20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the Gospel today, a pagan woman approaches Jesus asking Him to heal her daughter.  Jesus' actions should bother us: First, Jesus doesn't respond.  Second, He rejects her.  Third, He insults her.  Then finally, when she refuses to stop, He works a miracle for her.  What is Jesus doing?  He's coaxing out of her an extreme act of faith and perseverance.  Have you ever asked for a deeper faith?  Does it ever seem like some of your prayers haven't been answered by God?  Maybe He's trying to do the same thing with you that He was doing with this woman in the Gospel - maybe He's trying to call out of you an extreme act of faith; maybe He's trying to grow in you a heroic faith!

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus comes to the disciples today walking on the water - that's a Big Moment, a miraculous moment, one that's hard to miss, and it strengthens their faith.  Elijah is told in our 1st reading that the Lord will be passing by: there is a great wind, a tremendous earthquake, a blazing fire, and yet, Scripture says, God was in none of those seemingly big moments.  Rather, God was in a tiny, whispering voice - a Small Moment, so small it could be easily missed, but just as real as a Big Moment...and I would say even more important!  God's ordinary language is in Small Moments, countless little whispers to us throughout the day.  He gives us a few privileged Big Moments precisely so that we will continue looking and listening for Him in the hundreds of Small Moments every day.

8th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus tells us in our Gospel this week not to be anxious about food, clothing, or tomorrow.  There are so many things in life that we worry about...is it really that easy to just stop worrying?  We worry when we feel alone, but Jesus challenges us this Sunday to "seek first the kingdom of God."  We are made, as humans, for deep, rich relationships.  When we seek a deep and rich relationship with God first (and then seek to honor the other relationships in our lives next), then all these things that used to cause us worry just won't worry us anymore.

This Lent, don't just give up chocolate or sweets, add something to your life in these amazing 40 days to bring you closer in your relationship with Jesus.

 A resource you may find helpful: BestLentEver.com  

7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

What does Jesus mean when He says, "Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect"?  The Greek word for perfect comes from the root word telos, meaning 'end'.  The Greeks called something 'perfect', not because it was flawless, but if it fulfilled its end, if it did what it was made to do.  God, from all eternity, is a deep, rich, loving, giving relationship.  We humans are made in the image and likeness of God: we are made to have deep, rich, loving, giving relationships.  When other things get in the way of our relationships - our job, our hobbies, our selfish interests - we are imperfect.  When we put our relationships first - with God, our spouse, our kids, our families, our friends - even though we aren't flawless, we can still be perfect.  

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the Old Testament God promised to Abraham a kingdom and a people.  Last week Jesus began to fulfill that promise of a kingdom by beginning the calling of his 12 Apostles.  These 12 would eventually form the Church - the new kingdom of God that will last into eternity.  This week, Jesus describes the attributes of those who belong to this kingdom, what kingdom citizens look like: they look like the 8 beatitudes.  How can I become more a kingdom citizen this week?  And how can I help others to become more of a kingdom citizen this week? 

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

God loves bringing light into the darkness, and especially light out of the darkness.  Zebulun and Naphtali were the northern regions of Israel that were taken over by the Assyrians, and the people of God there lived under oppression for hundreds of years.  It is precisely to this region that Jesus goes in our Gospel, announcing the kingdom of heaven and coming as light into the darkness.  What is an area of your life that is a place of gloom, worry, anxiety, hopelessness, darkness?  God has always been bringing light out of darkness, and maybe that's exactly what He wants to do for you!

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

"Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will."

32nd Sunday in ordinary time

The martyrs in our first reading were living for the life to come.  And in our Gospel Jesus gives us a glimpse into this life: a life of such deep and fulfilling relationship with God that earthly marriages are only a shadow of what's coming.  This week we are challenged: Are you intentionally living for the life to come?  Are you intentionally encouraging others to live for the life to come?  Priesthood and celibacy only make sense if we're looking toward the next life.  If young men are going to become priests, it's our job to inspire them by living our lives for the life to come.

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

In this Sunday's Gospel Jesus invites Himself into the home of a sinner - Zacchaeus the tax collector...and THEN Zacchaeus has a change of heart.  Change doesn't come first; first comes God, then comes change.  Jesus invites Himself into our "house" at every Mass each time we come forward for Communion.  Jesus wants to be received into your heart and into your house in a new and deeper way than ever before.  Don't say, "But I'm not ready!  I still need to change!"  We make it a lot easier on ourselves if we just let Him in - then God will do the hard work for us.  First comes God, then comes change.

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Like last weekend, this weekend's readings center on prayer.  They show us that God loves real, honest, raw prayer!  God wants you to tell Him what's going on inside of you, even if you don't think it's "holy" or "godly" or whatever - God wants your prayer to be REAL.  Like the tax collector in the Temple, we go home justified (and fulfilled...and fed...and blessed) when we are utterly honest with the Lord.  So try it this week: 10 minutes of prayer each morning, walk through your day with Him before it happens, asking Him for strength, and then tell God what's really on your mind, what's really preoccupying you these days.  God loves that kind of prayer!

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus humorously encourages us today to be like a nagging, old woman when we come to prayer - that means to pray always, again and again, bother the Father!  God wants us to come to Him time and again not because He forgets or is unaware of our needs, but because the more face time we have with Him, the deeper our relationship grows.  3 practices that will make "pray always" a reality: spend the first 10 minutes of each day with the Lord, offer different hours during the day for others (like Moses, your prayers will help someone win battles in their life), and find a good friend to share how your resolutions are affecting your life, and vice-versa.

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

This weekend my parish is celebrating Stewardship Weekend.  Thank you, fellow Christian, for all that you have done with the gifts God has entrusted to you.  Thank you for those ways that you have been a good steward.  Gratitude for what God has given us leads to generosity.  And generosity leads to a joyful heart.  In our Gospel Jesus heals 10 lepers...only 1 comes back to thank Him.  Be the one to come back and thank Jesus; count your blessings - then you'll find yourself wanting to give more.  And as you give, your heart will grow, and you will be filled with a joy that no one can take from you!

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today we receive a wake-up call.  In the first reading God condemns the ruling elite of Israel for their complacence and indifference.  In our Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, in which the rich man finds himself in hell, not because he was evil or wicked or immoral, but simply because he was indifferent - he didn't use the blessings God had given him to help bless others.  We are fed with the Body and Blood of Jesus each week so that our hearts can move from indifference to generosity, so that our hearts can become like Jesus' heart.  We're called Christians for a reason; let's become who we are!

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today Jesus tells us one of His most confusing parables: "Look at this shady, crooked, underhanded businessman... You should be like him!"  Many people are clever in the ways of this world - they are smart and resourceful in using the people and situations around them to further their own gain (even if it is selfish and underhanded, as the steward is today).  Jesus challenges the "children of light" to be as smart and resourceful in obtaining benefits for heavenly life, as clever in living out our faith in the midst of this busy world and culture, as this shady businessman was in obtaining benefits for his earthly life.

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The most encouraging, effective and result producing words kids can hear from their parents are: "I love you; I'm proud of you."  In our Gospel today Jesus shares three parables, all portraying the illogical, unreasonable, outlandish love that the Father has for each one of us.  No matter what we've done, no matter how far we've wandered away, the Father never stops seeking us out.  And when we finally let ourselves be found, He says to us, "I love you; I'm proud of you!"  Jesus heard His Father say those words to Him; can we hear our Father the time say those words to us?

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

"My child, conduct your affairs with humility."  Humility is one of the most important and misunderstood virtues. Humility is NOT walking around with your head bowed down, or being quiet/submissive/weak, or downplaying things you're good at.  Humility is acknowledging the truth; it's living in reality.  It's an interior attitude recognizing that everything we have comes from outside of us - ultimately from God.  Living out of this reality means that certain things need to be strongly fought for and proclaimed without worry of what others think (Side 1), while other times we just need to take one on the chin (Side 2).  So if you're feeling daring, ask for humility this week!

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

We respect and expect hard work and dedication in so many areas of life; why should the spiritual life be any different?  Jesus says to us today, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate."  Are we striving?  Are we even trying?  Our relationship with Jesus Christ and our spiritual life require time, effort, hard work and dedication - just like anything else we value in life.  The gate is narrow because it's in the shape of Jesus.  If you look in the mirror each morning and ask, "Do I look like Jesus?  How can I look more like Him today?" If you look in the mirror each night and ask, "How was I like Jesus today?  Where can I do better tomorrow?"  Then you will find yourself becoming more and more Jesus-shaped every day, and when you get to that gate you'll be just the right size!

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Athletes in the Olympic games put in endless hours of practice, pushing their bodies to the furthest limits - mentally and physically beyond what most people could handle - so that they can be the best in the world.  Paul says today that all of us Christians are also in a contest and we are to "persevere in running the race that lies before us, while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus."  As we run Jesus warns that we will experience push-back, adversity, that His message and our way of life will bring division because people won't like what we are doing or what we have to say - the Prophet Jeremiah was left for dead, Jesus was crucified, Paul was beheaded.  But are we willing to fix our eyes on Jesus and keep running the race, no matter what kind of resistance we meet?  Because that is what separates the mediocre from the great.

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Faith is not simply believing in God.  If it were, then even the devil would have faith.  Faith, rather, is trusting in God, trusting that He will take care of us, trusting that He will do what He says...even if it's not exactly when we'd want or expect it.  Today Abraham is held up as a model of faith.  Through his example, we are invited to a new way of seeing our life and the world - through the lens of radical trust in our Father.  What's one area in your life where you have a lot of worry or anxiety, an area where you could use more trust?  Say a prayer to God each day this week, asking for more faith, more trust, asking to see His hand at work through it all!

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

So many things in this world and in our life are simply passing by: when we spend too much of our precious time, energy, and thoughts on them, when we give them more weight than they deserve, it's like chasing bubbles - some day they will pop and disappear forever, leaving us empty.  But Paul challenges us to seek what is above, and Jesus urges us to become rich in what matters to God.  We all know what's really important in life, we know those things that truly last...but those take real work.  It's a lot easier to get distracted by the bubbles.  What's one way this week that you can stop chasing empty things and start investing in those actions that will make you rich in what matters to God?

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our conscience is God's voice speaking deep in our hearts, guiding us along the path, urging us to do the right, dissuading us from the wrong.  The only problem is that over time we learn how to rationalize that voice away to get to the conclusions that we want.  We are reminded today in our readings that we were created through Christ, made with God's law and voice inside of us, and that Jesus challenges us, in the story of the Good Samaritan, not to outthink ourselves, but to return to the simplicity of following the voice of God deep within us - our conscience.

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today in our Gospel Jesus sends 72 out ahead of him to prepare the way; today you have been sent out ahead of Jesus to prepare the way.  In the midst of the joyful celebrations of the 4th of July this weekend, we are challenged to keep an eye open for anyone around us who is hurting, who has a heavy heart, and to help lighten their load, if only just a little.  In this way we can bring the light of Christ to hurting hearts, preparing the way for explosions of God's grace!  Even the biggest fireworks are started by a tiny, little flame.

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The learning process never ends - we continue learning our whole life long.  Our life of faith is meant to grow our whole life long as well: "disciple" means "learner".  In our readings today God calls certain people to follow Him - the big call.  But we also see God asking daily favors of those who already follow him - the small calls.  As disciples of Jesus, God is calling us, in big ways and small, to deeper faith, to lives of service, to lives of prayer, to following these spontaneous and often inconvenient calls that bring about His Kingdom in our lives and on this earth.  What small calls does He have in store for you this week?

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Have you ever been accused of being like your parents?  Usually, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.  On this Father's Day weekend, Jesus asks his disciples, and us, "Who do you say that I am?"  If we take Jesus at His word, then we believe that He is the Son of God the Father, and that in Jesus we are also sons and daughters of a heavenly Father.  Jesus was like His Dad: "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father."  As followers of Jesus, as sons and daughters of God, do we live and act and talk in such a way that others can accuse us of being like our heavenly Father?!

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings today show that we have a God with an attitude of forgiveness.  As God's people, we are called to take on this same attitude.  Whether it's something as small as bad driving or as large as lifelong divisions and family rifts, we are called to begin living our lives with an attitude of forgiveness.  Unforgiveness is exhausting; we carry around the weight of resentment and bitterness.  These people and situations don't deserve to have that kind of hold on us.  Forgiveness lightens us, frees us to live life the way we were made to live it!