Podcasts about Ordinary Time

The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Wednesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time by Dr. John Bergsma. Bernard, Abbot, Doctor Obligatory Memorial First Reading: Judges 9: 6-15 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 21: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7 Alleluia: Hebrews 4: 12 Gospel: Matthew 20: 1-16   Learn more about the Mass at www.stpaulcenter.com To encounter Christ in Scripture and share Him with others. Join us at stpaulcenter.com/memberships 

Read Online“The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come.” Matthew 22:2–3The king in this parable is God the Father, and the wedding is the marriage between Christ and the Church. The Father invites each one of us to be a member of the Church and to enter into divine union with His Son Jesus, thus entering into the life of the Holy Trinity. But we see right away in the parable that the invited guests “refused to come.” As the parable goes on, the king tried even harder to invite the guests, but they all responded in one of two ways. “Some ignored the invitation and went away…” and “The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them.” Clearly, this was not the response hoped for by the generous king.We see in these two responses two levels of rejection of the Gospel that are present in our world today, just as it was at the time of Jesus. The first level of rejection is indifference. Many people are very busy today. We easily become occupied with many things that matter little in the end. Many are consumed by their smartphones, computers and tablets. Many spend countless hours watching television. Others become workaholics, spending most of their time at their occupation and leaving little time for that which is most important, such as family, prayer and service. As a result, it is very easy to become indifferent to the matters of faith and easy to fail to pray every day so as to seek out and fulfill God's will. This indifference is quite serious.There is also a rejection of the faith in our world through a growing hostility toward the Church and morality. There are many ways in which the secular world continues to promote a culture that is contrary to the Gospel. And when Christians speak out and oppose these new cultural tendencies, they are condemned and often characterized as being prejudiced or judgmental. Such malice was displayed by the guests in this parable who “laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them.” Hostility toward the Church, the faith and clear moral principles laid down by God appears to be growing every year. This form of rejection of the Gospel is even more damaging than the simple indifference mentioned above. In this parable for today, Jesus says that in response to those who were indifferent and hostile, the king “sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.”This parable should not be read in such a way that we look at others and condemn them as if we were the king and had the right to do so. We do not have that right. Only God does. Instead, this parable should be read from the perspective of your own life. Hopefully you are not one of those who are hostile to the Gospel. But perhaps you and many other Christians struggle with the first form of rejection: indifference. We can easily become indifferent in many various ways and on many different levels. The opposite of being indifferent is to care and to care deeply about going to the wedding feast when invited.Reflect, today, upon the Wedding Feast to which you are invited. You are invited to enter into the glorious celebration of becoming one with the Savior of the World. You are invited to surrender your life to Him without reserve. You are invited to holiness, moral integrity, unwavering fidelity to God, service of others, charity that knows no bounds and so much more. To enter the Wedding Feast of the Lamb is something that must take place every day and every moment of your day for the rest of your life. God is inviting you. Will you say “Yes” with every fiber of your being? My inviting Lord, You desire that all people fully accept the invitation You have given to become one with You through spiritual marriage. You call us to the glorious Wedding Feast and eternal rejoicing. May I never be indifferent to Your invitation and always make my response with all my heart. I love You, dear Lord. Help me to love You all the more. Jesus, I trust in You.Image: Brunswick Monogrammist, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

It's the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time! Join Dr. Scott Powell, JD Flynn and Kate Olivera as they talk about the cyclical nature of the Old Testament, and parenting imagery in this week's readings from Isaiah and Hebrews.Then, Jesus responds to the question “Who will be saved?” in the Gospel of Luke.This episode of Sunday School is sponsored by FOCUS Retreats, empowering parishes and leaders to offer deeply Catholic, low-lift retreats that ignite discipleship, transform lives, and multiply the mission of Jesus Christ in the modern world.To learn more, visit focus.org/retreats/ to schedule a 30-minute call with the retreats team at FOCUS.-Already read the readings? Skip ahead to 7:50Reading 1 - Isaiah 66: 18-21Psalm 117: 1, 2 & Mk 16:15Reading 2 - Hebrews 12: 5-7, 11-13Gospel - Luke 13:22-30 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pillarcatholic.com/subscribe

