Father Matthew Wiering Podcast

I’ve always marveled at what Jesus says after he gives Peter the keys to his kingdom. He says “the gates of hell will not prevail against it”. He is talking, of course, about the new Church, founded on the rock of Peter. Often we think of the Church and her mission being on the defensive. But Jesus‘s image that he gives is quite the opposite: The Church is on the march. The light of Christ will seek out and dispel the darkness of the world. There is great comfort in his words, and we must join him on this mission!

The Solemnity of the Assumption each year on August 15 gives us the opportunity to reflect on the Church’s rich teaching on our Blessed Mother Mary.

In today's Gospel, the disciples are rightfully terrified when their boat is being tossed about by a violent storm at sea. Adding to their angst, they were sent across the sea by Jesus himself, who was not with them in the storm. So where was he? He was praying on the mountain, from a vantage point where he would have been watching the storm, aware of everything that they were going through. At his own time, he walks on the water towards them and, after allowing Peter to walk on the water, calms the storm. Will we recognize that Jesus sees the storms in our own lives and comes to our rescue in his own time?

In today's Feast of the Transfiguration we marvel once again at the weird and wonderful account of Jesus shining like the sun on Mount Tabor with the disciples as witnesses. "I am the Light of the World," Jesus says in John's Gospel. Interestingly, in Matthew's Gospel, we hear Jesus say, "You are the light of the world." So who is it? The light is always the light of Jesus, but as the light of faith increases and grows within us, we begin to be radiant with Christ's light. It's his light shining in us.

Today in the Second Reading St. Paul teaches us something very important. He says, "In all things God works for God those who love God, who are called according to his purpose." It's not too difficult to accept that God's will is done when good things are happening to us. But God wants us to believe with the Apostle that in "all things" -- even the bad things that happen to us -- God is accomplishing good for us. May we see all things -- the good and the bad -- as God's loving blessing for us.

In today's parable, when the servants discover the weeds among the wheat the wisely bring their problem to the Master. Does he want them to pull up the weeds? And then he shows them that this isn't their responsibility -- that he is in control. What do we do when we encounter the weeds among the wheat in our family or workplace or parish? Do I automatically assume that I need to do something about it to fix it? Or can I enter into a prayerful dialogue with God and trust that he will fix it in his time. It is his, not my, responsibility.

In the famous "Parable of the Sower", Jesus uses farming images to help us to see what prevents us from allowing God's Word to take root in our heart and bear fruit. Like farmers have to pick rock, spray for weeds, and plow, so the same thing is necessary for us if we are to grow in our spiritual life!

Today’s magnificent readings show a real contrast between the kings of the world and the Messiah-King, Jesus. The first reading gives us the prophesy that the future king will enter his kingdom on a donkey – hardly dignified transport for royalty!  Jesus tells us in our Gospel that he is “meek and humble of heart”. How different he is from the “important people” in our society! We also hear him at prayer thanking his Father for revealing heavenly things to the “little ones” and not the “wise and the learned”. Again, this is so unlike the important people of the world, who prize being known and respected by important people and forget about the lowly and little ones, the ones who are truly important to God.

Today's Gospel shows how radical Jesus's demands on his disciples are: He says, "He who loves mother or father or son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." Is Jesus really saying that we need to love him more than our closest family members? Is this even possible? Would doing so actually be a good thing for us? We tackle these difficult questions in today's homily.

Jesus's mantra for the disciples today is, "Be not afraid." What do we fear and why? Specifically, Jesus today is telling us not to fear those who would persecute us for our faith. This persecution can be strong and dramatic, even to the point of martyrdom. Or it can be quite subtle, and we notice it when we feel like we can't be our authentic, faith-filled selves when we are around certain people. We feel like we can't talk about God or practice our faith openly. Jesus never told his disciples that they wouldn't have to suffer for their faith but he did say that they didn't have to fear such sufferings. The Father sees every sparrow, Jesus says, and you are worth more than the sparrows.