truth. We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 7:21, 24-27 Jesus said to his disciples: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,' will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.  The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house.  But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.  And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand.  The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house.  And it collapsed and was completely ruined.” Reflection Jesus is talking about alignment. Aligning your heart with God's heart. Aligning your mind with the truth that God has revealed to us. There's no way to enter the kingdom of God, a place of fullness and peace, without basing everything that you are making decisions on, basing it in the truth. Truth of who you are. Truth of who God is and the dynamic that he longs to establish between us. All of that has got to become real. Not just an idea, not just a thought, but something you're experiencing in. When you experience God, you are on a rock foundation because nothing will separate you from him once you've found him. Closing Prayer Father, it is clear that we cannot understand you or begin to feel your presence transforming us until we accept you exactly as you are and accept ourselves as we are. We are far from you in some ways, and very close in other ways, but keep us always aware of that connection. You are in us. We are in you. And it's in this union that we will find life. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 15:29-37 At that time: Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain, and sat down there. Great crowds came to him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others. They placed them at his feet, and he cured them. The crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the deformed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind able to see, and they glorified the God of Israel. Jesus summoned his disciples and said, "My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way." The disciples said to him, "Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place to satisfy such a crowd?" Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" "Seven," they replied, "and a few fish." He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets full. Reflection It would be impossible to separate the healing power of Jesus from his ministry. It had to be the most amazing experience to see so many people healed, one after another, after another. And they realized that what this is trying to teach them is that there's a way in which we must understand God's presence in our life. He's not here to tell us what to become or to do. He's here to enable us. Gift us. Feed us with whatever we need to find fullness in this world that God has shared with us. It's an amazing gift and it's important that we remember it. Keep it foremost in our mind. Everything we do is through the gift of God's presence in us. Closing Prayer Father, you have revealed to all of us through your son the deep longing you have for our wholeness. Bless us with an awakening of this gift and help us to rely upon it always. It is not something we can work for, it is something we can only humbly receive. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel  Luke 10:21-24 Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him." Turning to the disciples in private he said, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.” Reflection It's fascinating to wonder what it would be like for Jesus as a human being, to have the Holy Spirit dwelling within him, that he would know that he had the power to heal, to transform, to teach. And what he's trying to make his disciples aware of is this is a very, very wonderful, exciting time that he is initiating into the world. The time of revealing the fullness of who God is. And what he's saying in private to the disciples, is that there have been so many people seeking the wisdom of who God is and could never find it or discover it as fully as they can now. Now that Christ is the incarnate God, and he is revealing who God truly is. Closing Prayer Father, we live in these special times. Times of full revelation of who you are. And to any of us who is aware of the offering of this gift, it's up to us to say, yes, I want it, I need it. I long to see you as you are. Take away every blindness. Take away every doubt. That's our prayer. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 8:5-11 When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully." He said to him, "I will come and cure him." The centurion said in reply, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, "Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven.” Reflection What strikes me in this reading is the words. He was amazed. There's one other time in the scriptures that Jesus is amazed and it's a negative. And the other one, it is simply the fact that he looked at the neighbors and his friends that he grew up with, and when the he described who he was, they were absolutely super closed. Could not fathom it. This ordinary man could be something more than what he seems to be. In this case, it's someone has got an understanding, a clear understanding of the way the world works. The centurion was fully conscious of a system. When there is authority and when his authority over others, they tell them what to do. And they must respond. They do respond. That's the way the system works. That's always asking of those that listen to Jesus. Just understand this is how it works. God can do what he promises. Trust in him. Believe in him and it will lead to fullness, transformation, awakening. Full consciousness. Please take a moment to reflect and then I'll close with the prayer. Closing Prayer Father, it's interesting how many things and how many situations have taught us certain things. In some of the things that we've learned, we have to unlearn. We have to let go of. And so please, if there is anything it is that doesn't believe that Jesus can do what he promises. Free us from that. Free us so that we can receive and drink of his healing power. And we ask this in Jesus name. Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT Original Airdate: November 27, 2022 Isaiah 2:1-5 | Romans 13:11-14 | Matthew 24:37-44 Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God, the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ with righteous deeds at his coming so that, gathered at his right hand, they may be worthy to possess the heavenly kingdom.  Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 21:34-36 Jesus said to his disciples: "Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.” Reflection One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is full consciousness. Understanding the nature of life, understanding the nature of the Kingdom. It is always going to include things that are destructive seemingly, and that they are dangerous and destructive to us. And we have to be ready to understand that that's part of the process. Other times it's everything is working and we're filled with gratitude. That's part of the process. So always we need to be vigilant. Everything has its purpose. Everything has its time and always the intention of the God who created us and allows our life to be what it is, is because of his love. Closing Prayer Father, everything has its place. Everything is for us, no matter what it is. Difficulty. Pain. Joy. Enthusiasm. Help us to stay with you in all that you offer us, so we truly can grow in the Kingdom of God. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 21:29-33 Jesus told his disciples a parable. "Consider the fig tree and all the other trees. When their buds burst open, you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near; in the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near. Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Reflection The image of feeling that summer is coming, and that fruitfulness is coming is a beautiful image of the way in which we live in this kingdom of God. We know that every day the kingdom becomes more real, more near to us. And so what we need to always have is a conviction that the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, the truth is constantly touching everything, and everything has a response that is a bursting forth of life. Closing Prayer Father, there is something about the time of year when the cold and the empty seem to fade into a rich abundance of life and light. Help us to see that is what the kingdom is. It's never losing sight that there's a spring time. There's a new life time always coming very near. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 17:11-19 As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten persons with leprosy met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As they were going they were cleansed.  And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.  He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine?  Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”  Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” Reflection Many people turn to God, most especially when they have something they can't deal with. And so they go to him and pray and ask him to do something for them. God is doing something for us all the time. God is granting us all kinds of favors over and over again, and what he longs for us to do is simply to pause long enough to give him thanks. Gratitude. Appreciation for the life that we are leading. Life is a gift understood that way, we are always filled with gratitude. Closing Prayer Father, as we gather around the table today with friends and family. Let us give thanks for them. The gift they are, the struggles that we have with them. If they are difficult to get along with, the growth they bring to us. Bless us with the recognition of the gift of everyone in our life. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 21:12-19 Jesus said to the crowd: "They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives.” Reflection When someone is treated poorly, when they are persecuted, when they are threatened with death, the typical response to that is major resistance. But what Jesus is describing here is there's a way in which if you accept it without resistance, there's a testimony that is so powerful. To see a person not take care of themselves implies that someone is taking care of them, that they will not really ultimately be harmed. It had to be very confusing, and certainly created anger toward one who would have this gift when they did not. Closing Prayer Father, when we experience someone who simply refuses to be angry or resentful for the things that happen to them, it is very much of a puzzle. How can they do that? Where do they find that kind of acceptance? And it comes because they understand you, they know you, and they know that anything that comes to you is for you, and it is a witness that is so important. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel  Matthew 10:28-33 Jesus said to his Apostles: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.” Reflection The last line can be disturbing if not understood clearly. Jesus makes clear he has deep love and deep concern for all of us. He knows everything about us and he also has one unique quality. He honors our freedom. He refuses to make us believe in him. And what he's saying, ultimately is, if you choose not to accept me, I cannot force you to do that. And if you don't do that, I can't reach you. I can't heal you. I can't help you. Closing Prayer The love that God has for us is hard for us to grasp. It's a love that is freely offered and must be freely received. There's great sadness in Jesus when he says the last line of this passage, because he knows he cannot make you do anything that you don't choose. So bless us God with a constant, consistent choice for all the gifts that you give us. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 21:1-4 When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins. He said, "I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.” Reflection What's the difference in this passage between wealthy people and a poor widow? And why is the poor widow's gift so rich? It's simply because the rich do not understand their need for God. They don't understand that the very thing they are is always because of God's care, God's love. That disposition of a heart when it generously gives to others, is a much greater gift. Closing Prayer Father, fill us with your richness. Fill us with your gifts. We are not enough. We know our need for you, and when you are within us, we are in such a better place to offer who you are to the people around them. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Originally aired on November 24, 2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 20:27-40 Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us, If someone's brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman but died childless. Then the second and the third married her, and likewise all the seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been married to her." Jesus said to them, "The children of this age marry and remarry; but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise. That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called 'Lord' the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive." Some of the scribes said in reply, "Teacher, you have answered well." And they no longer dared to ask him anything. Reflection One of the things that Jesus brought into consciousness in his story as it unfolds in the New Testament, is how we have to go beyond the logical, beyond the ordinary, enter the world of mysticism and mystery. And in this particular passage, it seems to me that the Sadducees are using their minds, and Jesus inviting people to live not so much in your mind, but in a heart relationship with God, an intimacy with him. Where the promise is, nothing will harm you and you will always live. Nothing can destroy you. Closing Prayer Father, bless us with the confidence that comes from knowing who you really are. Help us not to ever doubt that your plan for us is that we grow, we evolve, we become more who we are and we ultimately live with you forever. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 19:45-48 Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them,     “It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer,     but you have made it a den of thieves.” And every day he was teaching in the temple area. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile, were seeking to put him to death, but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on his words. Reflection Jesus is pointing out a weakness that all institutions have. The reason the temple was established, so that people could find God and be bathed in his care and his love. And instead those who led that temple turned it into a place where people were used and abused. What a beautiful image of the way in which we need to always be careful and attentive to whether or not an institution is there in service, or whether it is in the service of themselves. Closing Prayer Corruption is something that is part of life, and it is something that we must always be conscious of and father, we ask you to bless us with an awareness when we see it, not to condemn it, but to somehow not engage in it. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 19:41-44 As Jesus drew near Jerusalem, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If this day you only knew what makes for peace– but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” Reflection We see in this reading an image of corruption. It often involves closing off the truth and being engaged with people who believe in the lie. And that's a perfect image I think, of what happens to institutions, what happens to places that will not open themselves to the grace and the mercy and the forgiveness of God. It's a dangerous place to be shut off and refuse to hear the truth. Closing Prayer Father, keep us close to you. Keep us engaged with you. It's so frightening when we choose to isolate ourselves from your wisdom. It is death. It is destruction. Protect us Lord from that. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 19:11-28 While people were listening to Jesus speak, he proceeded to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem and they thought that the Kingdom of God would appear there immediately. So he said, "A nobleman went off to a distant country to obtain the kingship for himself and then to return. He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins and told them, 'Engage in trade with these until I return.' His fellow citizens, however, despised him and sent a delegation after him to announce, 'We do not want this man to be our king.' But when he returned after obtaining the kingship, he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money, to learn what they had gained by trading. The first came forward and said, 'Sir, your gold coin has earned ten additional ones.' He replied, 'Well done, good servant! You have been faithful in this very small matter; take charge of ten cities.' Then the second came and reported, 'Your gold coin, sir, has earned five more.' And to this servant too he said, 'You, take charge of five cities.' Then the other servant came and said, 'Sir, here is your gold coin; I kept it stored away in a handkerchief, for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding man; you take up what you did not lay down and you harvest what you did not plant.' He said to him, 'With your own words I shall condemn you, you wicked servant. You knew I was a demanding man, taking up what I did not lay down and harvesting what I did not plant; why did you not put my money in a bank? Then on my return I would have collected it with interest.' And to those standing by he said, 'Take the gold coin from him and give it to the servant who has ten.' But they said to him, 'Sir, he has ten gold coins.' He replied, 'I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their king, bring them here and slay them before me.'" After he had said this, he proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem. Reflection There's an image hidden in this reading that I only have recently discovered. These people are looking for the Kingdom of God to be established, to be finished so that they can receive all of its benefits. But it's clear what Jesus has in mind in terms of the kingdom of God is a process, a continual work, and the work is you and I have been gifted with something that's valuable. Our task is to share it, and when we share the gift that God has given, we multiply it. And what's clear in this king that has come to rule, this kingdom of God, is his intense desire that we are gifted so that we may be gifting others, not just afraid to make a mistake, but willing to put ourselves out there and whatever gift we have to share it with the most open and generous spirit. That's the kingdom of God. Closing Prayer Father, bless us with an awareness of the things that we are given so that we can be clearly confident that they don't come from us, they come from you. Give us courage in generously sharing them with those around us. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel  Luke 19:1-10 At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man,  was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature.  So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said,  “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.”  And he came down quickly and received him with joy.  When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying,  “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.”  But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.  