Pastoral Reflections Finding God In Ourselves by Msgr. Don Fischer

Gospel  Luke 10:38-42 Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me." The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” Reflection Jesus in this story has two ways of understanding the way in which we spend time with God. One is doing everything we can to make ourselves, and our life, and what we do, and what we think we're to make it all what God wants, like setting the perfect dinner table and making the perfect food. And that is a way of honoring our guest. But what people really want, what God wants to teach Martha, is it's not about the setting. It's about the interchange that happens when people are together eating a meal, sharing their wisdom, sharing their struggles. It's about intimacy, and that's what God wants with us. He doesn't want us presenting something that we work on, so that it's as perfect as possible. No, he just wants us to be ourselves in his presence, to speak and to listen and to learn. Closing Prayer Father, everything you say to us through Jesus, through your holy Spirit, is always focused on the one thing, a closeness with you, a oneness with you, an ability to spend time listening to you, and not thinking so much or working so hard. Bless us with that kind of contemplative spirit. And we ask that in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 10:25-37 There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?" He said in reply, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." He replied to him, "You have answered correctly; do this and you will live." But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied, "A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, 'Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.' Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers' victim?" He answered, "The one who treated him with mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise.” Reflection When Jesus first responded to his request, ‘What do I have to do to gain eternal life'? Jesus started with where the man was. Basically he said, ‘Well what does it say in the law'? And then he quotes the law. And Jesus said, ‘That's correct, follow that law'. But then wanting to justify himself, which is kind of interesting, he was probably going to tell a great story about how he helped someone else. But the truth is, Jesus is about to expose something that is missing in the man. The law is one thing, but the law can never cover every decision we make when it comes to love, mercy, understanding, compassion, empathy. We see here how two figures in a story Jesus uses according to the law of being purified. They couldn't get near a dead person. If they did, they weren't able to function in the temple. That was the law, and Jesus is pointing out something so important. Nothing is more important than love and mercy, compassion. And the law is never enough for us to make those decisions. Closing Prayer Father, we live always in an institution that has regulations and rules. They're all around us. But we must know when it comes to our faith life, in our religion, our relationship with God, primary is not the law, but the primary thing is mercy, love, compassion. Help us see that. Help us live that. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Originally aired on October 6, 2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 10:17-24 The seventy-two disciples returned rejoicing and said to Jesus, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name." Jesus said, "I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky. Behold, I have given you the power 'to tread upon serpents' and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven." At that very moment he 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 When you know who Saint Francis of Assisi was, when you know his story, it's easy to see why he has become so popular as a saint. Probably the best known saint in all of Catholicism. More books written on him than any other saint. And what I'm asking you to recognize in his teaching is something so simple, so beautiful. He fell in love with God, with a childlike love and a childlike enthusiasm for God's creation. God's creatures. He was amazingly human and simple and excited about the work that he and his brothers would do. Closing Prayer Father, we do need models. We do need people to show us the way, but I want to thank you in particular for the gift that you've given us in Saint Francis. What a beautiful man. What a wonderful teaching. I've been drawn to it my whole priesthood, and I pray His spirit will fill you and me as we continue our journey. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 10:13-16 Jesus said to them, "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And as for you, Capernaum, 'Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld.' Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” Reflection To watch Jesus perform miracles was thought, in most people's minds, as the major way in which Jesus changed people's lives and drew them into his teaching. But the fact is that many people witness these miracles and never, ever believed in Jesus because they didn't listen to his message. It wasn't the power he had to heal, it was his message that they had to embrace. And if one focused only on one, the other just seemed to melt away. Jesus even had a hard time going to certain places because they were there only for a miracle. And Jesus longed for his message to take root in our hearts. Closing Prayer Father, we humans have a problem with power. If you give us a great gift that everybody recognizes and we feel empowered by that, our ego just goes crazy. We end up getting caught up in something that's about our self-importance. Bless us with a consistent focus on your message. Yes, we have power to help and to heal people, but the real issue is whether we are understanding the role that you have created for us. Giving us the wisdom we have to reach whatever level you wish, and not to let our ego start running the show. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 18:1-5, 10 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 humbles himself 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.” Reflection I remember so vividly growing up and believing that I had a guardian angel. In Catholic school, we used to sit to one side of our desk seat just to allow our angel to sit with us. It was a beautiful image of a way of understanding something. As a child, yes there are creatures that do take care of us. But what's interesting about this passage is it really takes you deeper into the mystery of what Jesus wants you to see in a child. It's about their gifts, about their nature. It's about the fact that they are naturally trusting, creative, playful, curious. These are all qualities that we see in children that we as adults must never lose. Challenge is yes, God takes care of all children at the same time, he looks at us as adults and says, watch them. See them. Understand them. You must become like them. Closing Prayer Father, the world places before us models of who we should be. Our culture has a very strong emphasis on success financially, higher education, places of importance. But nothing is more important than our heart. And a heart of a child is so important for us to examine, so we can make sure we too are children of God. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 9:57-62 As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding on their journey, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus answered him, "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head." And to another he said, "Follow me." But he replied, "Lord, let me go first and bury my father." But he answered him, "Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God." And another said, "I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home." Jesus answered him, "No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.” Reflection Father, we have always in our hearts a call from you to do the work you've called us to. And I ask your blessing for all of us, as we imagine the work that we can accomplish by simply being who you call us to be. The world will not change from the top to the bottom, but from the bottom up. Each of us have an important role. And when we're engaged in it, we find peace. Closing Prayer Father, we need to understand, and we long for your wisdom. Nothing is more important to us than to understand who you are and who we become when we allow you to enter into us, bless us with wisdom. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel  Luke 9:51-56 When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?" Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village. Reflection The Old Testament is essential. It is a story that we have to understand. And then Jesus came, God incarnate, and so many things changed. And one of the things you see in the Old Testament is God using violence, destruction to make things clear to people. They understood violence and they understood power. But there's a new form of power in the New Testament. And so when Jesus rebukes James and John, who by the way, had the nickname Sons of Thunder. He said, no, we're not there anymore. We're not using violence to establish my kingdom. But forgiveness. Closing Prayer Father, violence often has at its heart, hate. And everything about your kingdom is not about hate, but about acceptance, about love, about compassion. Help us always to live with the message that came from you, your son Jesus. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel John 1:47-51 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him." Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree." Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this." And he said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” Reflection We all know the miraculous powers that Jesus had to heal, to raise people from the dead. But we may not understand he had the ability to read a heart, to know where people where really coming from. Duplicity is often when you present yourself as someone you're not, when you pretend to be holy when you're not. And what he's saying is that when you have a pure heart, when you really do feel God living there and resonating his truth, you will be in touch with the real power of Jesus. Angels were always the things that brought messages from God, but now God Himself is the messenger and his message is powerful. Closing Prayer Father, help us to accept your judgment of who we are. Open our hearts to let you tell us what we need to change, what we need to get past. We're masters at holding things back, pretending we're someone we're not. So bless us with honesty and openness to you. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Originally aired on September 29, 2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 9:43b-45 While they were all amazed at his every deed, Jesus said to his disciples, "Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men." But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying. Reflection There's a line in Scripture that says Jesus is often the stumbling block. Because people can't fathom the reality of who he really is. And he's revealing to us the doubt in his disciples over and over again. And what I believe it's there for, is so that we can understand that we alone cannot do the work of belief in something as awesome as who Jesus really is God incarnate, God living inside of us. It's something we have to make a decision about one way or the other, and often we don't. We just kind of let it slide and don't really have to ponder the fullness of its meaning. Closing Prayer Father, create in us a space, a place where we can be still and listen to who you really are in our life. You're more than a story, you're more than a promise. You're a person, a power, a presence that we are invited to become. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 9:18-22 Once when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.'” Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.” He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone. He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.” Reflection What I believe Jesus is trying to make clear is that even though Peter used the right words, he didn't fully understand. It was impossible for any of the disciples to fully grasp who Jesus was and the gift that he returned to the father to send to them. It could only come to them after they received the gifts of Christ's death on the cross. Then they could know. Then they could see. Closing Prayer Father, words are easy. We can say Jesus is Lord, we can say God is present, but we have to grow into an experience of these things and know how important they are and how powerful they are. To say it is easy, to know it is difficult. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 9:7-9 Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying, "John has been raised from the dead"; others were saying, "Elijah has appeared"; still others, "One of the ancient prophets has arisen." But Herod said, "John I beheaded. Who then is this about whom I hear such things?" And he kept trying to see him. Reflection Luke is describing in this passage very clearly that there was an expectation of a messiah, but it was nothing like the Messiah that came. It was a messiah that would be just like the other prophets, only perhaps more wise and more knowledge coming back from the dead. But the most important thing for all of us is to recognize no one can really know who the Messiah is and how he works, unless we open our heart to experience it. Closing Prayer Father, we ask your grace in helping us to ponder the words of Scripture. They are filled with such wisdom and open us to so many new experiences. So don't let us let the Messiah become an ordinary voice. It is God's presence, not just a teaching, but a power that he shares. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 9:1-6 Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there. And as for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.” Then they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere. Reflection It's hard to imagine what that experience must have been like for the twelve. They had seen Jesus do all these works, and now they were experiencing them. They could see and feel something unique if they didn't yet understand the Holy Spirit's indwelling presence, because it hadn't happened, but they were still able to do something extraordinary. And it was so essential to the disciples that they had that experience as the things then continued to evolve. More mysterious, more frightening, then they ever expected. Closing Prayer Father, we need and long for experiences of your spirit flowing through us. Open us to all that you are doing so we can be more attentive to listening to what you ask us to do and following it. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel  Luke 8:19-21 The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you." He said to them in reply, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it." Reflection There are two passages in Scripture that make this particular passage make sense. They both state that the family of Jesus thought he was crazy. The words they use is he was outside of himself. And so it's clear that Jesus is saying here that his work is not to be arguing with people about whether or not he is who he says he is. He's looking for people wide open to the most amazing signs and wonders that he's performing. They are his calling card. They are what makes him so unique. And those in his family, worried probably about their reputation, just was very closed to who he really was. Closing Prayer Father, bless us with an awareness of how easy it is for us to write off this marvelous plan that you have for each of us. It's mysterious, it's miraculous and powerful. So focus us always on what Jesus came to teach. His power flowing through us, doing wonders. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 8:16-18 Jesus said to the crowd: "No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care, then, how you hear. To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away.” Reflection Jesus revealing the heart of his message. He wants us to believe that the Holy Spirit, God Himself, dwells within each of our hearts. It's like a light. We are the candle, the spirit is the light. And when it enters into a person, it opens them to the most important thing, truth. So he's saying, take care how you understand my work in the world today. Understand that my truth is what you long for. You need to listen to it. And if you don't, you lose everything. Most especially the work you have of awakening the consciousness of the world. Closing Prayer Father, bless us with an awareness of how you are working in us. And most especially, bless us with the conviction that what you share with us is truly your truth, your life in us. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Originally aired on September 22, 2019 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 8:4-15 When a large crowd gathered, with people from one town after another journeying to Jesus, he spoke in a parable.  “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path and was trampled, and the birds of the sky ate it up. Some seed fell on rocky ground, and when it grew, it withered for lack of moisture. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew, it produced fruit a hundredfold.” After saying this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.” Then his disciples asked him what the meaning of this parable might be. He answered, “Knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you; but to the rest, they are made known through parables so that they may look but not see, and hear but not understand. “This is the meaning of the parable.  The seed is the word of God. Those on the path are the ones who have heard, but the Devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts that they may not believe and be saved. Those on rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy, but they have no root; they believe only for a time and fall away in time of temptation. As for the seed that fell among thorns, they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along, they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life,  and they fail to produce mature fruit. But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance.” Reflection When Jesus died on the cross, he created the good soil. The ability that we have to ponder the mysteries that Jesus has shared with us. To hold them in our heart, to turn them around, look at them, wonder about them, and then ultimately they take root in us. It's not something that's just given. It is something that's presented and needs to be worked with. Closing Prayer Father, there is much that can distract us. But there's one thing that continually calls us back to wondering, to pondering, and to try to understand more. We're never finished. We're always imagining, wondering, seeking. Those are the signs of a rich soil. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 8:1-3 Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources. Reflection We don't always think about the most basic things that Jesus needed to perform his ministry. And here we see that there were many women who were touched by his healing words and became great supporters of his work, and they traveled with him and made sure out of their resources, they were able to give him everything he needed. It's a beautiful example of how the kingdom, when it takes root in someone, because of the healing they received, they continue to support the message of Jesus. Closing Prayer Father, something happens to us when we receive your gifts, your Holy Spirit dwelling in us. We find ourselves more engaged in the things that bring life and hope to people. Bless us with the imagination to see how clearly we can make a difference. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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