The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Tuesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time by Dr. Jeffrey Morrow. Ordinary Weekday/ John Eudes, Priest, Religious Founder First Reading: Judges 6: 11-24a Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 85: 9, 11-12, 13-14 Alleluia: Second Corinthians 8: 9 Gospel: Matthew 19: 23-30   Learn more about the Mass at www.stpaulcenter.com

Read OnlineGoing out about five o'clock, he found others standing around, and said to them, “Why do you stand here idle all day?” They answered, “Because no one has hired us.” He said to them, “You too go into my vineyard.” Matthew 20:6–7These are very generous words spoken by the landowner. As the parable explains, this landowner hired workers for his vineyard early in the morning, and then again at nine o'clock, noon, three o'clock and finally at five o'clock. But at the end of the day, he paid them all the same daily wage as if they had all been working since early morning. The ones hired first were upset thinking it was unfair that those who worked just an hour were paid the same wage as they were. But the landowner concludes, “What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?” God, in His mercy, is generous beyond comprehension. But we, as fallen humans, are constantly examining whether we are getting our fair share and comparing ourselves to others. We tend to want more and more and easily become envious when we see others succeed or receive blessings that we do not have. For example, if someone is more popular than us on social media, or drives a nicer car, or has a bigger home, or goes on an expensive vacation, we often tend to notice with a sort of sorrow that we do not have what they do. And that is envy.The cure for envy is wholehearted generosity. Not just generosity with our money but generosity with our affections and our ability to rejoice in the blessings that others receive. For example, if someone were to tell you that they were going on a nice vacation next month to a place you always wanted to go, how would you react? You might jokingly say, “Wow, I'm jealous!” Jealousy can quickly turn into envy, which is a form of sorrow over the blessings another has that you do not. And that sorrow over the blessings of another can subsequently turn to anger.These workers in the vineyard who worked all day and received the same amount as those who worked only one hour could have responded by congratulating the later workers and could have even jokingly said, “Lucky you, I wish I would have shown up at five o'clock!” But instead, they grumbled and tried to interfere with the generosity of the landowner saying, “These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day's burden and the heat.” Again, this is envy, in that their sorrow over the generosity of the landowner led them to try to interfere with the blessing the others received.Whenever you notice this form of unholy sorrow within you, take notice. It means that you lack a selfless generosity toward others. And if you see God blessing another in spiritual riches, try to generously rejoice in that. Offer praise and thanks to God for His goodness. Don't dwell on yourself and dismiss every temptation to compare. In many ways, everyone of us is represented by those who worked only one hour and received the full daily wage. This is because we could never earn the grace of salvation. The one and only reason we are able to receive the gift of eternal salvation and every other grace given to us by God is because God is infinitely generous. Therefore, the goodness and generosity of God must be our constant focus, and we must rejoice in that generosity when it is given to us and when it is also given to others.Reflect, today, upon any tendency you have toward envy. Think about the blessings that others have been given that you have not. Sincerely look at your interior reaction to that and pray that God will grant you the gift of being able to be generous in your rejoicing in those blessings. Every blessing given by God must be the cause of our joy, no matter if those blessings are bestowed upon us or upon others.My most generous Lord, You bestow Your blessings upon all in superabundance. When I witness the ways that others are blessed by You, help me to foster a sincere gratitude for all that they have received. Help me truly rejoice in the many ways You bless all Your people. Free me from envy, dear Lord, so that I am not burdened down by that ugly sin. Jesus, I trust in You.Image via Web Gallery of ArtSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Your baggage and attachments won't fit through the gate!

Get all set for the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time with Fr. Aaron Jenkins.SummaryIn this engaging podcast episode, hosts Scott Williams and Jeff Traylor welcome Father Aaron Jenkins, who shares his unique experiences as a Catholic priest, including his hobbies like beekeeping, glass blowing, and wargaming. The conversation delves into the challenges of preaching, the significance of gospel readings, and the importance of community engagement. Father Jenkins also discusses his artistic background and thoughts on church architecture.Chapters00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction06:58 Exploring the Readings for the Week11:14 The Challenge of Luke's Gospel21:18 Preaching Insights and Challenges24:34 Hobbies and Interests of Father Jenkins33:16 Church Architecture and Artistic Background39:35 Musical Instruments at Mass

Homily from the Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time, A.D. MMXXV.

Do not hang on to things!

