Pastoral Reflections Finding God In Ourselves by Msgr. Don Fischer

Gospel Luke 9:28b-36 Jesus took Peter, John, and James  and went up a mountain to pray. While he was praying his face changed in appearance  and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah,  who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus  that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep,  but becoming fully awake,  they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus,  “Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But he did not know what he was saying. While he was still speaking,  a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said,  “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They fell silent and did not at that time  tell anyone what they had seen. Reflection Jesus had just revealed for the first time to his disciples that he was going to have to die. Go back to Jerusalem and be crucified. Then he takes Peter, James, and John into an amazing experience. And what is interesting about what they saw was the fact that Jesus' face had changed, and that he was glowing with light. And I believe that's because what they were looking at was not just Jesus the human, but Jesus the one who is divine, who is filled with divinity. And then he's talking clearly about what he's about to do. HIs Exodus. His Exodus is his death and resurrection in Jerusalem. And what he is trying to make clear to his disciples is that the Old Testament, the story of Moses, Exodus, the story of all the prophets, he is the fulfillment of all of that. And what they need to do is just start pondering what it means to die and to rise. Closing Prayer Father, we pray that you will keep us in touch, and keep us aware of what you did for each of us. Your death and resurrection changed the world. Enables us to feel the fullness of a transformation that could only be done by you. Bless us with gratitude and awareness and we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel  Matthew 14:22-36 Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and precede him to the other side of the sea, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear. At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.” After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret. When the men of that place recognized him, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought to him all those who were sick and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak, and as many as touched it were healed. Reflection I want to focus on Peter. He has a reputation of acting before he thinks things out. Sounds familiar to me. And one of the things I see in this story is the necessity of belief, the necessity to be convinced, when you're engaged in something that is not of your own doing. When you're used by a God who says, I want you to be the instrument of me to the world, and you find yourself in a place where you're not in charge. It's easy to be afraid. That's exactly what we see in Peter. He says, let me do what you ask me to do. And when he's doing it, he doesn't realize that he's not fully convinced that it will work, and he's afraid. And it again shows that when fear is there, it's often because we don't believe enough. All week long, we're listening to Jesus remind his disciples, you have to believe. You have to have a faith that is unshakable. Closing Prayer Father, when we experience a new world, a world of you working through us, it feels almost as if we're doing the impossible. And when we think it is impossible, that's when we fail, so bless us with conviction and faith. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 14:13-21 When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns. When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, "This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves." He said to them, "There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves." But they said to him, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have here." Then he said, "Bring them here to me," and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over– twelve wicker baskets full. Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children. Reflection I can't imagine what it was like for the disciples getting to know Jesus. Seeing him do such mighty works, mighty signs, healing, raising people from the dead. In this passage, there's a miracle. But it's so interesting the way it unfolds, because it is about God's capacity to feed and care for his people. But it's being given to the disciples, it's being given to all of us. And when we see this mysterious abundance, we need to understand that you and I carry within us a divinity much like Jesus. And there are ways in which we can feed and care for one another. It may seem that our care and feeding is not enough, but that's the mystery. The mystery is when we've been blessed by the gift of divinity within us. There's no limits to what we can do. Closing Prayer Father, sharing your ministry with us is essential for us to understand our role, and keep us free of those things that create doubt, or also give us a sense of our own individual power. Bless us with the ability to carry your divinity to the world. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Gospel Matthew 14:1-12 Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus and said to his servants, "This man is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why mighty powers are at work in him." Now Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, for John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her." Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people, for they regarded him as a prophet. But at a birthday celebration for Herod, the daughter of Herodias performed a dance before the guests and delighted Herod so much that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for. Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist." The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests who were present, he ordered that it be given, and he had John beheaded in the prison. His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. His disciples came and took away the corpse and buried him; and they went and told Jesus. Reflection Herod was drawn to John the Baptist because he spoke wisdom. He spoke the truth. And even though he was the one who possessed the authority to stop or to make this happen, he gave in. Didn't exercise his authority, but gave in to the anger and the hatred of his wife, for this man, John the Baptist. It's a frightening story of what happens when those in authority do not take seriously their responsibility. Herod was not a good man, he was afraid and let something get in the way of his absolute God given power to protect the truth. Closing Prayer Father, you created a world in which you've given certain people responsibilities. It's so essential that they take seriously the responsibility of preserving in every situation that which is truthful, that which is real. That which has always been truthful. Bless our leaders. Bless the people in charge of all things, that they truly function as God has willed it to be. We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 13:54-58 Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, "Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the carpenter's son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Are not his sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this?" And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house." And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith. Reflection The kingdom of God invites us to let go of so many limitations in our minds, in terms of how things work. And here we're seeing the resistance to something they might call, the scandal of ordinariness. Who would have ever dreamt that the Messiah of the world would not come from the temple? Would not come from one of the great Pharisees? Instead came from a nobody in a small town that wasn't a very important place. What is all this saying? I think it's saying very simply that when we have faith, real faith, we let it override our minds, our logic. We realize that we're living in a world that is beyond our imagining and what God can do is more than we could ever imagine. That's entering the kingdom. That's what we're called to do. Closing Prayer Father, Jesus was powerful, but he didn't come from a system of great power. The temple was known for its power over people, the laws that they had to follow. But what Jesus, I think teaching us is that there is a way in which power is not what we think it is. It is infusing one with wisdom, not burdening them with something that they must do or be punished. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 13:47-53 Jesus said to the disciples: "The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away. Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth." "Do you understand all these things?" They answered, "Yes." And he replied, "Then every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old." When Jesus finished these parables, he went away from there. Reflection This parable makes it clear that the plan of God is ultimately that one day evil will be destroyed. It is the thing that creates pain, suffering, death, destruction. But he also is reminding us in this passage that there is something about learning wisdom, about understanding what is really revealed to us from God. And some of its in the Old Testament, which was a kind of exclusive religion. And the law was what was at the heart of it. And then there is the New Testament, where it's a it's an inclusive religion, and it's all about not the law, but about forgiveness and understanding. Which is right? They're both right. That's the key. Live in the paradox. Closing Prayer Father, our hope is always wrapped in your promises. Convince us of the meaning of this parable so that we can believe with you that you are engaged in the work of saving all of us, bringing us all into a new, wonderful earth. A new heaven, a new image of who we are. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 13:44-46 Jesus said to his disciples: "The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.” Reflection We know that the Kingdom of God is made up of experience after experience that leads us deeper and deeper into the truth. And here Jesus seems to be pointing out two very interesting things. Sometimes the thing, the catalyst that moves us to a new place is something in our ordinary daily life, we stumble upon. A man plowing a field all of a sudden hits a box, and then opens it and finds it's a treasure and goes off and buys the land. And then we see in the second image that there's some people that are called to be searchers, and they're always looking, always looking, always trying to find the truth. And if they keep searching, they will find it. And when they find it, they'll know they have found something so valuable. We either stumble upon these wonderful moments. Sometimes we seek them with all of our energy. But in either way, God is consistently working to draw us more and more into his kingdom. Closing Prayer Father, attentiveness. Paying attention is so important as we listen to you, an all that you send to us in terms of signs and wonders, so that we can begin to discern what it is God is calling us to be. Bless us with an inquisitive, imaginative mind as we watch and grow and learn and become who you call us to be, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel  Luke 10:38-42 Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” Reflection Most of us have grown up in a religion that had lots of things that we were taught to do. Do this, do that. Finish this, finish that. And what it leads to often is a misunderstanding that the real work that we have as a church, as a religion, is to be in a disposition of radical openness to the essence of who Jesus is and thereby knowing who the father is. We need to spend time pondering and wondering. Yes, service is important. We need to serve the needs of the people around us. But if we're only doing that, we haven't touched the heart of what we're here for, to be conduits of God's grace and God's healing power to those around us. Closing Prayer Father, there's so much that we all have to deal with, every day. And what I'm asking for is that each of us have the conviction deep in our hearts, that there is something more than just the work that we have before us. There is this thing called transformation. And transformation can only happen when we are fully aware of the divinity of God offered to each of us. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 13:31-35 Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds. “The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.” He spoke to them another parable. “The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.” All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables, to fulfill what had been said through the prophet: I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world. Reflection This week we'll be delving into a topic that seems very important to me. It's called the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of God. We're taught that it is both here and still coming. It really is a way of imagining that the plan of God, is that we will all evolve away from evil and into a greater connection, and a more powerful union with the divine. So here we have two images that help us understand how this all works. And the first and the second, both seem to imply that there's something that is seemingly little, that makes a major difference and grows into something major. What it's talking about is, how is the kingdom of God going to come about? It's going to come about because people have understood who God is and allow God to work through them, healing the world around them. It seems so small compared to the transformation of the known world. But what Jesus is trying to say is the tiniest thing the yeast, the tiny seed, when it's infused with divinity, produces an abundant, abundant harvest. Closing Prayer Father, awaken our imaginations. Awaken our thoughts so that we can find the message that is so important that you have shared with us. Give us the grace to understand. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Gospel Matthew 13:24-30 Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds. “The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?' He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.' His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?' He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.”'” Reflection Many of us have paused and questioned why? Why is there evil in the world? It's because it's God's plan. And what we realize is that the work that we have is a way of exposing illusions, the half truths, the lies in evil. And we have to grow together with those that are evil. And one of the things, that seems to me, this reading is so clearly trying to say is everything ultimately will be exposed. That which produces good, abundant fruit and heals and helps and feeds people will be shown. And those who have not produced anything of any worth for anyone else will be shown, and they will be destroyed. And those who gave life to others will flourish. Closing Prayer Father, at times we can become impatient and worried and afraid when we see evil all around us. People lying. People not being who they claim to be. Keep us from fear when that happens, because what's happening is evil is being exposed, which is a way in which it is destroyed. Help us to trust in your power. It always overcomes evil. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 20:20-28 The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, "What do you wish?" She answered him, "Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom." Jesus said in reply, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?" They said to him, "We can." He replied, "My chalice you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus summoned them and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Reflection This seems like such a human story. And in the eyes of the other disciples, it seems that James and John basically put their mother up to this. We really want a position of power and authority. And it just shows how far they are, in a sense, from the Kingdom of God.  But what is so essential in this reading is an understanding that the great shadow of anyone in a ministry position that gives them this sense of power is so dangerous that anyone in the role of ministry has to be checking themselves over and over again, to make sure they're not caught up in seeking an authority over people, but only looking for ways in which to serve them. Closing Prayer Father, we are human, and we never lose our humanity, and there's always a pull, a desire to be seen as someone important. Someone valuable. It gives us a sense of worth, a sense of value. Free us from that addiction to always looking for approval. And never let us use it in a way that overpowers the rights of others in favor of what our ego longs for. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 13:10-17 The disciples approached Jesus and said, "Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?" He said to them in reply, "Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand. Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and be converted and I heal them. "But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” Reflection A parable is a puzzle. A way of using a metaphor to explain something that is hidden. And found in this reading is the fact that grace, that mysterious power of God flowing through us, in us, is a gift to be able to interpret and understand the meaning of a parable. And so it takes a gift. The gift of being able to see really what is going on. To hear really what God is saying through Jesus. To see, to hear, to understand. That's the work of the Kingdom of God. And the more we engage in our questioning, or our longing for the answer, the closer the kingdom comes. Closing Prayer Father, curiosity and imagination are such important parts of our understanding who God is in us and through us. Give us a longing to know and to see and to understand. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 13:1-9 On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.” Reflection Jesus has always been talking about a relationship that we will have once we are redeemed. And the relationship that we have with him, once that redemption takes place, is that we have this connection with him, that we are able to receive the gift of grace, the gift of his presence dwelling within us. But it's a process. And what this parable talks about is that there's a way in which the mystery of who God is never, ever dawns on us. We're so wrapped up in our own world that this mysterious spiritual world means nothing to us. And sometimes it's just that we are not really working with it when it is revealed to us, and we resist it, or other things get in our head and we get distracted. And all of it points to the fact that the gift of God's redemption is we become rich soil, open, able to receive a seed that tells us in words first and then in an experience that we are loved. We are his chosen ones. Closing Prayer Father, your grace is our openness to you. Keep us open to everything that you long to show us in our daily lives. Sign after sign you're giving us. Help us to be attentive. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel  John 20:1-2, 11-18 On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him." Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the Body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken my Lord, and I don't know where they laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" She thought it was the gardener and said to him, "Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni," which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, "Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and then reported what he told her. Reflection I think it's clear that Mary Magdalene was devoted to Jesus and listened to every word he said, and she took it to heart. But she couldn't grasp it. She had to go through an experience which is so true for all of us. That's the way it works. We know about what it is, and then we have to experience the power that is in that event, and it changes us. So she's weeping. And Jesus said, why would you weep when I told you that this would happen? And then he looks at her and loves her and longs for her to become who she is. Mary. He says her name. Remember I told you this, I have to go to my father so that I can send you my presence. So do not be afraid that I have left you. I'm coming in a way that's beyond your imagining. Closing Prayer Father, the experience the disciples and Mary, all of them had is something we go through ourselves in our own way, in our own time. Help us to ingest these mysteries because they are unfolding in each of our lives now. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 12:38-42 Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." He said to them in reply, "An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here. At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here.” Reflection Jesus' response to the Pharisees who ask for a sign is an indication of the disposition of the Pharisees. They didn't want to see what God really wanted to show them through Jesus, because it was too frightening to them. Because what Jesus is revealing is the power that he has is the transformation that he can affect within human beings. The transformation, say, of Jonah and that work of Jesus is the greatest of the miracles. Closing Prayer Father, there's a way in which we can expect a miracle in our life, where all of a sudden the thing that we can't do, is given to us the power to accomplish things. It's not that simple. We're not here to be powerful human beings, but to be ministers to one another and to be transformed into service, and not positions of authority. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Gospel Matthew 12:14-21 The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Many people followed him, and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet:     Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,         my beloved in whom I delight;     I shall place my Spirit upon him,         and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.     He will not contend or cry out,         nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.     A bruised reed he will not break,         a smoldering wick he will not quench,     until he brings justice to victory.         And in his name the Gentiles will hope. Reflection Matthew makes note of the prophet Isaiah, a prophecy about the nature of Jesus' ministry. And it's not about demanding and screaming and proclaiming things in a authoritarian way. No, it was the gentle movement of a healing, loving figure. Jesus, who is revealing who God is. So here at the end of his ministry, when he knows he's going to be crucified, the first thing he does is take care of those that were there with him, heal them, and simply said, be still. Don't have to talk about who I am. I have proclaimed everything it needs to be proclaimed. Closing Prayer Father, as we look at the broad picture of the ministry that Jesus performed three short years, and over and over again, he just described a beautiful image of a god that no one believed could possibly exist. So when he is ultimately at the end of his life, he knows what the world needs is not just another teaching, but a transformative power called the crucifixion. Bless us with an awareness of what this gift brings. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 12:1-8 Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath." He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry, how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering, which neither he nor his companions but only the priests could lawfully eat? Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath and are innocent? I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned these innocent men. For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.” Reflection I don't know if there's anything that I would pray the church would listen so clearly to this image. Jesus saying that he is here to inaugurate a kingdom that is not focused on law, but on the needs of individuals. Mercy, compassion, understanding. Every institution is caught up, in a sense, the weakness of overlooking the individual and just demanding rigid following of rules. Nothing is further from the truth when it comes to the work that God longs to do within us. It's personal. It's individual. It is honoring our unique situation. And blessed are those who find ministers in the church who do the same. Closing Prayer Father, so many are called to witness your presence. And when they do that, when they focus primarily on rules and regulations, they're