Pastoral Reflections Finding God In Ourselves by Msgr. Don Fischer

Gospel Matthew 7:15-20 Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them.” Reflection One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is discernment. And the image of a tree that produces good fruit or bad fruit is a beautiful image for us to understand that what we look at when we look at someone and discern who they are, we are perceiving things about them that we either like and feel comfortable with or don't like. But the one that seems most potent is whether or not you feel the person is connecting with you. There is a connection of spirit. That's the sign that we look for. The spirit in someone else, like the spirit in us, gives us the authority to discern whether we're dealing with someone who is helpful or harmful. Closing Prayer Father, give us the strength and the wisdom to know who we are, ourselves and who the people around us truly are. Help us always to be with people that are fruitful, with gifts of the Holy Spirit. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel  Luke 1:5-17 In the days of Herod, King of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah of the priestly division of Abijah; his wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both were righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren and both were advanced in years. Once when he was serving as priest in his division's turn before God, according to the practice of the priestly service, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense. Then, when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside at the hour of the incense offering, the angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right of the altar of incense. Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. John will drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb, and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn their hearts toward their children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord.” Reflection God makes promises to all of us. He made a promise to Zechariah and Elizabeth that they would have a son one day, and when the time pass for it to happen in this ordinary way, he lost sight of the promise, and gave up on it. And yet, when an angel appeared to him to tell him that this was going to happen, but it was going to happen in a way that was beyond anything that would have been normal, it was an extraordinary event, a woman far into her old age having a baby. But what the lesson seems to me to be that no matter how long it takes, no matter what form it takes, the promises that God makes to us will take place. We have to believe. We have to trust, or we are not going to be open to when it does happen. Closing Prayer Father, bless us with an ability to trust beyond what is logical. What is practical. You've made a promise to all of us that we will know you, we will live with you, you will dwell in us, and we will do things that are your work in others. Bless us with the faith that we need that never do we lose the hope that that will happen. Then we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 7:1-5 Jesus said to his disciples: "Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove that splinter from your eye,' while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother's eye.” Reflection Why do we judge each other? One thing I know is that when we do judge someone, we tend to feel a little bit better about our own self, as if we don't have those problems. But everyone has problems. Everyone has something they need to work on to improve. So we put someone down for having a problem, we're doing something so unfair, but at the same time something so unhealthy for us, it tends to give us a false sense of being better. And the ego likes nothing better than that. Closing Prayer Father, in the prayer that you taught us, you remind us that you are always ready to forgive us, as we forgive one another. Fill us with this gift of understanding, of patience, of acceptance, so we might free ourselves from that negativity that we often spread about people around us. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Gospel Matthew 6:24-34 Jesus said to his disciples: “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?' or ‘What are we to drink?' or ‘What are we to wear?' All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.” Reflection Why is it we worry? We don't believe that there is a God who is there, constantly watching us, constantly being within us, knowing everything that we are going through. And his only intention is to give us everything that we need, and most especially its self worth, self value. He sees us as amazing, and he delights in his creation. But it's up to us to believe that we are worthy of such a gift. Because the gift is real. Closing Prayer Father, help us in our doubts. In our worries and our anxiety. We know they're there to teach us to move out of that kind of dark world, but bless us with a hope and a trust in your love. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 6:19-23 Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. “The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be.” Reflection If your eye works, if your eye sees clearly what God wants us to see is the world as he created it. To see each other as he created us. And there's such goodness and such light and such life in it. But there is a way for us to look and not see, and think the world is only about darkness and evil and ugliness, and then there is nothing but darkness inside of us. There is depression instead of joy. Closing Prayer Open our eyes to see the world as you created it. Help us to delight in the goodness that is there. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 6:7-15 Jesus said to his disciples: "In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. "This is how you are to pray: 'Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.' "If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.” Reflection The final passage in this scripture is confusing if you read it just on the surface. It sounds as if God the Father is not going to forgive you unless you forgive others. His intention, his very essence is forgiveness. So what he's really saying is, unless you have a heart that is open to forgiving another, you can't receive forgiveness yourself. The tragedy is that we do not understand that we have to receive before we can give. Closing Prayer Father, your gifts are abundant. And there are ways in which we have chosen to block them, and help us to get past those blocks and open ourselves to the gifts that you so generously long to pour into our heart. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 Jesus said to his disciples: “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. “When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to others to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.” Reflection In this passage, Jesus questions authenticity. What is the intention of anyone that does anything that God asked them to do it? Is it to be seen as someone, or is it to be someone? The image of the inner room that is used in this passage is so beautiful to me because these men, these hypocrites, did not have an intimate relationship with God. They were doing things for themselves and not for others. It's a stark reminder that intention is everything. Closing Prayer Father, call us to that inner room, the place where we spend time with you in silence, often. Receiving gift after gift. Grace after grace. Help us to grow as you intend us to grow. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel  Matthew 5:43-48 Jesus said to his disciples: "You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Reflection A line of scripture that is taken out of context is always dangerous. But I can tell you, I'm sure, that the line that we ended with, be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect, is something that I got in spades growing up as a Catholic. What God wants is perfection. No sinning. And nothing is further from the truth. What he wants is evolution. Transformation. Change that we become who God longs for us to be so we can establish his kingdom. Love is the key. Not judgment. Closing Prayer Father, you offer us first, which you are asking us to offer to one another. Open our hearts so that we can receive your generosity, your love, your acceptance. So that in turn, we will offer it to one another. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 5:38-42 Jesus said to his disciples: "You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.” Reflection Jesus is making a statement. It must have seemed strange to his disciples, as it does to many of us today. Offer no resistance to one who is evil. Why would that be what he wants? It's so subtle that evil is the kind of thing that when someone does something to you, they hate you, you turn around and hate them and do something bad to them. It is the most seductive thing that evil does. Talks us into being just like it. But this is calling for human beings to be so different than that. To not return evil for evil, not to base everything on the law, but to work with service, generous service. That's the goal. That's what the Kingdom is about. Closing Prayer Father, awaken our eyes to what you long for us to see. It's your presence within us that gives us the courage and the ability to live the laws of your kingdom, the laws of mercy. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Gospel Matthew 5:33-37 Jesus said to his disciples: "You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the Evil One.” Reflection At the time that Jesus walked the earth, there was a way in which people would try to impress someone else about their honesty by swearing on something. And what Jesus trying to say is, to his disciples especially, he's saying, look, I want you to be men of integrity. When you say something, be truthful. If you mean yes, then say yes. If you mean no, say no. He's simply asking the disciples to be men of integrity. Truthfulness. Nothing damages relationships more than a lack of truthfulness. Authenticity. That's the goal of a healthy relationship. Closing Prayer Father, we know the anxiety of fear that a lack of trust has between people in our world today. Bless us with a longing for truthfulness and integrity. And most especially, help us to model it by always, always telling the truth. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 5:27-32 Jesus said to his disciples: "You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna. "It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce. But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” Reflection This is one of those passages that talks about the difference between the law and being one who follows the law, or being someone who has the integrity of the law within their heart, and they don't have to worry about what the rules are, but they just simply know what they need to do. They understood it. That's the heart of this passage, I believe. If you have integrity, if you have the spirit in you animating you, you will do the right thing. Closing Prayer Father, we tend to lean upon our logic or our own capacity to make ourselves do what we're supposed to do. And that's not in any way, shape or form what God has established as his kingdom. We're transformed people, we're different, we are awakened to a reality that is now the heart of who we are. Bless us with this gift and we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 5:20-26 Jesus said to his disciples: "I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven. "You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.” Reflection One of the ways in which I love to talk about the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, is that it is a kind of resonance, a kind of energy that flows out of us. And nothing is more clear in terms of the intention of Jesus that we enter into a kingdom called the kingdom of understanding and compassion and forgiveness. That we recognize one another as partners in this work, and that we all fail. And how wrong it is to start picking at each other and blaming each other for mistakes that are made and not understanding we all share the same human nature and the same struggles. Why call a brother a fool when all of us are at times foolish? Closing Prayer Father, you tell us over and over again that you can awaken in us an intention. And it overrides the common experience we have with one another when we are critical and judgmental and demeaning to one another because of weaknesses. Just give us the strength we need to be more honest and more real. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 5:17-19 Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.” Reflection This gospel reminds me of how often it is that we get confused by taking the reading to literally. It sounds as if Jesus saying, we're going to have rules and regulations for everything. But when he uses the phrase the law and the prophets, it's a phrase that means all of Scripture. What Jesus is saying everything in the Scripture is there and should always be listened to and cannot be changed. And what he's saying is that the Scripture itself is so essential because it gives us the perfect image of the character of God. Closing Prayer Father, awaken in us a thirst for the wisdom of Scripture. Help us to learn how to use it. How to understand it. How to integrate it into everything that we do. Your word is your presence among us. Bless us with the capacity to discern and learn. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel  Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus said to his disciples: "You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” Reflection There's an interesting image in this reading, and that is the fear that salt might lose its flavor. It cannot lose its flavor. A light that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. It's almost like Jesus saying, look, I have made you into salt. I have made you light to the world, and it's not your effort, it's not what you have to do, it's who you are. And when you are who God has called you to be, it will resonate. It will be impossible for it not to be sent forth into the world to enrich it, to preserve what is good and to enable people to see. Closing Prayer Father, it's not what we do, it's who we are. You teach us that over and over again. And the reason we should have confidence in it is because you are one with us. Your spirit, Holy Spirit, dwells in us. It cannot not produce goodness. Open us to this truth. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel John 19:25-34 Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,             and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved,             he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple,             “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. After this, aware that everything was now finished,             in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,             Jesus said, “I thirst.” There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop             and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,             “It is finished.” And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit. Now since it was preparation day,             in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,             for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,             the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken             and they be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first             and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,             they did not break his legs,             but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,             and immediately Blood and water flowed out. Reflection Many do not realize the power of the Eucharist. And we as Catholics believe that when you go to the Eucharist, any venial sins as you have on your soul are forgiven. And what I see in this passage is a beautiful image of the wine, which is the wine of forgiveness, the consecrated wine. What is so beautiful about this passage is Jesus is doing one last thing before he claims it is all finished, and that is to drink the wine of forgiveness. It's a beautiful image of not only Jesus forgiving. Those who disappointed him, weren't there for him, condemned him, crucified him, but also it's a part of his way of saying that world of unforgiveness, of judgment, of condemnation is finished. And the Eucharist, brings in the world of forgiveness, which is the beginning of the kingdom that we now live in. Closing Prayer Father, we've been taught that the Eucharist is a reenactment of the death and resurrection of Jesus. But we don't really take it as literally as we should, because what it's saying is that every time we take the Eucharist, we are not only infused with the power of the Holy Spirit, but given the gift of being able to forgive. It empowers our forgiveness, which is the heart of everything that seems to me that we are missing in the world. A spirit of openness and forgiveness, acceptance, support. Connection. Bless us with these gifts and we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Gospel John 21:20-25 Peter turned and saw the disciple following whom Jesus loved, the one who had also reclined upon his chest during the supper and had said, "Master, who is the one who will betray you?" When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus said to him, "What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours?   You follow me." So the word spread among the brothers that that disciple would not die. But Jesus had not told him that he would not die, just "What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours?" It is this disciple who testifies to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written. Reflection We've been listening to Jesus describe the work of his followers. What are they to do? The clear thing is they need to follow the example of Jesus. Everything else, in a way, is secondary. When Peter then questions Jesus about the ministry of John, he makes it clear that's not your business. He has his role and you will have your role. Don't compare yourself to each other, but simply two words are what they need to do. He says, follow me. Closing Prayer Father, the richness of our relationship with you. Opening our hearts to listen to your word, what we should do of what we need to do. Help us to rivet ourselves to you and not to what other people think or what seems more practical. Let us always listen to your will, and as we follow it, we will truly be your disciple. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel John 21:15-19 After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and eaten breakfast with them,  he said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He then said to Simon Peter a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”  He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted;  but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.” Reflection It seems clear that Jesus is asking Peter three times because shortly before this moment, he had denied Jesus three times. But that's not the essence of what this scripture wants us to see. It's simply this, all of us are called to be disciples. All of us are called to be like the apostles. And he says three things to Peter; feed my lambs, tend my sheep, feed my sheep. Why, why different? Feed my lambs. Lambs are babies, so it's like feed those who need careful care and don't expect much. And then as they get older, tend them. Be with them. Watch them. Encourage them. And then the final is feed them. And feeding is such an interesting image because it's related so much to the Eucharist and to our taking God in the presence of Jesus and the Holy Spirit into our hearts. We are truly cared for. Closing Prayer Father, help us to realize that we all share in the same ministry that Jesus is so powerfully revealing to us. We have the father within us. Our personality, our way of being, our presence can resonate His love. Give us the hope and the joy that that realization brings. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel John 17:20-26 Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying: "I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me. Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me. I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.” Reflection This passage is Jesus praying to his father for you and for me. For everyone. Everyone who is called to be a disciple. One who fathoms the richness, the beauty, the awesomeness of who this God is who wants to dwell within us. And we are invited to dwell in him. And what we see in this unity is not just about our relationship with God. It's our relationship with everything. With the world, with ourselves, with each other. Everything is one. That is the message that Jesus so deeply longs to reveal to all of us. There is no separation. There is no emptiness. It's all connected. It is all beautiful. Closing Prayer Father, we sometimes feel that we're alone in our longings and our needs. We wonder how we're going to find a solution to a problem. Help us to remember that through this connecting link of spirit, we can call upon all kinds of people and all kinds of things to inform us, to teach us, to hold us, to help us. Help us to feel this beautiful union. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel John 17:11b-19 Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying: “Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one. When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me, and I guarded them, and none of them was lost except the son of destruction, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you. I speak this in the world so that they may share my joy completely. I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the Evil One. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.” Reflection There are two phrases in this passage that I would like to talk about. What does it mean to be in your name? And what does it mean to be in the truth? God reveals himself as He is. His identity is made clear in Jesus. When we hear in your name, we're talking about in the very person of God, who he really is. Not misconceptions about him, but truth. And there we see the word truth is used in terms of the message that God has come into the world to reveal to us. And when something is consecrated, it is something that is dedicated to the work of bringing about wholeness, holiness. In all three we have something to ponder about who God truly is. Closing Prayer Father, the work that you've given us to do is to understand fully the simple truth of who you are, who Jesus is, and what we're here for. Nothing is more important for us to ponder these questions, but not to come up with the answers ourselves, but to listen to our heart. And that's where we'll find the answer. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel  John 17:1-11a Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you, just as you gave him authority over all people, so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him. Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ. I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do. Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world began. “I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you gave me is from you, because the words you gave to me I have given to them, and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me, because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours and everything of yours is mine, and I have been glorified in them. And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am coming to you.” Reflection There are few places in Scripture that make it clearer that God is in Jesus, and Jesus is in God. They are one, yet they are two. It's a great mystery of the Trinity. But the most important thing for you and for me to understand when we look at Jesus is we are seeing God the Father, a vision of God the Father that was not present in the Old Testament. And when we see the disciples following Jesus and understanding him and growing in their conviction of everything that he taught. We see them receiving glory. Glory is when we accomplish what we are here to do. It's when we do it with truth, with the presence of the Holy Spirit, and with integrity. Closing Prayer Father, we fail so often to understand the fact that we are not here to accomplish the things you tell us we should become. They are not within our realm to be able to accomplish, but they are only given, only shared. And our only task is to believe in them. Help us when we do not believe. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel John 16:29-33 The disciples said to Jesus, "Now you are talking plainly, and not in any figure of speech. Now we realize that you know everything and that you do not need to have anyone question you. Because of this we believe that you came from God." Jesus answered them, "Do you believe now? Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived when each of you will be scattered to his own home and you will leave me alone. But I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.” Reflection Jesus knows his disciples. He loves them, and he recognizes that they need something that he and only he can give them, as he returns to the father and then sends the Holy Spirit. And one of the gifts that he wants them to have is faith. They think they have it now in this story, and what it is, is nothing more than a decision. I believe that you are who you say you are. But when the test comes, there's something quite different. The response is not, I believe, but I'm afraid. I don't know what's going to happen. So I want us to think that faith is not simply a knowledge that something is true or not, but it's really a gift, a transformation, a gift of the Holy Spirit poured into us. And we can accept anything because we believe the words that Jesus really said. I have conquered the world. You will never be destroyed. Closing Prayer Father, your teaching is always calling us to become who you long for us to be, and we have to be careful. And help us not to figure it out as something that we have to do or have to have, but something that we have got to be given. We have to receive. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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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, “Most 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,             he 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 for ever.” Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home. Reflection We have in this story two women uniquely touched with something that seems so appropriate as we are at the moment in history when the New Kingdom is being established. It's about a new birth, about a system that was for years and years struggling to do what it was supposed to do and never did it. It's about the mysterious overshadowing of the Holy Spirit manifesting itself inside of us with new birth and new life. It's a beautiful reminder of a time that we now live in, the time of this spirit. The spirit of truth, and it brings us to new life. Closing Prayer Father, you continually awaken in us new insights, new thoughts, new understanding of what it is to be a follower of yours. To proclaim your spirit of truth to the world. Bless us with confidence that you are guiding us, that you will use our humble struggles to accomplish great things. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel John 16:20-23 Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy. When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. On that day you will not question me about anything. Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.” Reflection Jesus is again talking about the time when he will not be available to the disciples, as they have be grown accustomed to him being there, and there will be times of darkness. And I love the image of the woman giving birth to a child and being in deep pain, and yet once the pain is over and the child is born, we forget the pain. We have to understand that the darkness that comes and goes in our spiritual journey is essential. And when there is darkness, there is always somehow hidden within it a new birth, a new understanding, a new awareness, a transformation. Closing Prayer Father, the beauty of this image of new birth is a perfect way for us to imagine what we ask you for. We need you to be there for us when we are on this journey of transformation. It is not an easy journey. It doesn't add one new idea to another new idea, to another new idea. No, it is something to do with dying and rising. Losing and finding. From darkness to light. Give us strength to accomplish this. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel John 16:16-20 Jesus said to his disciples: “A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me.” So some of his disciples said to one another, “What does this mean that he is saying to us, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me,' and ‘Because I am going to the Father'?” So they said, “What is this ‘little while' of which he speaks? We do not know what he means.” Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Are you discussing with one another what I said, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me'? Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.” Reflection The little while that is spoken in this gospel is the time that Jesus was not with his disciples. It was before he returned to the father and sent the advocate. What I think is important about this period of time is that this is a way in which we grow in our understanding of mystery. We get an insight, we think we understand it, and then we lose that insight and there's nothing but darkness, fear.  And then we come back with greater understanding. The little while is that time when we're not certain, when we're not sure, but we keep trusting. And that's what's necessary in order to grow in our understanding of these mysteries. Closing Prayer Father, help us during the times that are dark, when we don't have a sense of purpose or meaning, we're confused, we're afraid, we're back in some kind of shame and anger. Those are the times when we need to be in touch with what we're feeling because that is the way in which we grow. We leave what we've known, and we enter into a deeper understanding of what is unknown. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel John 16:12-15 Jesus said to his disciples: "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.” Reflection The fascinating thing about the work of these young disciples of Jesus is that they had to learn through their experiences of ministry and the work that they were called to do, to grow in their understanding of who God is, who Jesus is, and who the Holy Spirit is. It takes time. It takes diligence. And when we see the work of the advocate as being the one who continues to be the teacher, to be the one who awakens people to what they don't see, there is hope. Because even though Jesus doesn't walk this earth, the Holy Spirit surrounds us, awakens us to all that is true. Closing Prayer Father, we have a task. The task is to open ourselves to what is real. What is true. And we know that if we ever think that we've got it down, that we know everything we need to know, we're in trouble. Open us consistently to learn more and more about who you are and who we are in this world with you. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel  John 16:5-11 Jesus said to his disciples: "Now I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts. But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: sin, because they do not believe in me; righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.” Reflection The disciples had learned to lean on the presence of Jesus as their teacher. And he's now telling them that he's going to leave them, and they're distraught and worried and afraid. And what he reminds them is that his promise has always been to be with them, and he will be with him as the Holy Spirit. The third person of the Blessed Trinity. And the most exciting thing that he's saying to his disciples, is that now that Jesus has died and returned to the father and sent the advocate, the Holy Spirit, sin has been condemned. Exposed. Revealed. And we are much closer now than ever to the Kingdom of God being established. Closing Prayer Father, there's a way in which we hear so much about all that is going on in the world that is negative. And it's easy to fear that the world is getting worse when in truth it is getting better. It is continuing to move in the direction of light and life. That's the promise that God has made to the disciples and to each of us. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel John 15:26—16:4a Jesus said to his disciples: "When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning. "I have told you this so that you may not fall away. They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God. They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me. I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you.” Reflection I try to put my mind in the place of the disciples minds and thinking, they're so excited about the teaching that Jesus has given them. And they have no real idea of what it's like to teach what Jesus is taught them. And so Jesus caring for them as he does, he wants so much for them to recognize that things are going to be very, very difficult. But I want you to know, that I've told you this to prepare you for it, and I will be with you. The advocate will be with you. Closing Prayer Father, to speak the truth is never been easy, especially when there are people living the lie. Bless us with the kind of conviction that we need to have of what is true, and help us to be strong, and to proclaim it with the conviction that it is the very necessary thing that we have to have in order to find peace. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Gospel John 15:18-21 Jesus said to his disciples: "If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you, 'No slave is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. And they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me.” Reflection Jesus is using very strong language as he warns the disciples that they're following him, is going to cost them everything. It's beautiful the way he implies that those who serve him will have to endure what Jesus endured. They will have to go through a transformation of giving everything to the father. It underscores the commitment that God is asking from his disciples, and he asks it from all of us in a sense. That we deal with suffering in a way that somehow believes that it brings about something good, something valuable to us in our relationship with God and each other. Suffering is not an enemy, but it is essential to help us to become who are called to be. Closing Prayer Father, give us courage. Give us hope. Give us the ability to endure all that is not yet what we long for it to be, knowing one day everything will be revealed as it was intended to be. And all of it will be good. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel John 15:12-17 Jesus said to his disciples: "This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.” Reflection I really like the distinction between someone who is our master and we are their slave, and someone who is a friend. Masters are usually not loved, depending upon how kind they are. But the one thing that is so clear that when you have a master slave relationship, you're not on the same plane in any way, shape or form. One is more powerful than the other. But in friendship there is something so radically different. It's not about one being better than the other. It's about a mutual conviction that each has power, wisdom, goodness. It's a world of equals. We're not really equal to God in that sense, but we are made like him. We are from him. We, if we open our hearts, will understand him. He is our friend and we are friends with each other. Closing Prayer Father, you have made us for community. For being one with each other. And it's a shame that we find ourselves so often judging each other and criticizing and not opening ourselves to the honesty and the truthfulness that true friendship really establishes as its root, as its groundedness. Help us to be open to one another. Help us to be vulnerable as we seek union with each other. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel John 15:9-11 Jesus said to his disciples: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love. "I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.” Reflection When I was ordained, I made my own holy card. That was something big in the 60s. And I drew it, and then I wrote the words on it, that Christianity is joy, peace and love. What I didn't realize at the time is what each of those words meant. But I think I know now about this mysterious thing called joy because it's not happiness. It has something to do with the deep inner awareness of the beauty of everything. Not just the holy things or not just the rituals and things like that. But everything is holy. Everything is alive. Everything is connected. And when you feel it and see it around you, it is joyous. It is something that overflows from inside of you. When you say, why do I ever judge? Why do I ever criticize? Why do I ever think that something is of no value? Everything has value. Everything brings joy. Closing Prayer  Father, awareness. A way of seeing. A way of knowing. These are all signs of your goodness to us. Bless us with the eyes that truly see. To know what you created. To understand its beauty and its depths. We long for this. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel John 15:1-8 Jesus said to his disciples: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.” Reflection It's clear that as Jesus was teaching his disciples he kept going back to the father, and he makes it clear that the Father and Jesus are one and what he wants, what Jesus wants is that we have the same kind of feeling that God and us are one. Not that we are God, but that somehow he works within us so that we can become everything we were intended to be and accomplish great things for him. To be fruitful is a way of awakening other people to the beauty and the goodness of a God who dwells within us and longs for nothing more than we become who he created us to be. That is what glorifies God. That we become who we are and share that with those around us. Closing Prayer Father, there's a way in which we can imagine ourselves as wonderful in the eyes of God, by doing something spectacular, something important that changes the world. When it's so much simpler than that. Each of us have a destiny. Each of us have the work that we're called to do. And when we trust that that work will be done through the power of God, then we know we'll have peace. A freedom from anxiety. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel  John 14:27-31a Jesus said to his disciples: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, 'I am going away and I will come back to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe. I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of the world is coming. He has no power over me, but the world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded me.” Reflection If there's anything that is essential about the teaching of Jesus to his disciples is he's asking them to trust, to have some kind of deep conviction that no matter what's going on around you or what you're feeling, there's a promise that's been made to you that this God is there for you. And what that means is that there is never a chance that you could say that whatever is going on in your life will lead to some destruction. There are difficulties. There are painful things, but they're always there for a purpose, that is somehow part of what it means to be past our fears. Fear is based in an unknown that is terrifying because we don't know what will happen and what we need to know, no matter what happens, that it will never, ever destroy us. Closing Prayer Father, there is much to rob us of a peaceful well being. As we look at the world today. But what we have to remember is that God has made a promise that suffering. Dealing with that which we can't control or we can't understand fully. That's part of the work of becoming a man, woman who trusts implicitly in God. That's the challenge. When everything's falling apart. We can still be convinced that what looks like destruction is actually construction deepening, awakening our deep trust in God's plan that always brings goodness. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel John 14:21-26 Jesus said to his disciples: "Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him." Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him, "Master, then what happened that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me. "I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name-- he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” Reflection It's hard to imagine how the disciples understood these words of Jesus. Even today, with all the theology that has been written and all the explanations, we still have to look carefully at what Jesus is saying. And it holds within it a secret. And the secret is that this thing we're asked to do is not about doing, but about being. Love is the answer to everything. Love is God. Jesus is manifesting the love of God. But the most powerful thing in this reading is the gift of the Holy Spirit. Often described as the love between God and His Son, Jesus. But what it underscores is that we have within us this indwelling presence of a way of seeing and understanding and living that has to be revealed to us. It's not something we can come up with ourselves. So to be a person who ponders and who wonders is the key to unlocking the power of the Word of God. Closing Prayer Father, logic is important. But so often we're asked to let go of logic or the way we think the world works and open ourselves to a great mystery. The mystery is all about God in us, doing the most amazing things through us. The pressure is not on us to do anything more than to trust and to believe all that God can do through us. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Gospel John 14:7-14 Jesus said to his disciples: "If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him." Philip said to Jesus, "Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.” Reflection It's interesting how Jesus has backed up so many of the things that he's tried to teach his disciples that are beyond their comprehension, beyond their wildest imagination. And he always uses the same thing. Look at the works that I do. Look at the blind the see, the deaf that hear, the leper that is cleansed. Look at Lazarus who came back to life. Why do you doubt my words? And we can see clearly that he is a man filled with the power unlike any other man. And when he says that he's sharing it with us, that he wants us to participate with him in it, the joy of being a healer is ours. If we understand the role that we have with him dwelling within us. Closing Prayer Father, we need your grace, your presence within us so that we can do this work that is so important to your church, to your ministry in the world today. Help us to resonate always love, truthfulness, generosity. Care. It seems so easy in a sense, if we just recognize how powerful our actions are in terms of bringing God's presence more awakened in the hearts of everyone. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel John 14:1-6 Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where I am going you know the way." Thomas said to him, "Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Reflection It's interesting that Jesus is working with people who do believe in God, but they don't understand who Jesus is. They cannot grasp the fact that he is a human being filled with divinity, and this divinity within him is something that he longs for us to have. And so he won it for us through his death on the cross. So what he's trying to say to his disciples, and in particular to Thomas, is you have to understand that if you look at me and I tell you that the father is in me, and that he and he alone is the source of all truth and life and light, and that no one can understand and know the father unless they see him in me, in a human being. And it's so interesting to me that it's the same way today. If you want to ask someone if they believe in God, I will tell you if, from my experience, if they have been loved by a human being, deeply loved in a self-sacrificing love, they're much more ready to accept that is who also God is. Closing Prayer Father, awaken us the privilege. The responsibility that we have to manifest you to others. When someone is loved deeply by another human being, they taste and feel the love of the father. And the more we are able to love one another, that way, the more the faith in this God who is love and who calls us to love, grows and deepens. We have a deep responsibility, but we have also a privileged place of bringing life and light and truth into one another. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel John 13:16-20 When Jesus had washed the disciples' feet, he said to them: "Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it. I am not speaking of all of you. I know those whom I have chosen. But so that the Scripture might be fulfilled, The one who ate my food has raised his heel against me. From now on I am telling you before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe that I AM. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.” Reflection Jesus is talking about one of his disciples. Judas. Who simply wasn't engaged in what we would call service to the community. He was stealing from the community. And choosing himself over the service, he was called to give. And what I find so interesting about the nature of why was there someone like Judas in the group? And what it is, is a way of making clear, a teaching that Jesus longs for us to see and to feel. The greatest role that we have in life is service. Service to one another, which is service to God. And so what he's saying is, look at me, I am a servant and I am giving you something. And what I give you is my father's presence. What an incredible role that he has as a servant. It reminds us of how important we are to his work, of always presenting something greater than ourselves to those around us. Our belief, our faith in God, our trust in all that he has promised us. Closing Prayer Father, we tend to want to be served. But awaken us to the beauty and the power of the role that you had, bringing the father to us. Help us always to love those around us. And when we do, we are bringing God to each other. His mercy, his presence, his power. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices