Pastoral Reflections Finding God In Ourselves by Msgr. Don Fischer

Original Airdate: September 21, 2023 === Gospel Matthew 9:9-13 As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him. While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples. The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" He heard this and said, "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” Reflection Jesus made it clear that those who follow the scribes and Pharisees, the righteous, were in a place where they were almost impossible to change, they were so convicted and convinced of their way of life was the way that God wanted. But He doesn't want us to give up our freedom for a law that rules our life and tells us how to act. He wants us to let Him feed us with truth and life, and we become strong and healthy. His kingdom is about unmerited love, not a slave to a law. Closing Prayer Father, you teach that everything we do comes from a heart that is freely giving this beautiful gift of love, care, compassion, empathy. That's the kingdom. Help us never to lose sight that our call is to being a source of unmerited love to those who are struggling, to those who are lost, to those who are enslaved. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Original Airdate: September 24, 2023 Isaiah 55:6-9 | Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a | Matthew 20:1-16a Opening Prayer Oh God who founded all the commands of your sacred law on love of you and of our neighbor, grant that, by keeping your precepts, we may merit to attain eternal life.  Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever, amen. Closing Prayer Father, open our hearts to understand the mystery of your love, the mystery of the dignity that you give to each of us in inviting us to be partners with you in the salvation of the world.  What a privilege, what an honor and what a great mystery, and we ask this in Jesus' name, amen.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Postdate: September 23, 2023 === 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 Why did Jesus use parables? Because they were ways in which He could describe the kingdom that had not yet come. The kingdom is because God lives in human beings and He had not lived in human beings, as he does now until Pentecost. So He spoke in parables so that his disciples, when they understood fully the wisdom that was in His message, would go back to these parables and they would make sense. But the thing He was worried about, and the scribes and Pharisees were a perfect example. They were talking about a kingdom that they created, and it was a kingdom where when truth came into that kingdom it was like it couldn't touch people's hearts. The law doesn't change hearts. The law controls behavior and human beings will not be consistent by using their will to create the kingdom. It is a gift. It is a power that resides within the one who made us.  Closing Prayer Father, you have created in us a place, a rich soil, our heart. Fill us with your truth, fill us with your presence. Help us to be healers and speakers in livers of the truth that you have called us to proclaim. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Postdate: September 20, 2024 === 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 In this passage we see the women again, being more receptive than the men to the healing power that Jesus possessed and shared with these women, and their response was gratitude, but it took the form of service. They wanted to be a part of his ministry. They wanted to support it. Take this time to reflect on these thoughts. And now we'll close with a prayer. Closing Prayer It's clear in the scriptures that those who really understood who Jesus is are those who receive some wonderful, free, loving gift. Mercy. Help us to be open to this gift so we can truly be drawn into his ministry and become his followers. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Postdate: September 19, 2024 === 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 The most important thing that Jesus is trying to get you and me to believe with all our heart that when we sin, we are absolutely met with forgiveness, mercy, and a deep desire for God to transform us. It removes the shame, the fear, and the anger that comes so often from a misunderstanding of the role of sin in our life. Take this time to reflect on these thoughts, and I will close with a prayer. Closing Prayer Father, help us to see that sin in our life is part of who we are and how we grow. That our efforts not be in not sinning, but grow in our understanding of the wisdom of sin. And we ask for this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Postdate: September 18, 2026 === 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 Jesus here is talking to the crowds and in particular to those in the crowd. They're close minded. No matter what is presented to them, no matter what argument you use, they will say, no, that's not true. That's not the way it is. So we see in this particular passage is, we must not fall into the trap of being close minded about anything. We need one thing. We need one thing only. And that's wisdom. It has another name. The Holy Spirit, who dwells in any heart that opens themselves to that gift. Take this time to reflect on these thoughts, and I will close with a prayer. Closing Prayer Father, your promised spirit is the key to us understanding who we are and why we're here, and who we are called to be. And so bless us with the gift of wisdom. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Airdate: September 15, 2023 === 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 What Simeon and Anna had told Mary and Joseph about their son was that he was the one to come. He was the Messiah. And they must have had some sense of that because of the way his birth took place. But they also said his message is going to be contradicted by the temple. He's going to be the enemy of the temple. And you also will see him suffer intensely. Yet he's doing something that you must understand, he's revealing people's hearts, he's revealing who all of us are. Closing Prayer Mary and Joseph became aware of their destiny. Their child was called to save the world, would be rejected and would be put through a painful, painful death. And Mary had to begin her journey of acceptance. That's the key. Accepting our destiny. It calls for great authenticity, it calls for us recognizing and spending time wondering about who we are and why we're here. When those two things are in sync with God's plan we are a powerful source of life to ourselves and everyone around us. Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Postdate: September 14, 2024 === Gospel John 3:13-17 Jesus said to Nicodemus: "No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Reflection Nicodemus is one of the leading Pharisees and wanted to know more about Jesus. He was curious about the way he interpreted the Torah. And so Jesus gives him images to think about, and this image is really a powerful one because it says, what Jesus is trying to say, is that the Messiah that is coming is coming to destroy evil. And when serpents were attacking the Israelites, he reminds him that Moses lifted up one of the serpents, it's like evil being exposed for what it is, and then he says clearly, I am coming into the world to be lifted up, and my lifting up, my crucifixion will be a healing force in your life, and evil will no longer have the strength it had before. Closing Prayer Father, we struggle always with our weaknesses, with our faults. We think sometimes the world has come under the power of evil. But let us always remember that you've made a promise. Yes, evil will be manifested, we need to see it for what it is, but it will never win. It will never conquer the good. Because of Jesus death on the cross. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time Original Airdate: September 17, 2023 Sirach 27:30—28:7 | Romans 14:7-9 | Matthew 18:21-35 Opening Prayer Look upon us, oh God, creator and ruler of all things, that we may feel the working of your mercy.  Grant that we may serve you with all our heart.  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. Closing Prayer Father, our weaknesses, our bad choices are so often the burden that we carry.  Even though we believe you forgive us, we still carry the shame.  Free us from that so that we can see the value of our mistakes as tools that draw us closer and closer to who you call us to be.  Give us patience and radical forgiveness, and we ask this in Jesus' name, amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Airdate: September 16, 2023 === 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 We're all familiar with the phrase, ‘You'll be known by your fruits.' What this is talking about is some kind of authenticity that God longs for us to have, and what He uses as an image of what is the source of authenticity, it is the goodness that God places in your heart. And you may say a lot of things that sound good to you and to others, but if they are not who you are, if they're not in line with your core intention, when the water comes, when the river rushes, the house is swept away. So the only way that we can truly follow Jesus is to be convinced of the things that He has taught us. And the greatest teaching is pay attention to your intention that is in your heart, because that's where God does His best work, transforming you there so that no matter what happens, no matter what it costs, you will be a source of truth Closing Prayer Father, let us look at the things that go wrong, the things that test us as your way of longing for us to be stronger, not to expose our weakness, but He longs for us to understand that unless we are so thoroughly and completely convinced to be a source of goodness, no matter what the cost, we will never withstand the temptation of giving in. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Airdate: September 13, 2024 === 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 Jesus is preparing men to go out and to heal, and to help people. And we know that the main thing that he longs for them to have toward these people is deep empathy and compassion. And one of the things that we see in this image of the beam in ourselves and the speck in someone else's eye, is that we need to be dealing with our own issues first. We need to understand what it's like to go through a process of transformation in order to help others do it. The major difference will be that we will not tell them what to do, but open them to ways in which they can grow. Closing Prayer Father, your desire that we be healed by your grace, is not simply to make us more pleasing to you, but to make us more effective in working with our brothers and sisters. Give us wisdom and let that wisdom guide us. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Airdate: September 12, 2024 === 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 It's not unusual for us to spend time with someone who is continually criticizing and judging things as not what they should be. And it sometimes exhausts our energy. And what we see in this beautiful passages, is what Jesus saying is that when we look at someone else's life or a situation and we don't have compassion, empathy, and we look at just facts. It's very easy to just judge someone as being worthless or being wrong, and all Jesus wants is for us consciously to greet each other, to be with each other, and to be supportive. Closing Prayer Father, you have this disposition toward us that's so beautiful. You take us as we are. You long for us to grow and to change. And most especially, you love us. You don't focus on our faults, but on our needs. So bless us with that disposition, especially toward ourselves. As we continue to build your kingdom. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Airdate: September 11, 2024 === 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 The prosperity gospel was a big part of the Old Testament. During this time people were told, if you follow the law, everything goes well for you. But the truth is, that Jesus wants to reveal is, if you follow him, if you do the work he's calling you to, the sign that you're engaged in it is the experience of feeling poor and hungry and sad and feeling neglected by the people around us. That's when God works, most especially within us, to open us to wisdom that we don't yet see. It's a beautiful promise that God is there when we are at our lowest and lifts us higher than we ever had been before. Closing Prayer Father, when things are not going the way we hoped, we often doubt your presence. Free us from that. Help us to trust in you in all things. When things are good and when things are not good, let us always believe that you are there, working through whatever it is to bring us more into the Kingdom of God. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Airdate: September 8 2023 === 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 The Old Testament is filled with truth, but the New Testament adds so much to what it was teaching. The prophecy is that God one day will be with us. His name will be Emmanuel. But then when He comes the name given to him is Jesus, and it's the image of the reason God is going to become part of our life in a more intimate way, because He's there to save us from evil, from sin, from destruction. He's not just with us, but He's in us. Closing Prayer God, it's only with your grace that were able to dig deeply into the fullness of who God is in this world with us. Keep us open to the realization of something so amazing that it's hard for us to comprehend. We tend to work on our own to please God, but the key is to allow God to work through us. And we ask this In Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Airdate: September 9, 2024 === Gospel Luke 6:6-11 On a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him. But he realized their intentions and said to the man with the withered hand, "Come up and stand before us." And he rose and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" Looking around at them all, he then said to him, "Stretch out your hand." He did so and his hand was restored. But they became enraged and discussed together what they might do to Jesus. Reflection It seems to me that the Pharisees are the shadow of all religion, an institution that takes power over you and takes away your freedom. And so when Jesus is dealing with the Pharisees, he's there as a healer. They're there as judges. And when we see Jesus pointing out their faults, their response is not to wonder or ponder or try to figure out what he was saying. No, they have only one desire. A desire that comes from fear. They're being attacked and they want to destroy. Closing Prayer Father, your authority dwells within our hearts. You call us to discern how and why we are here and what we should do. So bless us with an attitude of openness to all the things we don't see. Help us to be open to changing the way we see, when you show us a new truth. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Original Airdate: September 6, 2020 Ezekiel 33:7-9 | Romans 13:8-10 | Matthew 18:15-20 Opening Prayer Oh God, by whom we are redeemed and receive adoption, look graciously upon your beloved sons and daughters that those who believe in Christ may receive true freedom and an everlasting inheritance.  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. Closing Prayer Father, sometimes we misunderstand your teaching.  We're not really conscious of who you are and what you're longing for within us.  I thought forever it was perfection you wanted and you hated our sins, and now I see your compassion, your empathy goes so far beyond that kind of judgment.  And all you long for is life, full, rich, joyous for all of us, and yet we choose something less.  Bless us with openness of heart.  Bless us with a new consciousness of who we are and why we're here so we can experience this joy of your kingdom, and we ask this in Jesus' name, amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Postdate: September 7, 2024 === 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 When you listen to Jesus' response to the Pharisees and the scribes, it's clear that they have one major failing. They put the law above the needs of a human being, and it led to all kinds of abuse. And so what we need to understand is that when God has created in us a place for him to dwell, he's giving us the authority to make decisions that bypass the law. Love is more important than the law. Take this time to reflect on these thoughts and now will close with the prayer. Closing Prayer Father, at the heart of your message is a continual refrain of loving those who we are dealing with, helping them, focusing on them above any law or rule or regulation. Bless us with the awareness of this obligation to love, not to control. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Postdate: September 6, 2024 === 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 Jesus opened a new world to all of us, and it was very difficult for those who heard it for the first time. And what Jesus is pointing out in this parable, is what first has to happen before you can embrace the teaching of Jesus, that was so radically different than the teaching of the temple, is you have to be changed. Something has to shift. You have to become new. And that's exactly what happened when he died on the cross. It's called redemption. It's called a new way, a new openness to everything that we never imagined could be. That's the gift of grace.  Closing Prayer Father, give us patience. It's not easy to change something we've always believed when something new comes into the world. Something new comes into our life and we know it's true, but it's not what we always did or how we always saw something. It takes time to change. There's no rush in our evolution of consciousness. It just needs to be moving always in a direction away from illusion and more and more into truth. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Postdate: September 5, 2024 === 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 When we experience gifts that flow seemingly natural through us, it's really difficult to understand which part of our effectiveness in the world is due to our own energy and our own understanding, our own discipline. Or is it purely a gift from God? Well, the key, it's both. But human beings have a hard time keeping themselves in balance when God is using them to accomplish great deeds. We need to be careful of not falling into the trap of thinking those deeds come from us, and not just through us. Closing Prayer Father, over and over again we see people who have authority and responsibility and a position of power, getting caught up in it and ending up being not the instrument that God can use any longer. Keep us grounded in the humility that God is the source of all that we can accomplish when it comes to building his kingdom. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Postdate: September 4, 2024 === 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 Nothing is more fascinating or interesting than the power Jesus had to heal. And obviously people would come for that gift and then they would feel, thank you for making me whole, but Jesus had something much more in mind. When he healed the mother in law of Simon, as soon as the fever left her, she did what all healing has as its core reason for being there, to better serve those around you. Closing Prayer Father, the wholeness that you call us to is not just for us to make it into heaven, but it is to make us someone who can continually and authentically help create the kingdom of God here on this earth. So give us a sense of our mission to do all that we can to invite people into a life of deep commitment to the presence of God within us, healing others. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Postdate: September 3, 2024 === 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 It's fascinating to me that Jesus always played down his divinity. And we see in this particular passage the demon revealing who Jesus really is. And he says, be quiet. There's something about his needing to be ordinary, his needing to be one just like us that was so essential to his teaching. But the one thing he had that was so unique and different from us is the fact that whatever he said was true, and whatever he asked for was done. Closing Prayer Father, if we see Jesus as one like us doing extraordinary things, it's easier for us to imagine God using us, our ordinariness, our brokenness to do the things that he calls us to do. So help us to focus more on what God does through us, rather than who we have to become in order to please him. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Postdate: September 2, 2024 === Gospel Luke 4:16-30 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 One of the most fascinating things about Jesus as a messiah, someone who came to change the entire world and free us from an excessive power of evil over us. He was so ordinary. He was of the house of David, but basically the fundamental thing was he was seen as an ordinary guy, from a little not so great town, that had a shady past because many thought maybe he was illegitimate. But you look at that and he is the voice of God. This ordinary human being on the surface. But what is it about him that's so powerful? Not him or his physical life on this planet, but the God that dwelled in him and did such extraordinary healing work. Closing Prayer Father, the gift of spirit to each and every one of us is beyond measure. Yet we often look for other qualities about us that we would be more like things that were honored by our culture, that were beautiful, that were wealthy, that we have a great education. None of that is really necessary for a human being to be effective in the world, if they allow God to work through them. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Airdate: August 30, 2020 Jeremiah 20:7-9 | Romans 12:1-2 | Matthew 16:21-27 Opening Prayer God of might, giver of every good gift, pour into our hearts the love of your name so that by deepening our sense of reverence and thy watchful care keep safe what you have nurtured.  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. Closing Prayer Father, your gifts are beyond our imagining.  The longing in your heart for us to find fullness and light in this world is crucial for us to know and to experience in order to know who you are and why you're in our life and what you want from us, not something that takes life away from us but that enables us to find it.  So bless us with open hearts, open minds.  