Hear to Heaven

Today we have a special guest to the podcast, Father Larry Swink, my first pastor and dear friend who preached with great courage regarding the defense of life.

No Sunday Mass recording. I will be away on retreat this week. In the meantime, enjoy this reupload of one of the first "Heroic Minute Meditations". 

God Bless you,

Father Bob Kilner

Luke 9:7-9 Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying, "John has been raised from the dead" ; others were saying, "Elijah has appeared"; still others, "One of the ancient prophets has arisen."

But Herod said, "John I beheaded. Who then is this about whom I hear such things?" And he kept trying to see him. Herod asks a good question. Do we at least do the same? Homily given at the Heights school.

Silence is the doorway to the interior life.

Mt 20, 1-16a Jesus told his disciples this parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.

After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard.

Going out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just.'

So they went off. (And) he went out again around noon, and around three o'clock, and did likewise.

Going 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.'

When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first.'

When those who had started about five o'clock came, each received the usual daily wage.

So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage.

And on receiving it they grumbled against 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.'

He said to one of them in reply, 'My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?

Take what is yours and go. 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?'

Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last."

Today's Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091620.cfm

The feast day of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, another opportunity to praise God. 

Every Marian devotion is necessarily Christian. Mary always leads us to Jesus.

Matthew 18:15-20 Jesus said to his disciples: "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.

If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that 'every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.'

If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.

Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Again, (amen,) I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them