Podcasts – deacon rudy's notes

We can love our neighbors through the ART of social justice: act, reflect and transform.

Our readings today, particularly in light of current events, challenge us to use these 40 days of Lent to abandon strange teachings, to get involved in our community, and to share the Good News of Jesus Christ!

Our baptism sets us free from all the false images the world throws at us. Our baptism unites us with other believers. And our baptism empowers us to reach out into this world to bring a message of hope to people who desperately need to hear it.

Mercy as the willingness to enter into the chaos of another. Doesn't that sound like what's happening in the Incarnation? God willingly enters into the chaos of our world – of our lives.

iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn | Google Podcast Mass Readings Thanks for listening! For questions or feedback, please email rudy@deaconrudysnotes.org. Reading 1: 1 Kings 17:10-16Responsorial: Psalm 146:7-10Reading 2: Hebrews 9:24-28Gospel: Mark 12:38-44 https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/110721.cfm https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/ Welcome back for another edition of deacon rudy's notes. I'm your host, Deacon Rudy Villarreal and together we're going to break open the Word! I'd like to … Continue reading "Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time"

Going on foreign mission is like plunging into cold water! It opens our eyes in a way nothing else can!

Don't allow the voices in your life to silence Bartimaeus!

Jesus is not picking on rich people. If anything, Jesus is calling out those who are more attached to their possessions than they are to the God who saves.

If we truly want to experience the Kingdom of God, then we need to approach life with the innocence of a child.

God invites you and me to support the church and to actively participate in ministry so that God's church can continue to be the ordinary means by which God's grace pours into the world.

If we truly want to be saved – if we truly want to experience the Kingdom of God, then we need to approach life with the innocence of a child (Mark 10:15).

James says to us it's not enough to say, “I believe,” and not respond with works of love.

If we want to know where our heart is, look at what we post on social media.

Our discipline teaches us and all those around us what it means to be a disciple of Christ Jesus.

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord

Mary serves as an excellent role model for all of us who struggle with living out our faith as disciples in our everyday lives.

How many of us experience doubt worrying that people will say behind our backs, "who is that person to preach or to teach or to serve?"

The Lord provides. But if I'm too caught up in myself and my “problems” I might miss God's grace.

What does it mean to live as disciples of Christ Jesus? Paul tells us that living out our call should manifest in humility, gentleness, patience, and bearing with one another through love, (Ephesians 4:2-3).

How does today's Gospel invite us to make our lives a gift of charity or love for others?

Today's Gospel reminds us that we are invited to share the Good News with everyone we encounter.

By our baptism, we are all priest, prophet and king. Our task is to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

This story isn't about a woman who was healed, but about a crowd who needed healing!

We live in a sea of distractions. Only Jesus can calm the storm.

My brothers and sisters, we disciples spread seed – we cast the Good News everywhere we go. We can interpret the farmer – us – as the missionary preacher. “…interpret the farmer as a missionary preacher…”

Jesus Christ came to liberate us from the empty promises of this world! That’s why the Last Supper was celebrated at Passover. We’re talking about a new exodus! Just as Moses led the Israelites to life and freedom, so too will Jesus lead us to new life and freedom!

Jesus sends us out into the world. Our church teaches us that by virtue of our baptism we all are obligated to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with everyone we encounter, beginning with those closest to us.

Each and every one of us received an incalculable amount of graces at our baptism and confirmation.

The Ascension inspires us to be more human by growing in our discipleship and maybe by accepting a role in the church’s ministry.

Love says we can disagree with each other. Absolutely we can! But love says I must treat you as a beloved creation in the image and likeness of God. Love says I must treat you with respect. I suggest to you this is easier said than done.

We remain in God and God in us when we are mindful about growing spiritually and overcoming bad habits.

It is only out of our hope, our love, our knowing God that enables us to encourage people in our own families and among our friends to dedicate their lives to the service of the church and the whole world as priests and consecrated religious.

Following Jesus' commandments means being transformed. As disciples we are sent out into the world to share the Good News!

Jesus says to the disciples, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 19:21).

For Christians, death isn’t the end of the story! We are connected with our dead friends and family through Jesus. And we will see them again!

The unknown woman does what she believes is right even though those around her treat her like some sort of traitor. The disciples – the men who are supposed to have all the answers – totally miss the point.

The process of rooting out sin in our lives helps us honor what Jesus says in the Gospel today, “Whoever serves me must follow me…” (John 12:26).

As we move through Lent toward Easter, we need to use our Lenten sacrifices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to help us identify examples of when we might reject the gifts and talents God gave us as individuals.

What are our stumbling blocks? Our Lenten sacrifices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving can help us recognize stumbling blocks and transform our lives!

We can use the spiritual exercises of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to grow our relationship with God and shift our focus away from our first-world problems.

Maybe instead of spending many hours on the news or social media or TV or streaming entertainment, we could use some of that time to call our family, friends and neighbors?

The whole point of our Lenten sacrifice is to grow closer to God.

When we choose to walk through life clinging to our hurts and anger and suspicion, we become a sort of emotional leper.

Jesus models prayer to all of us. We shouldn’t make assumptions about our status as disciples and say something like, “I’m not worthy.” Or, “God has more important things to do than worry about this.”

Our Gospel reminds us that Jesus came into this world to rebuke evil and chaos.

Sometimes we can become almost self-righteous in our points of view that we can’t think of our “enemies” as children of God. But the reality is that God cannot be limited by our politics!

Our great joy as disciples during Ordinary Time is to celebrate the Good News, like Andrew, that “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41).

My brothers and sisters, I have good news! Just as God smiled on Jesus at baptism, so too does God smile at each of us when we’re baptized. Think about that just for a second. If you are baptized, God says to you, “You are my beloved.” Never doubt that you are worthy. Never doubt that you have a purpose. Never doubt that you are loved!

Like the magi, we should praise and worship God. And the magi, offer their gifts to Jesus. So, we too are called to praise and worship God, and to share our gifts and blessings with God by sharing them with everyone we encounter.

We model healthy relationships through the way we live the relationships in our lives – our families and friends. Parents and all of us model the faith for children.

The pandemic provided so many of us a disturbing silence from self-isolation to the lockdown. But we Christians know that we can enter into that silence like we would a swimming pool and pray and meditate with the Church – especially during the Mass either in-person or online.