The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Monday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time by Dr. Jeffrey Morrow. Ordinary Weekday First Reading: Judges 2: 11-19 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 106: 34-35, 36-37, 39-40, 43ab and 44 Alleluia: Matthew 5: 3 Gospel: Matthew 19: 16-22   Learn more about the Mass at www.stpaulcenter.com To encounter Christ in Scripture and share Him with others. Join us at stpaulcenter.com/memberships 

Read OnlineAgain I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:24–26According to one tradition, the “eye of the needle” referred to a gate in the wall of Jerusalem. During the day, there was a large gate that was open through which a camel could easily pass. But at night, the larger gate was closed and there was a smaller opening in the center of the gate that allowed people to pass through. A camel, however, could not pass through that smaller opening unless it got down on its knees, had its load removed from its back, and then crawled through. In referencing this story, Saint Anselm states that “the rich should not be able to pass along the narrow way that leads to life, till he had put off the burden of sin, and of riches, that is, by ceasing to love them” (Catena Aurea). So is it possible for a camel to enter through the “eye of the needle” and, therefore, a rich man to enter into Heaven? Yes. But only under the condition of being on their knees, humbling themselves, and ridding themselves of the “baggage” of their riches.For those who are truly rich in the things of this world, this Gospel passage may be difficult to read and reflect upon. It was spoken in reference to the rich young man who asked Jesus how he can enter into eternal life. Jesus' answer was “go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.” At that, the rich young man went away sad because he was clearly attached to his wealth.Jesus' explanation above, however, should give hope to anyone who struggles with this high expectation. The disciples were truly troubled by what Jesus said, and that is why Jesus followed up by saying, “For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” For God all things are possible! This statement of fact should be carefully pondered and believed by anyone who struggles with being overly attached to material riches. It should also be noted that one can be attached to riches even if they do not have riches. The desire for more is the attachment that needs to be cleansed, not the actual possession of riches. In fact, it is possible to have many possessions and not be attached to them at all. This is the beauty of poverty of spirit. But be careful not to presume that you have perfected this beatitude too quickly. Jesus' statement above was said out of love for those who are overly attached to the things of this world. So if this is you, be merciful to yourself and pay close attention to Jesus' words and your own interior struggle with this.Reflect, today, upon this clear and unambiguous statement of Jesus. “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.” Do you believe this? Can you accept this? Is Jesus speaking to you through this passage? Again, even if you are materially poor, is your desire for riches strong? If so, this passage equally applies to you. Allow this passage to sit within your heart in a prayerful way and try to be as honest as you can with yourself as you read it. Do not hesitate to choose the true riches of Heaven over the passing things of this world. In the end, the value of spiritual wealth infinitely outweighs anything you possess for your short time here on earth. Lord of true riches, You desire that each of us be filled with spiritual wealth that is infinitely greater than anything we could obtain in this world. Please free me from my attachment to material wealth so that I can live free from that burden. Help me to see the value of the treasures of Your grace and mercy and to make this true wealth the single focus of my life. Jesus, I trust in You. Image: Matson Collection, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Father uses today's readings to talk about a public call to poverty.

A sermon for Ordinary Time from Rector Jon Odom, reflecting on Acts 2:37-47.

Have you walked away from an invite from our Lord?

August 17, 2025. 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time homily by Fr. Matt Lowry about how we are encouraged to run the race toward heaven, bringing to God sin and all that burdens us. Jesus challenges us to love God above all things, even our family members who may not understand our following of Jesus.

Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time | 08.17.2025 | Fr.Brian by Lourdes Denver

To me you shall be sacred; for I, the Lord, am sacred

The spiritual danger of possessions - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Are there things you need to be more detached from? Think of situations in which being detached from material things has helped you grow spiritually. Have you experienced the grace of a higher love that helped you become more detached?

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a service of Evening Prayer for Monday during Ordinary Time. St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Daily Prayer app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/evening-prayer-contemporary-monday-18-august-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a short service of Night Prayer for Monday during Ordinary Time. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Time to Pray app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/night-prayer-contemporary-monday-18-august-2025

What are you holding onto that you would walk away from Jesus?

Read Online“If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”  When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Matthew 19:21–22This is the conclusion to the conversation that Jesus had with a rich young man who came to Him and asked, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” Jesus went on to tell him to keep the commandments. The young man said he has done so from his youth and wanted to know what else he could do. So Jesus answered his question. But the answer was more than the young man could accept.“If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Do you want to be perfect? If so, then Jesus has set a high bar for such a goal. It seems that many followers of Christ are okay with simply being okay. In other words, it seems that it is rare to find a person who is wholeheartedly committed to perfection. Many may have good intentions, but it seems that there are few who fully commit themselves to all it takes to truly obtain the perfection to which we are all called. It's interesting to note that Jesus' initial response to this rich young man explained the requirements for entering eternal life, that is, the minimal requirement for obtaining Heaven. Simply put, Jesus said that if you refrain from serious sin by keeping the commandments, then you will inherit eternal life. Of course, that also presumes that you have the gift of faith and are thus open to the gift of salvation. So is that what you are content with? Are you satisfied with doing the minimum it takes to get to Heaven?The idea of perfection can appear to be beyond us. Too often we can think, “I'm only human.” But as a human who is called by God, we are invited to work toward the obtainable goal of greater holiness. Though we will always fall short, we must strive to become as holy as we can, holding nothing back.Though the invitation given to this young man to “go, sell what you have and give to the poor” is not a requirement that our Lord places on everyone, He does call some to do this literally. But for everyone else, the invitation still remains—but in a spiritual sense rather than a literal sense. This is the spiritual call to interior poverty of spirit. Everyone of us is called to be interiorly detached from the things of this world in a complete way, even though we retain our possessions. We must have as our single possession the love of God and the service of His will. This depth of spiritual detachment means that God and His holy will is all we desire in life. And if He ever were to call us to literally give everything up, we would do it without hesitation. And though that may seem extreme, it is, in fact, exactly what will benefit us the most. It is the only way to become fully human and fully the person we were meant to be. And the end reward is not only the attainment of Heaven but an incomprehensible amount of glory in Heaven. The holier we become here on earth, the greater will our eternal reward be in Heaven. Do not hesitate to do all you can to build up that treasure that will be with you forever.Reflect, today, upon the high calling to perfection given to you by God. Ask yourself in a very sincere way whether or not you are simply okay with being okay or if you want so much more. Do you want the greatest riches in Heaven? Do you want your eternity to be one in which the spiritual treasures you build up now are with you forever? Do not hesitate to accept this high calling from Jesus. Allow His invitation to this rich young man to echo within your heart as His personal invitation to you, also. Say “Yes” to Him and know that you will be eternally grateful you did. My loving Lord, You invited the rich young man to strive for perfection. You also invite me and all Your children to this holy and high calling. Give me the grace I need to detach from all that hinders this goal so that I can make You and Your holy will the central and only goal of my life. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image: Nheyob, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

This is the Sunday evening liturgy during the Fall season of Ordinary Time for the Compline podcast from the Center for Worship and the Arts at Samford University. For more about the Center for Worship and the Arts, as well as the resources we provide, visit us at https://www.samford.edu/worship-arts/.CREDITS:© 2021 Center for Worship and the Arts, Samford University.Engineered and produced by Wen Reagan for the Center for Worship and the Arts at Samford University.SPOKEN WORD:Wen Reagan, Stacy Love, Tracy Hanrahan, Meagan Kennedy, Pierce Moffett, Eden Walker.MUSIC:“Compline #5” by Wen Reagan, © 2020 Sursum Corda Music (BMI).“Wishing Elsewhere” by Emily Hanrahan, © 2020 Emily Hanrahan.“My Savior Left His Throne Above” by Julie Anne Vargas and Zac Hicks, © 2015 Unbudding Fig Music (ASCAP) & Julie Anne Vargas, CCLI #7056910.TEXTS:The liturgical words for this podcast series include original phrasings, but were primarily curated and designed from several public domain sources, including “An Order for Compline” from the Anglican and Episcopal Book of Common Prayer and collects collected from Grace Cathedral and the University of Notre Dame.SOUNDS:The following sound effects were used in this podcast series and are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA."Door, Front, Opening, A.wav" by InspectorJ (www.jshaw.co.uk) of Freesound.org."Door, Front, Closing, A.wav" by InspectorJ (www.jshaw.co.uk) of Freesound.org.“06 – Crackling Candle.wav” by 14GPanskaLetko_Dominik of Freesound.org.“Lights a Candle Light with a Match” by straget of Freesound.org.The following sound effects were used in this podcast series and are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.“Soft Shoes Walking on a Dirt Road” by Nagwense of Freesound.org.“Match Being Lit.wav” by Jeanet_Henning of Freesound.org.“Candle Blow.wav” by Bee09 of Freesound.org.Mentioned in this episode:Discover Samford's Center for Worship and the Arts - the creator of...

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

What a reward for those that fight bravely!

Fr. Hezekias and Annie explore Jeremiah's suffering in the muddy pit, Jesus' teaching on division and his baptism of fire (Luke 12), and the call to endure trials while keeping eyes fixed on Christ from Hebrews 12.

The Fire of the Holy Spirit that Jesus casts on the earth creates division because we are not equally receptive to it!Homily for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Opening: #567 Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty! Psalm: #40 Lord, come to my aid (Batastini/Gelineau) Presentation: #588 I Have Loved You Closing: #949 Alleluia! Sing to Jesus! All music reproduced and streamed with permission from ONE LICENSE, license #A-723939. Organist: Sarah Sinkmars Celebrants: Deacon Bob McMullen and Deacon Frank Szemanski Today's readings (via USCCB): bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading For more information, visit our parish website at MaryQueenofPeacePGH.org.

Jeremiah 38: 4-6, 8-10; Hebrews 12: 1-4; Luke 12: 49-53; Haydock Commentary Please consider donating to help keep this podcast going by going to buymeacoffee.com/catholicdailybrief Also, if you enjoy these episodes, please give a five star rating and share the podcast with your friends and family

You have been purchased, and at a price.

The calling of the rich young man - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Has your faith in Christ helped you grow in your sense of orientation, morally speaking? What has helped you, or could help you, discover the commandments as a path of freedom? Have you ever encountered Jesus, or someone who reflected Jesus to you, in such manner that you discovered a deeper way to live the commandments?

Sermon by Bp. Phil Ashey10th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Father Gary Lazzeroni preaches at the 10:00am Mass on Sunday, August 17, 2025, the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a service of Morning Prayer for Monday during Ordinary Time. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Daily Prayer app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/morning-prayer-contemporary-monday-18-august-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a service of Evening Prayer for Sunday during Ordinary Time. St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Daily Prayer app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/evening-prayer-contemporary-sunday-17-august-2025

"Living a Life of Faith," Ordinary Time; Hebrews 12:1-14; Rev. Dcn. JD Meeder.

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a short service of Night Prayer for Sunday during Ordinary Time. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Time to Pray app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/night-prayer-contemporary-sunday-17-august-2025

The Revd Catherine Williams leads a short service of Prayer During the Day for Monday during Ordinary Time. With music from St Martin's Voices. Find the service and join in via the free Time to Pray app or online via the Church of England website: www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer/prayer-during-day-contemporary-monday-18-august-2025

"I have come to set the earth on fire..."

https://linktr.ee/spcnyc

The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Saturday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time by Mr. Clement Harrold. Ordinary Weekday/ Optional Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary/ Stephen of Hungary, Married Man First Reading: Joshua 24: 14-29 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 16: 1-2a and 5, 7-8, 11 Alleluia: Matthew 11: 25 Gospel: Matthew 19: 13-15   Learn more about the Mass at www.stpaulcenter.com To encounter Christ in Scripture and share Him with others. Join us at stpaulcenter.com/memberships 

Gospel Matthew 19:13-15 Children were brought to Jesus that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." After he placed his hands on them, he went away. Reflection There's something so powerful about giving us all an image of who we are to become, by going back to who we were when we were born, when we came into this world. It underscores that so often that things have happened to us, that rob us of what we had naturally as children. And they're all the beautiful, wonderful qualities that any human being, any adult, would want to have if they understand the kingdom of God, to be receptive and curious and trusting and imaginative. All those qualities are those that we need to work on. The kingdom is not about people being controlled, it's about people returning to their origin, to their beauty, to what God created. Closing Prayer Father, bless us with the qualities we see so often in children. They're amazing. What they say, what they see, how they ask questions. Let us be like that with you, children. Children of you, God. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mass Readings for 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time - August 17, 2025 Reading 1, Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10 Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 40:2, 3, 4, 18 Reading 2, Hebrews 12:1-4 Gospel, Luke 12:49-53