Let us be good disciples, good learners, good listeners, and we ask this in Jesus' name, amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Post Date: August 29, 2024 === 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 We've been spending a lot of time this week focusing on the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. But now we have a king, King Herod, and we see something in him that is very like that. He's caught in a situation where he's afraid that he's going to be misunderstood by the public, and he cannot take a stand on what he believes, but does only what serves his ego. That's why we have to be careful with. The ego. Closing Prayer Father, nothing gives us more a sense of value and worth than being authentic. Saying what we believe. Acting on what we believe. Give us that kind of integrity. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Post Date: August 30, 2024 === Gospel Matthew 25:1-13 Jesus told his disciples this parable: "The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise ones replied, 'No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.' While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, 'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!' But he said in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.' Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Reflection Nothing is clearer in Scripture in that God wants to have a relationship with us that is personal and intimate. It's the image of the wedding banquet. In order to enter into that, we're given in this parable an image of wisdom and foolishness. And it seems the major difference is one understands what is required and what it's going to take, and they do everything they need to do on their part so that they can be gifted with this relationship. It's about paying attention, about intention that you really want this union, and if you want it enough, you'll be prepared. Closing Prayer Father, give us the enthusiasm to work toward what we're called to be, in you, and with you, and for you. We tend to think it's going to come later or we put things off, but let us be attentive to needing and asking for everything that will help us to enter the kingdom of God. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

August 28, 2025 === 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

Original Post Date: August 28, 2024 === 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 Underlying everything that Jesus has been saying about the Pharisees, is a kind of hidden way of understanding a power that anyone in the role of ministry truly has, and how important it is that they teach the truth and guide people, and invite them into the truth. In a way you could read in these stories about the Pharisees what it is that God longs for and what he wills. Ministers that minister truth. Closing Prayer Father, give us an open mind and open heart so that when we listen to those who guide us, that you give us the wisdom to discern what is true and what is not. So that we can always be guided by nothing other than the thing that's most important to you, and that is that we embrace your truth. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

August 27, 2024 === Gospel  Matthew 23:23-26 Jesus said: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. But these you should have done, without neglecting the others. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.” Reflection All religion have practices, things that we should do in order to show that we have a willing spirit to do what God calls us to do. But the shadow of all the things that we do is the fact that the action doesn't always demand the intention that's in the heart of the person.  And what Jesus saying to you no matter what you do,how many practices you have, if your heart isn't in the right place, if you're not wanting and willing to heal and to help someone, you are dangerous and you need to reflect upon what you're missing. The inside. The intention. Closing Prayer Father, you and only you can change us. You and only your grace and your spirit dwelling within us can give us the courage and the strength to act on what is most essential. Give us this wisdom. Give us this insight. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Post Date: August 24, 2024 === Gospel John 1:45-51 Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth." But Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." 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 The message here is the kingdom of God. What is it? How does one experience it? It has come to us through a human being called Jesus, and when he's introduced to the imagination of Nathaniel, Nathaniel first judges where he came from. But then he listens, and he pays attention, and what he sees and feels is someone who knows him, knows everything about him. And when he feels that connection, that beautiful union connection that we have with Jesus, then Jesus will be able to reveal to him who he really is. The message of God to the people that long for the one who can save them. Closing Prayer Father, our journey is to continually go back to you and to open our hearts to you. We read stories about you, but you've promise something much more than that. You've promised you will dwell within us. We can go to you and feel your presence and listen to you. You know us. You live in us. You invite us to work with you to save the world. Help us to see you in that way. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Airdate: August 27, 2023 Isaiah 22:19-23 | Romans 11:33-36 | Matthew 16:13-20 Opening Prayer Oh God, who cause the mind of the faithful to unite in a single purpose, grant your people to love what you command and to desire what you promise that, amid the uncertainties of this world, our hearts may be fixed on that place where true gladness is found.  Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever, amen. Closing Prayer Father, awaken in us the plan you've established for us.  