robbing the individual of the experience of who God really is. Of course, laws and rules are necessary, but when it comes across that they're more important than the individual, then there is a vacuum of the very essence of God, the loving father, the caring friend, the person who is on our side. We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 10:7-15 Jesus said: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” Reflection When Jesus describes that he is meek and humble of heart. He's also saying clearly to all of us that the father, God the Father, is meek and humble of heart. It's hard for us to understand fully how radical such a statement would be, because there was an image of the father as being much like the other gods. Powerful, in need of praise, in need of honor, in need of obedience. And here he is saying, no, this God, this God the Father that I've come to reveal to you is a loving, caring, patient, gentle father. And when you rest in that image, you will find rest that's so needed in all of our lives. Closing Prayer Father, so many images around us of power seem to be coming from people who are filled with their egos and filled with self-centeredness. So sometimes it's hard for us to understand how fully the authority that you have is so radically different in the way the world sees power. Bless us with this consistent, clear image of a loving, caring, forgiving father. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 11:25-27 At that time Jesus exclaimed: "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.” Reflection This passage makes very clear one of the things that Jesus wanted more than anything else to do was to reveal to us the true nature of the father. And he makes clear that he is the only human being, the only one that walked this earth that had full, complete knowledge of who God the Father is. That was his authority. That was his power. And as he reveals more and more of who the father was, it became clear that the world was not ready and continued to reject him, particularly rejecting the image of a father so loving, so kind, and so present. Closing Prayer Father, we have so many notions of who you are. And we always need to be called into a place of reflection and wonder and awe at who you have revealed yourself to be through Jesus. Bless us with openness. Let us let go of things in the past to keep us from the fullness of the love and the beauty of our father. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel  Matthew 11:20-24 Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented. "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And as for you, Capernaum: Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld. For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.” Reflection What Jesus was doing when he was performing miracles was not just displaying some power that he had, but rather trying to reveal clearly the mercy, the love of the father. Jesus came into this world to reveal who the father is. And when you look at the mighty deeds that he did, the healings, the transformations, they were the essence of who God the Father truly is. So what he longs for is for people to accept this new image. And yet so many refused. But he continued, always to long for them to change. Closing Prayer Father, you continue to awaken us to the beauty of who God the father truly is. Help us to believe in the miracles that you perform for us. Help us to be excited about the role that you continue to play in our lives, where you are the source of so many solutions that bring us peace. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 10:34—11:1 Jesus said to his Apostles: "Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one's enemies will be those of his household. "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. "Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man's reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple– amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward." When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples, he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns. Reflection I'm intrigued by the last line of this passage that Jesus did two things. He taught and he preached. And what's the difference? Teaching is mostly attention to the mind. Something needs to be explained. Things will happen this way or that way. And I see in the first part of this passage Jesus saying to his disciples, in order to follow me, you're going to have to reject the temple, and if you reject the temple, you'll have to reject your family. And if you put your family in front of me and before me, then you will not enter the kingdom of God. So it's very clear. And that's of teaching. But preaching is about transformation, about the mystical part of our religion. What I like about this is when he talks about those who are going to enter into the community of believers, are going to be in a family, an enormous family. Of spirit and humans. God in us. God in one another. It's a very, very important distinction to make sure that we receive both messages. There is practical advice and there is the excitement of opening a whole new way of life. Closing Prayer Father, we are called to embrace both the difficulties and the joys of following you. Bless us with understanding how they are both integral parts of our work of becoming a new creation in you. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Gospel Matthew 10:24-33 Jesus said to his Apostles:  “No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household! “Therefore do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.” Reflection Jesus is warning his apostles about the encounters they will have. And if there is a house that has been run by an evil master, the people in that place will be evil. But he reminds them, don't be afraid of evil, because it always breeds itself in the hidden part of a place in darkness. And so Jesus is reminding his disciples that he will always help them proclaim the truth, and that the disciples should not be afraid of those who can't kill the soul, even though they can kill the body. And why would he give them that advice, unless you would also follow up with what he says? I am in love with you. You are valuable to me. Every hair on your head is counted. Don't be afraid. Just acknowledge me. Even though it is risky and it exposes evil. Closing Prayer There's always been evil in the world. And it's important not to be afraid of it. Because that gives it all the power it needs to rob us of the peace and the well being, that is a sign that we know we are loved and we are cared for. Convince us of this love of God for us, and never let us be afraid. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 10:16-23 Jesus said to his Apostles: "Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. But beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to another. Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” Reflection The advice that Matthew has given to his disciples is wisdom. Knowing that they are going to go into situation after a situation where the conversion to the teaching of Jesus is going to divide people, and it will be a rip in the basic fabric of family and community. And he's just warning his disciple, be careful, because this is what normally will happen when you put something out there that's so new and so radical. But he's saying the most important thing is don't lose hope. Don't lose faith in what you're saying or what you're teaching. And if the persecution gets really bad, then go to the next town. Just do both what I ask you to do, but don't let yourself be harmed. Closing Prayer When one brings the message of Christ to someone. We pray and hope that they will receive it with an open, generous heart. That they'll believe in the promises that God has made through Jesus to them about the kingdom coming. But he's also saying, recognize that people are going to hate you for this, and they're going to persecute you, and you'll endure everything because I'll be there with you to speak for you. And when it's too tight, too harsh, I will guide you to a place of safety. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 10:7-15 Jesus said to his Apostles: "As you go, make this proclamation: 'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give. Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick. The laborer deserves his keep. Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it, and stay there until you leave. As you enter a house, wish it peace. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to you. Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words— go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet. Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.” Reflection In this gospel we again see Saint Matthew describing the early church, his ministry. It is to be a gift that is given to those who will proclaim it to others, but in an interesting way, they are not to go out and convert pagans to the reality of who God really is but they were to go to the house of Israel. And what they were asked to do was to awaken them, to build on the goodness that is there, the grace, the peace that is in their homes. It's fascinating to me that this was not about conversions, but about fulfillment. And it expresses once again the love that God the Father had and Jesus had for the Jewish people. Closing Prayer Father, there is something about you that is so consistent and so beautiful. You are a lover, and you never give up on those you love. You consistently work with them, help them to see things through experiences they've had. So bless us with an awareness of the confidence that gives us as we too participate in the coming of the Kingdom of God. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 10:1-7 Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. The names of the Twelve Apostles are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus. Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, "Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: 'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" Reflection The Old Testament, it's a long story of God working with a group of people, the Jews. And wanted so much for them to understand the fullness of the kingdom of God that was to come through the work of Jesus. What we see in this passage is Jesus giving authority to his disciples to go and to preach and teach his message. And it's fascinating, in Matthew's Gospel that he doesn't send his disciples to the Gentiles, but to the house of Israel. And he's hoping maybe in a last ditch effort, hoping that he can convert the Jews to understanding that Jesus is the fullness of God the Father. Closing Prayer Father, you have never truly left the Israelite people. You continue to long for them to understand fully who you are. And when you send your disciples first to them, we see clearly a sign in you that you long for things, even though it may take centuries for them to change. Ultimately, when the kingdom comes, they will change. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel  Matthew 9:32-38 A demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus, and when the demon was driven out the mute man spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the prince of demons.” Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” Reflection There was a tradition in the time of Jesus that those who were evil were considered to have the power to do strange things to other people. And so it seems, the Pharisees were just claiming some kind of hope that some people might believe them when they said, Jesus is the demon. That's how he can handle demons. But it makes no sense to Jesus or to the others. Why would the devil try to drive out the devil from another person? But what I love in this passage is the way in which the compassion of Jesus is so clear. Looking at his  human beings, he sees them troubled, abandoned, without direction, and he calls for a prayer of all of us, that there will be people who will guide those who are longing for the kingdom. We underestimate each of our ability to be an instrument of touching the troubled and abandoned soul, with love and with hope. Closing Prayer God, we don't always have the confidence that we should. That you can use us to give direction that you long for other people to have. You will use us, empower us, give us wisdom so that through us you will be able to touch those abandoned and those who are afraid. Bless us with this conviction. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 9:18-26 While Jesus was speaking, an official came forward, knelt down before him, and said, ""My daughter has just died. But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live."" Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples. A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the tassel on his cloak. She said to herself, ""If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured."" Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, ""Courage, daughter!  Your faith has saved you."" And from that hour the woman was cured. When Jesus arrived at the official's house and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion, he said, ""Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping."" And they ridiculed him. When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand, and the little girl arose. And news of this spread throughout all that land. Reflection It's fascinating to me when you encounter someone and ask them if they believe in God. They often say yes, and you say, well, can he raise people from the dead? Can he heal diseases? And they kind of get confused and oh, not for me. But seriously, we don't understand what it means to believe in Jesus. It means we're actually establishing a new kingdom where there is less and less pain and suffering and disease and death until we reach the final goal. The Kingdom of God is here. But the mysterious thing is, it's here now, we're experiencing it. But the key to experiencing anything that God can do for you is believing it can be done and will be done. Closing Prayer Father, the gift of Faith is more than something that we just work on ourselves. It's a gift that comes from your Holy Spirit dwelling within us. Give us the new eyes of faith. Help us to know how powerful God's healing power is in everything we're doing. Never let us lose hope. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Gospel Matthew 9:14-17 The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?" Jesus answered them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth, for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.” Reflection The response that Jesus has to the disciples of John the Baptist is that things are changing, and the change is coming in the form of something new, something so new that one has to be reborn. The image of baptism, the entrance into a new kingdom is all about a birth that is created by God. We are made new. We are made capable of embracing and holding the teaching of Jesus. Closing Prayer Father, the work of grace that you promise to share with each of us, is the work of a transformation, always being remade into the newness of the kingdom of God that is coming. Bless us with patience as we work toward that goal. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 If one looks for a description of the ministry of Jesus, this is a perfect passage. Certainly he came to give us an example, he wants us to follow his ways. And what he shocks the institution at the time of the temple is that instead of seeking only righteous people, spending time with him, he went to those that they were told to avoid. He went to sinners. And the beauty of that is that he has in that action described a key element to his ministry. Mercy, unmerited love. To have that gift, to be in that kind of relationship with others is the key to the Kingdom. Closing Prayer Father, it's so easy for us to become negative about those around us who aren't fully what we think they should be. Never let us fall into the trap of criticism and judgment and condemnation. But always, always place within us a longing, a desire for people to change, to grow, to become what their destiny truly is. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel John 20:24-29 Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord." But Thomas said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe." Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” Reflection Faith is not something that is based in proof, but in trust. We trust the words of Scripture, we trust the words of Jesus, we recognize in them a wisdom that goes beyond our understanding. And it leads us to realize that the real thing that brings faith is the gift of grace, the ability to trust in something beyond our imagining. Without it, we can't truly be a follower of Jesus. Closing Prayer Father, every gift that you offer us needs to be welcomed. Accepted. Digested in a sense. Bless us with the trust that is necessary for us to let go of logic and enter into the world of spirit, wisdom, mysticism. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 8:28-34 When Jesus came to the territory of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him. They were so savage that no one could travel by that road. They cried out, "What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?" Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding. The demons pleaded with him, "If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine." And he said to them, "Go then!" They came out and entered the swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea where they drowned. The swineherds ran away, and when they came to the town they reported everything, including what had happened to the demoniacs. Thereupon the whole town came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him they begged him to leave their district. Reflection At the end of time, when the kingdom has come, evil will be destroyed. It's called the Kingdom of heaven. But in this reading, you see a statement by the demoniacs, that this is not yet the time for them to be destroyed. So they need to live, and the only way evil lives is when it enters into someone or something, and its essence is to destroy. When evil goes into the swine, they immediately destroy themselves. This frightening image of evil may be the reason why the people from the town wanted Jesus to leave. It's a frightening thing to deal with the reality of evil, but it's real. Closing Prayer Father, redemption means that you have freed us from the power of evil. Help us to have confidence in dealing with this power. Most especially though, give us the assurance that we will never be destroyed by this power. If we turn to you. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel  Matthew 8:23-27 As Jesus got into a boat, his disciples followed him. Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep. They came and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!" He said to them, "Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?" Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm. The men were amazed and said, "What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?” Reflection It's hard to believe in the impossible. But the thing about Jesus and his experience on this earth with other human beings is that they had such a hard time grasping the power that he had, the wisdom, the goodness. And that same gift is our gift. We are asked to be like Jesus in this world. Help us to get past the doubts. Help us to believe in all that we can do, filled with His Spirit. Closing Prayer Father, awaken in us an awareness of the beauty of your strength flowing through us. Your Holy Spirit in us, affecting the same things that you effected in this world. 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 8:18-22 When Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other shore. A scribe approached and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” Another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” But Jesus answered him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.” Reflection Jesus is always asking us to go further, to think more radically. He's going to cross to the other shore. And yet he makes clear that when someone wants to follow him, it's not about a place, it's about a mystery. The mystery of God in Jesus, God in us. Closing Prayer Father, the mystery of the Trinity, the fullness of who God is, his essence of what Jesus was drawing people into. He wanted them to experience the fullness of the father that he himself experienced. Bless us with an ability to see all that God truly is. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Gospel Matthew 8:5-17 When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully." He said to him, "I will come and cure him." The centurion said in reply, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, "Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven, but the children of the Kingdom will be driven out into the outer darkness, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth." And Jesus said to the centurion, "You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you." And at that very hour his servant was healed. Jesus entered the house of Peter, and saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand, the fever left her, and she rose and waited on him. When it was evening, they brought him many who were possessed by demons, and he drove out the spirits by a word and cured all the sick, to fulfill what had been said by Isaiah the prophet: He took away our infirmities and bore our diseases. Reflection Jesus encountered over and over again rejection, rejection and rejection from those engaged in the temple and in the system that the temple taught people to be a part of. But here we see the beauty of what Jesus is really about. He's here to give life to those who care. And we have in the centurion a man who comes forward, a general of the Roman army, and he's worried about his servant, not himself, and he asks for healing for someone else. And he knows that Jesus can do it. And Jesus is so struck by his faith. He's never found any faith like that in all of Israel. It's a beautiful image of how miracles work, how healing works when we care deeply for one another and long for one another to grow and change, and invite God to bless those that we care about and bring them into fullness. That's the Kingdom of God. That's the work we have before us. Closing Prayer Father, relationship with you is not just about us. It is about those you have shared with us, our family, our friends, our circle. Help us always to invite you into the role of using us to be healers of those that we love. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 15:3-7 Jesus addressed this parable to the Pharisees and scribes: "What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,      'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.” Reflection The Kingdom of God is more about finding something lost than perfection. What is lost is an awareness, an experience of God inside of us. God living in us, his Holy Spirit resonating life and love and goodness to the world. The one person to see that is more important than 99 who are just doing things that they're told to do, is much more than doing what you're told, it is about receiving what you need, and even more frightening, what you may have lost. Closing Prayer The image of Jesus carrying the sheep on his shoulders is a beautiful image of the care that God wants to give to each of us. When we wander, when we're in danger, he's there. And he's there to care for us, carry us, show us the way. Help us to trust in this good shepherd. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 7:21-29 Jesus said to his disciples: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?' Then I will declare to them solemnly, 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.' "Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined." When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes. Reflection Jesus is pointing out something very important about what we do. You can do actions that are according to what God wants, but your heart can be far, far from him. What he's saying is that the only way that we can do the work of God is by connecting with God, about God being within us, God being the source of what we do. It's why he says to those that say, we're doing everything for you, everything in your name. And he looks at them and simply says, you don't know me. You haven't contacted me. You haven't asked for me to be the source of the work that you do. It creates a house built on sand. Closing Prayer Father, you are the source of all good that flows from us. And you simply give us the generous gift of your authority, your strength. All you ask is that we allow you to come and be a part of our life. Allowing you to be the source, the foundation of everything that we do. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices