Enkindle: Family Scripture Reflections

In this week's readings, Jesus cuts through over 600 laws and centuries of debate. Fr. Erik Arnold uses the greatest commandment to remind us that faith was never meant to be this complicated. It’s about love, and love is sacrificial. So the question isn’t what we believe, but what we’re actually giving.

We learn the word “mine” as toddlers and never really unlearn it. Kristen Fisher uses that very human instinct to unpack Jesus’s famous line about Caesar’s coins and the much bigger point He was making: that we bear God’s image, not Caesar’s, and everything we are belongs to Him. Not because He wants to control us, but because He loves us and wants to keep giving us more.

In this reflection for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Adam Novotny lets us in on a secret that St. Paul and St. Ignatius knew--that true freedom comes from holy indifference: learning to want only what brings us cloer to God.

What do you do when you've done everything you can and you still don't know how the story ends? Scott Oesterle sits with that question this week, drawing on St. Paul's words to the Philippians to show us that when we reach the edge of our control, the answer isn't to try harder at worrying. It's an invitation to bring our fears to Jesus and let His peace guard our hearts.

In this reflection for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Scott Oesterle uses a memorable encounter on a Grand Canyon honeymoon hike to explore the parable of the vineyard workers, showing how comparison steals our joy and how God's generosity toward others takes nothing away from His love for us.

In this reflection for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Adam Novotny uses the parable of the unforgiving servant to show how God has forgiven us an unpayable debt, challenging us to extend that same boundless forgiveness to the difficult people in our own lives.

In this reflection for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Kristen Fisher draws on St. Zélie Martin's motto "carry on bravely" to explore how love requires courage in ordinary moments, including the difficult conversations Jesus calls us to have with those who have hurt us, not to win an argument but to win back our brother or sister.

In this reflection for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Scott Oesterle uses Peter's "foot in mouth" moment to show that true discernment is not about thinking harder until we figure out God's plan, but about allowing God to transform the way we think so we can recognize and follow His still, small voice.

In this reflection for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Erik Arnold explores the question "Who am I?" through Peter's profession of faith, showing how the more we come to know Jesus in prayer, the more He reflects back to us who we truly are, encouraging us especially to let Jesus answer that question before the world does.

In this reflection for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Scott Oesterle uses the image of a baby learning to walk to explore the Canaanite woman's persistent faith, showing us that great faith isn't about always feeling God's presence but about taking the next step toward Jesus even when He seems silent.