Help us to joyfully, enthusiastically participate in building your kingdom, knowing that it is the thing that everyone longs for and the only true source of joy and peace.  And we ask this in Jesus' name, amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Post Date: August 23, 2025 === Gospel Matthew 23:1-12 Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people's shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.' As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.' You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Reflection Our human nature is something that we need to embrace, accept. There's a part of all of us that would love to be the center of the universe. There's a part of us that want to be esteemed, that we want people to thank us, we want people to look up to us. It's all a motive that can produce effective teaching, but if it gets out of control, if the ego gets in the way of the heart and really robs us of the most important quality, the humility, everything we achieve, everything we do in the kingdom of God is from God. And yet, our ego would love to claim everything that we do as something special in us. It's a lie. Remind yourself over and over when that voice comes along and says, why don't they appreciate what I do? God appreciates everything you do. Closing Prayer Father, there's a voice that comes into our minds over and over again. And it is somehow focused solely on whether or not we are seen as valuable. Heal us by awakening in us an awareness that the greatness that we are called to is always your work within us. Your work through us. Keep us from pride. Keep us humble and receptive and thankful. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Post Date: August 23, 2024 === Gospel Matthew 22:34-40 When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law, tested him by asking, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” Reflection The Pharisees were always trying to trip Jesus up, but he never, ever fell into their trap. And once again, they're trying. They bring a scholar of the law, hoping that he will say something they can use against him. And so they say, all right, what's the most important commandment? Remember, there are many rules and regulations. Jesus just looked at him and said, it's love. It's all about love. It's all about your heart. It's about your relationships. Relationship with you, with ourselves, and with our brothers and sisters that we love more than anything else. It's the heart of it all. But we keep making it more complicated than it is. Closing Prayer Father, your message is life and light and all that we need. Keep us in touch with the core of your message. It resonates in our hearts so beautifully. And yet our mind sometimes still gets confused. So open our hearts to receive this beautiful message of love. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Post Date: August 22, 2024 === Gospel Matthew 22:1-14 Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and the elders of the people in parables saying, "The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. A second time he sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those invited: "Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast."' Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then the king said to his servants, 'The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.' The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to meet the guests he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. He said to him, 'My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?' But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.' Many are invited, but few are chosen.” Reflection We continue the theme of things being not the way we think they are. This is a parable, not a real story. Symbolic. Those who think they are worthy, are set against those who are unworthy. And the worthy do not receive the kingdom, and the unworthy do. But the thing that's hard about this parable is the fact that when the unworthy are called, it's not that they're unworthy and therefore received, but they're a recognition that those that are unworthy are worthy. And so what we see in this figure that seems unfairly treated by being thrown out because he didn't have a wedding garment on, it seems the wedding garment is about a transformation that when the unworthy are called by God to be partners with him, their life, their sense of self is completely changed and they're celebrating their connection with God with a beautiful wedding garment. Closing Prayer Father, over and over again we see you presenting things to us that are different than what we thought they were. Open our heart over and over again to every illusion, every half truth, every false teaching we have. And continue to purify us with truth. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Post Date: August 21, 2024 === Gospel Matthew 20:1-16 Jesus told his disciples this parable: "The Kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. Going out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just.' So they went off. And he went out again around noon, and around three o'clock, and did likewise. Going out about five o'clock, he found others standing around, and said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' They answered, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard.' When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first.' When those who had started about five o'clock came, each received the usual daily wage. So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage. And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying, 'These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day's burden and the heat.' He said to one of them in reply, 'My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?' Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.” Reflection This parable that Jesus teaches exposes something about human nature that's frightening, in a sense, it's our arrogance. Human beings do not seem to have any problem in determining who God is or how God should act. When you think about that, it's ludicrous. Who are we to tell God who he is? Yet people feel that they have a just reason to do that, because it's what they believe, and they impose that on others. It terrifies me about the role of ministry in the church, because you're the one up there telling people who God is, and if your not surrendering to the reality of who he is, you are dangerous. Closing Prayer Father, make us aware of what we really say and what we really think at times about God. Make us question whether or not we really are deciding who he is. Nothing is more important than an open heart that simply says everyday, God teach me who you are. Show me who you are and let me learn. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Post Date: August 20, 2024 === Gospel  Matthew 19:23-30 Jesus said to his disciples: "Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible." Then Peter said to him in reply, "We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?" Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” Reflection In the first part of this gospel. Jesus is correcting something about the teaching that they have heard from the temple. If you follow all the regulations and rules of the temple, you will be rich. And that's a sign that God is pleased with you. You'll have prosperity. But then he reminds them that this whole idea of what it is to be called into the Kingdom of God, to become part of the work of building the kingdom is not something that you earn, it's something that is given to you. It is done through you, by God. And so we see then, what is at the heart of this work, of being able to do what God calls us to do. And that is it's about giving things up, about putting everything second to this one most important thing, to build the kingdom of God. So he's saying, be careful. It's not about what is in it for us. It's about what is in it for the work to be accomplished. Closing Prayer Father, everything it seems that you ask us to achieve is something that you will accomplish for us. With us, in us. Help us to step away from the sense that we are the center of our lives. But you are the center, and you are asking us simply to allow you to be our God. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Post Date: August 19, 2024 === Gospel Matthew 19:16-22 A young man approached Jesus and said, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He asked him, “Which ones?” And Jesus replied, “You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this statement, he went' away sad, for he had many possessions. Reflection The man asked Jesus a question and in a sense you can feel that he knows what the answer will be. What do I need to be good? What do I need to be perfect? Jesus said, well, you need to keep the commandments. And he said, well, I have done that. And so he said, well wait a minute. You are looking for perfection, and I'm not interested in perfection as much as I'm interested in you being connected to people. When you make yourself better than other people, you're disconnecting. He was into that perfection mode. So Jesus says, well look, let go of all these things you think you should be. Let go of all your sense of perfection and then come and follow me. That's the heart of the message of Jesus. Not that we be perfect, but that we be connected to one another and work together to find this secret kingdom that he's promised to each of us. Closing Prayer Father, we are all working together for the kingdom. We are never perfect. Bless us with patience as we grow in our understanding of what it is you ask of us, so that our part in forming the kingdom of God will be effective. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Airdate: August 16, 2020 Isaiah 56:1, 6-7 | Romans 11:13-15, 29-32 | Matthew 15:21-28 Opening Prayer Oh God, who has prepared for those who love you good things, which no eye can see, fill our hearts, we pray, with the warmth of your love so that loving you and all things and above all things, we may attain your promises, which surpass every human desire.  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. Closing Prayer Father, your goodness, your love, your mercy is so far beyond our expectations that we need your help in grasping the fullness of being loved unconditionally like you so generously do.  Bless us with the freedom from shame and from a distance that we create over our weaknesses, knowing that you are there, filled with mercy, filled with understanding, filled with compassion, which brings us great peace and hope and life.  And we ask this through Christ our Lord, amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Post Date: August 15, 2024 === Gospel Luke 1:39-56 Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, and has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.” Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home. Reflection There are many things that God has done that are shocking to humanity, and certainly one of them is choosing a woman and saying that I need you.. God needs you to help him create a human slash divine figure that will be the model for the world of who we are to become. It's an incredible privilege. But even more than that, it is an incredible way of imagining the dignity that Jesus is engaged us in. He's not going to save us alone. He's only going to save us through one another. Closing Prayer Father, the dignity that God wants us to have about the way in which he has created us to be a part of saving the world, establishing the kingdom. Keep us always engaged in that excitement and enthusiasm for what he is doing with, for us, through us. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Post Date: August 16, 2024 === Gospel Matthew 19:3-12 Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?" He said in reply, "Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female and said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate." They said to him, "Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?" He said to them, "Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery." His disciples said to him, "If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry." He answered, "Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom that is granted. Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.” Reflection When Jesus points out an obligation to human beings, we must remember that his promise, is that he will enable us to fulfill those obligations. He's not laying a burden on us that's impossible to fulfill. So when we see him talking about marriage, it is clear he's saying that divorce is not the plan. But at the same time, he's also saying that marriage is not something you just do by going through a ritual and signing some papers. It's a mystery. It's a gift. It's a vocation and needs to be honored by those who have been gifted with it. Closing Prayer Father, give us the wisdom to understand the work of human beings in relationships doing so much to help the world to become what God wants it to be. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Post Date: August 14, 2025 === Gospel Matthew 18:21–19:1 Peter approached Jesus and asked him, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.' Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, 'Pay back what you owe.' Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' But he refused. Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?' Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart." When Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan. Reflection What always stands out to me in this passage is the fact that this man who represents humanity has been given an enormous gift, say $1 million, and turns around and beats up a buddy who owes him five. Why such a split between the two? It's because Jesus is making reference to the awesome gift of forgiving all of our sins in his act on the cross, and we won't forgive our brothers and sisters? when we refuse to forgive our brother over whatever they have done, it's clear that we've lost sight of what's been done for us. That's the key to understand the redemption that Jesus won for us. Freedom from all sin. Closing Prayer Father, you ask that we face our sins, that we own them. But we often don't do that for fear that we will alienate ourselves from you or from ourselves or others. Lead us to a place we accept our selfishness. Face it and change. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Post Date: August 14, 2024 === Gospel Matthew 18:15-20 Jesus said to his disciples: "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that  every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church. If he refuses to listen even to the Church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Reflection The beautiful thing about the ministry of Jesus is he cares for the church, the institution in a sense, where we're all going, but it also cares for the individuals involved. He cares about our relationships because they are so crucial. And if someone is in a relationship with you and they're doing something negative, you need to point it out. If they won't listen you ask others to join you. If they don't listen, you use the authority of others. But the key is you don't stay in the relationship. You leave it because the heart of the message is the truth that God has placed in our hearts. And that truth is, that what God is creating is people that think alike, that work together, that aren't at odds with each other. And when they gather in Jesus' name and want the truth, there is Jesus in their midst accomplishing and bringing the truth and light and life. Closing Prayer Father, nothing is more important in your kingdom than the flow of life between us. As individuals seeking you, loving you. Wanting to be more what you call us to be. Bless us in our relationships. Help them to be healthy, and life giving, and everything you intend them to be. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Post Date: August 13, 2024 === Gospel  Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14 The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father. What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.” Reflection Jesus continues his work with his disciples. He's reminding them of something really important. What does it take to be a member of the Kingdom of God? What's the model? The model is a child. And so he's saying that for every adult that was willing to become like a child, and that would mean open, receptive, curious. That's what God wants each of us to become. And he wants us to nurture those that are like children around us, those that are vulnerable and easily misled. So what he's really saying is the kingdom of God is made up of adults that live and act as loving and as open and as receptive as a child. It's a great, great image that frees us from so much that is negative in our adulthood. Closing Prayer Father, we work hard. We discipline ourselves. We get angry. We get upset. We do everything to try to make life better. Free us from some of that intensity of work. As we surrender the beauty of a child who simply is there to receive and take in and accept what is given. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices