When it comes to the subject of mercy and compassion, there is a common misunderstanding that the precondition for receiving God’s forgiveness is to forgive others; whereas the reality is that our ability to forgive others is a tangible sign that we’ve allowed God’s forgiveness to take hold in our lives.

Fr. Eric expands upon this point by reflecting on the Gospel story of the woman who washes Jesus’ feet with her tears and wipes them with her hair (Lk 7:36-50), along with the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Mt 18:21-35).  Topics discussed include the Lord’s Prayer, the need to forgive our neighbour in response to the mercy we have received from the Lord, and the proper notion of God’s forgiveness as something which puts us in a stance of perpetual gratitude towards the Lord who has suffered and died for our sins.

Concluding with an example from the film “Les Misérables” (2012), Fr. Eric reflects on how being loved in our weakness and brokenness can be a powerful impetus leading us to become people of tremendous love, mercy and compassion.

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In this weekend’s Gospel (Mt 18:15-20), Jesus gives various practical bits of advice for how to deal with people who have wronged us in some way.  Topics discussed include gossip, scandal, admonishing the sinner, interventions, and comparing one’s conduct to the general standard of conduct expected of all Christians.

Fr. Eric also discusses the possibility of separating from one’s aggressor, and the importance of learning to see one’s neighbour as our brother or sister in Christ for whom we are responsible.

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In the context of this weekend’s Gospel (Mt 16:21-27), Jesus rebukes St. Peter harshly for trying to talk Him out of suffering and dying for the salvation of world.  While the Lord might seem to be acting unnecessarily harsh towards Peter, Fr. Eric reflects on how Christ is always very intentional and purposeful in His words and actions, especially when He is trying to teach His chief disciple to become a true witness and leader of the Church.

Topics include how a fear of suffering and death can obstruct God’s salvific purposes; the necessity of a disciple always to follow the master in a stance of humility, docility and obedience; and the importance of living out of a stance of perpetual sacrifice in imitation of the suffering Christ, as opposed to being simply content to be nice, kind or polite.

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Reflecting on this weekend’s Gospel (Mt 16:13-20) about Jesus and Peter at Caesarea Philippi, Fr. Eric reflects on the Biblical basis for the teaching authority of the Pope and bishops in the context of the Catholic Church. Issues discussed include the importance of both Scripture and Tradition, the need to become familiar with the entirety of the Bible, and the principle of infallibility.

Other topics include the responsibility of the teaching office of the Church to govern with a keen sense of stewardship in Jesus’ place, and how to respond to our fears about the mantle of divine authority being entrusted to the frailty of the human condition.

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On the surface, Jesus appears to be uncharacteristically mean to the Canaanite woman who is the primary subject in this weekend’s Gospel (Mt 15:21-28), particularly in how He denies repeatedly her requests for Him to heal her daughter. However, Fr. Eric discusses how the Lord’s various refusals to this woman’s petitions are intended collectively to lead her away from a misconstrued and misguided conception of who He is and what it means to be in right relationship with Him; and thereby guide her into a deeper stance of intimacy with Him.

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Reflecting on this weekend’s Gospel (Mt 14:22-33), Fr. Eric shows how Jesus leads us often into the midst of storms as a means of preparing us to give witness to the reality of Christ as Lord and Savior.

Other topics include Christ’s total dominion over the forces of evil and wickedness in the world, the need to become fully convicted of our need for salvation in Christ, the fact that our salvation in Christ appears often precisely when we find ourselves on the brink of destruction, and the theological significance of the Paschal Mystery.

Fr. Eric also reflects on the Lord’s exhortation not to give into fear or panic based on the fact that He is Lord and Savior, Christ’s loving attention to those who have the courage to give themselves completely to His purposes, and the distinction between worldly perceptions of success and failure as opposed to seeing these things from a divine perspective.

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Reflecting on this weekend’s Gospel (Mt 14:13-21), Fr. Eric shows how the great miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and the fish helps us to delve deeper into the mystery of Christ. Topics include how the true nature of Christian charity, Old Testament anticipations of the multiplication of the loaves and the fish, the Lord’s concern with the totality of the human person, Jesus as the Good Shepherd, and the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

Fr. Eric also reflects on the modern decline in reverence and belief in the Holy Eucharist, and how we might seek to turn things around on a local level through our sense of personal witness.

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This weekend’s Gospel (Mt 13:44-52) closes off a series of seven parables in the Gospel of Matthew dealing with the subject of the Kingdom of God, including the Parables of the Sower (13:1-23), the Weeds and the Wheat (13:24-30), the Mustard Seed (13:31-32), the Leavened Bread (13:33), the Hidden Treasure (13:44), the Pearl of Great Price (13:45-46) and the Net Cast Into the Sea (13:47-52).

Focusing on the final three parables, Fr. Eric speaks about the importance of being a person of infinite desires and self-gift as a prerequisite to obtain the fullness of the divine life, and the willingness to rest in Christ as a sign of recognizing His importance and centrality. Other topics include the nature of the Final Judgment, and the need to pass on the deposit of faith with integrity and responsibility.

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Focusing on this weekend’s Gospel (Mt 13:24-43), Fr. Eric expounds upon the Parable of the Weeds and the Wheat (Mt 13:24-30), the Parable of the Mustard Seed (Mt 13:31-32) and the Parable of the Leavened Bread (Mt 13:33) to articulate what the Lord teaches us about preparing for the end times.  Topics include the need to acknowledge that our time here on this earth is necessarily a time of pilgrimage and spiritual warfare, the Lord’s confidence in the good in this world to triumph ultimately over that which is evil, and the need to prioritize a healthy respect for the natural process of development and growth over a desire to be perfect right away.

Other topics include the invitation to be small and hidden; the importance of the interior life when it comes to cooperating with God’s transformative grace; and the significance of seeing the end times as  a time of harvest and completion, as opposed to an arbitrary end of all things.

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Even though the primary focus of today’s Gospel (Mt 13:1-23) is the Parable of the Sower, Fr. Eric focuses on the issue raised by Our Lord in the middle of the Gospel, where He address the question as to why He speaks in parables to begin with (Mt 13:11-15). Fr. Eric discusses the importance of reading the parables with humility, docility and obedience; rather than trying to achieve a certain mastery or synthesis with regards to who God is and what He’s all about. Other topics include Jesus’ great miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and the fish (Mt 14:13-21; Mk 6:31-44; Lk 9:12-17; and Jn 6:1-14); and the need to read the parables from the perspective of an intentional disciple, rather than the wise and intelligent.

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