For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.” Reflection The beautiful thing in this passage to me is the work of Jesus. He's not come into the world to somehow judge us, or show us our weaknesses, but just somehow by his very presence awaken in people a desire for the Kingdom of God. And that kingdom is caring for the poor. It is making up for the things that you've done that have harmed people. Zacchaeus is a beautiful image of the gifts that Jesus had brought to the world. Closing Prayer Father, help us to see you. Help us to understand you. Help us to know your gifts that are there for us. It's our trust in you that is so important. Increase our trust. And we ask this in Jesus;' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 18:35-43 As Jesus approached Jericho a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging, and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening. They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." He shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!" The people walking in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent, but he kept calling out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me!" Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him; and when he came near, Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" He replied, "Lord, please let me see." Jesus told him, "Have sight; your faith has saved you." He immediately received his sight and followed him, giving glory to God. When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God. Reflection When the one who can't see, felt perhaps? That this Jesus was someone who had the power to heal him. And he cries out for help. And Jesus makes it clear that it's simply the fact that he knew who he was. He knew he was the Son of God on some level. The Son of David. And he somehow knew this Son of David would have the power to heal him. And Jesus is just smiling when he says, ah here's a man who believes, who has faith in me, and that's what he needs in order to give us what we need. Closing Prayer Father, awaken in us the simple, childlike belief that you have the power to heal us. And healing comes in so many forms. Whatever it is today that we need, know in your heart that he will offer it to you. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Originally aired on November 17, 2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 18:1-8 Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.  He said, “There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being.  And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.' For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being,  because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.'”  The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says.  Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night?  Will he be slow to answer them?  I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.  But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Reflection It's always important to try to figure out who Jesus is talking to. It would seem in this case, he's talking to people who have given up perhaps on asking God for things because they don't seem to see a clear answer. Jesus saying, look, if you repeat the prayer over and over again, that isn't a sign that I'm not answering it. It's simply a sign that I want you to continue to long for it. Because the longing for something is more than just saying, fix this for me it's I want to deal with this issue. I want it to be behind me. I want it to be. I want to be free of it. That's the kind of prayer that Jesus is asking us to repeat over and over again, knowing that it's not pestering God, it's trusting in him. Closing Prayer Father, you want us to long for your kingdom. You want us to plead, in a sense, for the kingdom to be a part of what we ourselves are engaged in. Bless us with not thinking that when we're not yet there, you have somehow abandoned us. You are always with us, always attentive and enjoy and love the longing we have with the kingdom of God. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 17:26-37 Jesus said to his disciples: "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man; they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building; on the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all. So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, someone who is on the housetop and whose belongings are in the house must not go down to get them, and likewise one in the field must not return to what was left behind. Remember the wife of Lot. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it. I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. And there will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken, the other left." They said to him in reply, "Where, Lord?" He said to them, "Where the body is, there also the vultures will gather.” Reflection It is confusing to many people to see the God of the Old Testament being so destructive, destroying people. And we have to be careful because there is a metaphor involved in this that is crucial, the destruction of that which is and then no longer, is a sign of the growth of the kingdom. The destruction is everything that is not in touch with what is real, what is true, is destroyed. And it's more emphasized to me when you look at the way the ending is. When the disciples are saying, where will we know this is happening? Why do you do this? When do you do it? He said, I do it when there is already death there and it's spreading. That's why he says at the end, where destruction is, the vulture's have pointed it out because there is no life there, there is only death. And he came to destroy death and bring life. Closing Prayer Father, bless us with the insight to know that when you are engaged in the work of making your kingdom present, it involves death and resurrection. Losing and gaining. It's a key to the way in which we are asked to see the world. It's in a process, and before it can become the Kingdom of God, so much has to be revealed, shown to be what it is and destroyed. That's the grace of the Kingdom. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 17:20-25 Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus said in reply, "The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, 'Look, here it is,' or, 'There it is.' For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you." Then he said to his disciples, "The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. There will be those who will say to you, 'Look, there he is,' or 'Look, here he is.' Do not go off, do not run in pursuit. For just as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.” Reflection If you would summarize the work of Jesus you would say, in one sense, he came to establish the kingdom of God. What is it? How do we understand it? Well, it's not something that we can look at as if it's a thing, a place or a particular moment. It is something that's among us, among us. Interesting. It's God's presence with us, that's the kingdom of God. And slowly, methodically, patiently, he reveals more and more of who he is and who we are with him, in him. And it comes in a unique way. It comes in flashes of understanding. We call it moments of a growth in consciousness, an awareness of something that we never saw before. One after another, those flashes of insight continue to move us into the truth of who we are and how God is longing for us to be with him in the kingdom that we will all participate in creating insight after insight. Closing Prayer Father, we ask that you would bless us with the ability not only to know how the Kingdom is working, but to feel our important role in participating in it. It is something we share with all of creation. Bless us with that constant awareness of the movement, the growth, the evolution that we are destined to have as we live on this earth. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 17:11-19 As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying, "Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!" And when he saw them, he said, "Go show yourselves to the priests." As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, "Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?" Then he said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” Reflection Whenever this is read, people wonder why did the other nine not thank Jesus? It's because they were like so many of us, that when God enters into our life and does something wonderful for us, we sometimes don't focus so much on who was the source of our healing, our transformation and just go on thinking that we're doing much better. We're growing, we're changing, we're healing. Nothing is more important than recognizing the ways in which God continues to heal us and draw us into his kingdom by slowly, one miracle after another miracle after another miracle. A transforming love is what God offers us. And when that transformation happens, we often think it's our own doing. We need to focus on the source and give him praise and thanks for who he is. A God who saves. Closing Prayer Father, increase our awareness of your flow of grace that comes to us over and over again. Help us to live in a disposition of gratitude, knowing that as we make progress, as we grow in our fullness or consciousness, as we grow and change, let us give the credit to the one who is the source of all healing, of all transformation. God within us, the Holy Spirit's power filling us. We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel  Luke 17:7-10 Jesus said to the Apostles: "Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, 'Come here immediately and take your place at table'? Would he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished'? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'" Reflection In this gospel, Jesus continues to reveal to his disciples things that are not in their frame of reference. But Jesus makes it clear that the role that we are given in this world is the role of service. Not being served. The religious people at the time of the disciples were notorious for wanting to be served and not serving. And so Jesus is making it clear, humility is what he wants from us. He wants us to recognize there is nothing greater than being called to serve, and then to carry through with service. It is the greatest role that we have, and it has great dignity and value. Closing Prayer Father, free us from our ego that often looks to make ourselves more than we really are. Give us the humility to simply be a loving, caring, forgiving human being. This is what the Kingdom needs in order to grow, to become, and to come to fulfillment. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 17:1-6 Jesus said to his disciples, "Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the one through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, 'I am sorry,' you should forgive him." And the Apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." The Lord replied, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.” Reflection It's important to remember that Jesus' disciples had not yet experienced the overflow of the Holy Spirit descending upon them, as it did on Pentecost. So they were always a little confused, out of sync with the teaching of Jesus. And this case, we see something that was so basic to the change from Old to New Testament, from justice to mercy, that Jesus always stressed the importance of forgiving and forgiving and forgiving again. But it was really hard for the disciples to understand this. And so as soon as he says it, they say, well, increase our ability to accept this, to have faith in this, because it doesn't make any sense. And then he says the most important thing, It's not for you to figure this out right now. What is important is you know that this is the core of my teaching, and you will one day have the faith that you need to believe that I can be the source of all forgiveness flowing through you as I forgive you. Closing Prayer Father, keep us always in touch with the beauty and the compassion that is in a forgiving heart. Who are we to judge? Who are we to condemn? Bless us with mercy, a forgiving heart, as we continue to build the kingdom of God. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Originally aired on November 9, 2014. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 16:9-15 Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours? No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all these things and sneered at him. And he said to them, “You justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts; for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God.” Reflection When you continue to listen to Jesus' conversation with the Pharisees, you get a really clear idea of what is the poison of a thing called hypocrisy. To give yourself an image that allows you to believe the image, when other people respond to it positively, is the great addiction of those who were caught in this illusion of who they really are. So, father, we ask that you would please open our hearts to who we really are. Help us to see our motives. Pay attention to the little things we do, because that will be a good indication you're teaching us, so that we will look at the bigger picture, how we are handling you and your message in our life. Closing Prayer Father, help us to pay attention to who we are, how we're dealing with ourselves and others. We don't often see the things that are somehow part of the routine, the way we deal with things. And we may be making terrible mistakes when it comes to the bigger issues. Bless us with that awareness. It's a gift to be conscious and to know and to see and to be able to change. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 16:1-8 Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. He summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.' The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.' He called in his master's debtors one by one. To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?' He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.' He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.' Then to another he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?' He replied, ‘One hundred measures of wheat.'   He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.' And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the children of light.” Reflection It seems almost selfish to say we should be thinking about what is best for us. What do we really want? What do we really need? But what Jesus trying to do is to make clear that there is a thing in human beings that is wise enough to know, I must take care of myself. And Jesus is offering the very thing we need most to care for ourselves, and that is life with him forever. He's honoring the man who takes care of himself and he's warning us that when we don't pay attention to the gifts that God longs to share with us, we are doing something very foolish. We're going to find ourselves in a place where we will not be able to survive. Closing Prayer Father, you continue to long for an intimate relationship with us where you can discuss things with us. We can ask you questions about our choices. You will always lead us to a place of abundance and fullness. Let us always follow you. Trust in you and do all that you call us to do. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 15:1-10 The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." So Jesus addressed this parable to them. "What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, 'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance. "Or what woman having ten coins and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it? And when she does find it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, 'Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.' In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Reflection I love when Jesus bases his examples on something we all know, something part of the human condition. If I lose something, especially if it's a value, my wallet, my credit card or whatever, I become consumed about it until I can find it. And that kind of high sensitivity to something is something that Jesus is using to tell us that that's the anxiety, that's the concern, that's the place he is when we are not with him, when we're lost, when we make bad choices. He longs for us to come back to him, and he'll do everything he can to find a way to lead us. Just as we try to find the place where we left something valuable. Closing Prayer Father, help us to know your love, your concern, your focus. It's impossible for us to think that you, one God, can be intimately engaged in the inner life of every human being, every creature you've ever created, everything that you have in the world is part of you. Help us to fathom that great mystery and feel the closeness that you have with us, so we can feel the closeness that we want with you. We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 14:25-33 Great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them, "If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him and say, 'This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.' Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple."Reflection The hidden message is that there is something demanded of us in terms of us responding to the life that God calls us to share with him. It is not without struggle, it is not without work. And one needs to sit down and figure out if they can do it. And what seems clear to me, he's saying, you can't do it. You don't have enough to build a tower. You don't have enough strength to overcome evil. What he's trying to say, indirectly is, please let me open you to the resources that you do not see, that you do not feel, for they're there constantly being offered to you. Closing Prayer Father, your desire to see us change and grow, participate with you in the salvation of all those around us. You are the source that is most important, keep us fixed on you, not on our strength, so that we can be the instrument you call us to be. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel  Luke 14:15-24 One of those at table with Jesus said to him, "Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God." He replied to him, "A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many. When the time for the dinner came, he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, 'Come, everything is now ready.' But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves. The first said to him, 'I have purchased a field and must go to examine it; I ask you, consider me excused.' And another said, 'I have purchased five yoke of oxen and am on my way to evaluate them; I ask you, consider me excused.' And another said, 'I have just married a woman, and therefore I cannot come.' The servant went and reported this to his master. Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.' The servant reported, 'Sir, your orders have been carried out and still there is room.' The master then ordered the servant, 'Go out to the highways and hedgerows and make people come in that my home may be filled. For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.'” Reflection It's interesting to see the reaction in the one who is offering this dinner party to his friends and how angry he was, how filled with rage. And it just underscores the longing, the desire that God has to reach us, to help us in all those areas where we're not really seeing, we're blind, we're not able to do the work. We're crippled or lame. He wants us to be fed and nourished. And when he sees these people being tied up with ordinary things, I have to have a place to live, so I'm looking into that. I have to start a business, I'm buying some cattle. I'm married so he can come. It's always just a simple excuse. And how many times do we do that? How many times do we not follow an intuition, a sense that God is asking us not so much to do something, but to come and feast with him? Feast in the goodness and the fullness and the healing power of the Kingdom of God. Closing Prayer Father, help us to know you, to know your longing, to know your desire, your passion for us. You don't want to lose any of us. You want us to experience the very thing that makes the difference between a life that is full and a life that is empty. Help us in our choices. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 14:12-14 On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees. He said to the host who invited him, "When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Reflection A banquet is a meal of great abundance. And it's an image of the kingdom of God that we are being called into. And what he is noting in this particular passage about the Pharisees is that they have a way of never being separated from their need for using people, needing something from people. And that's the life they were leading. And everything about the banquet is, it's an abundance of great food and great wine offered to those who recognize their poverty, their brokenness, their need. The Pharisees and scribes are far from the kingdom of God, and Jesus is trying to make it clear to all of us their mistake. Closing Prayer Father, bless us with an awareness of your goodness, your desire for us to be fed and nourished. Awaken in all of us our poverty, our longing for the most marvelous gift that you offer us. Your presence, your understanding, your compassion. It is truly what feeds the world and brings it closer to you. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Originally aired on November 2, 2014. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 5:1-12a When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven." Reflection Jesus giving his disciples a list of what he would call blessings, things that come from the love of God for us. And it's interesting because they are not always things that we would want, but they are the things that we need. And so what Jesus is trying to describe is living in the kingdom of God is not living in a place of judgment and condemnation of what's going on in ourselves or the world, as much as it is searching for what is valuable in everything. The good things, the difficult things, the bad things, we are blessed because God is with us. The Holy Spirit inspires us for both enjoying all that we are given and accepting all the pain that is part of that process. Closing Prayer Father, awaken us to a disposition of acceptance, even curiosity, and wonder about all the things happening around us, both positive and negative. Help us to have a conviction that you are in charge and that nothing, nothing will keep us from your kingdom. We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 14:1-6 On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully. In front of him there was a man suffering from dropsy. Jesus spoke to the scholars of the law and Pharisees in reply, asking, "Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?" But they kept silent; so he took the man and, after he had healed him, dismissed him. Then he said to them "Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?" But they were unable to answer his question. Reflection Father, there's a way in which when we're following regulations and rules, we feel confident, confident that we're doing everything that you've asked us to do. But in fact, it is not the heart of the gospel. It is not the heart of the good news. The heart of the good news is a way that we are touched so deeply by an awareness of where we haven't been that we're shown so clearly where we need to be. And it's the transition that's so important. Closing Prayer Father, bless us with an openness to seeing our own faults, our own weaknesses. Help us not to fall into shame, or disappointment, or self condemnation, but rather simply to long for the gift that enables us to do the work. It's not our work, it's yours and ours. Help us to remember this. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 13:31-35 Some Pharisees came to Jesus and said, "Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you." He replied, "Go and tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I accomplish my purpose. Yet I must continue on my way today, tomorrow, and the following day, for it is impossible that a prophet should die outside of Jerusalem.' "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were unwilling! Behold, your house will be abandoned. But I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Reflection The most likely reason that Jesus says he must be killed in Jerusalem is the fact that Jerusalem was the place of most of the resistance to any of the messages of the prophets. So it was there between the temple and a prophetic voice, that this story unfolds in a very unfortunate way. They continue to resist the truth. And what is so touching about this passage is the way in which the truth is that God, through Jesus, has always longed to gather the children of Israel into a family, into a place of intimacy with him. And they've always refused. And today they still refuse. Closing Prayer Father, you ask us through the Holy Spirit's power to face so many things within us that we really don't want to look at. We don't want to face. Bless us with openness to your prophetic word, to your truth, so that we can feel the fruits of what it means to be cared for by you, loved by you, forgiven by you. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 13:22-30 Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” He answered them,  “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough. After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.' He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.' And you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.' Then he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!' And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out. And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the Kingdom of God. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” Reflection There's something clear in this passage that Jesus is very intently on trying to get people to understand. He talks about it in the norm of how you receive the gifts of life with God after death, and the image is clear. Many people think it's one way, when in truth, it's really a very different way and a more difficult way. The narrow gate, and what is the narrow gate? Understanding that the work of God in the world, in the person of Jesus, is all about conversion, transformation, a change of heart. Many of the scribes and Pharisees would not consider that to be something important, but only that they belong to the right group. That they belong to the temple, and therefore they are sure that they will have a place with God. It's not about what religion we belong to. It's about how intimate we have become with the transforming spirit. It is our inheritance. Closing Prayer Father, awaken us always to the real task that you have given to us. One that is not given without our need to be a part of the process, we need to go through a death and resurrection. We need to do what you taught us how to do, so that we can become the people you call us to be. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices