Heart to Heart: Fr. Jim Willig - Gospel Teachings

from Luke 16:1-13

Jesus said to his disciples,
"A rich man had a steward
who was reported to him for squandering his property.
He summoned him and said,
'What is this I hear about you?
Prepare a full account of your stewardship,
because you can no longer be my steward.'
The steward said to himself, 'What shall I do,
now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me?
I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg.
I know what I shall do so that,
when I am removed from the stewardship,
they may welcome me into their homes.'
He called in his master's debtors one by one.
To the first he said,
'How much do you owe my master?'
He replied, 'One hundred measures of olive oil.'
He said to him, 'Here is your promissory note.
Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.'
Then to another the steward said, 'And you, how much do you owe?'
He replied, 'One hundred kors of wheat.'
The steward said to him, 'Here is your promissory note;
write one for eighty.'
And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.

Read the full scripture passage: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091822.cfm

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This Gospel Study addresses the time Peter asked Jesus, “How many times are we called to forgive another?” Jesus surprised Peter and the disciples when he said to forgive 70 times 7 times.

Jesus uses the parable of the master who forgave the full debt of one of his servants after showing compassion to his plea. Then this same servant held a friend in contempt for a much smaller debt owed to him. When the master learned of this, he became angry and turned the debtor over to the ones whom he tortured until his entire debt was paid.

from Matthew 18:21-35

Peter approached Jesus and asked him,
"Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive?
As many as seven times?" 
Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. 
That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants. 
When he began the accounting,
a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. 
Since he had no way of paying it back,
his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property,
in payment of the debt. 
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,
'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.'
Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan. 
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount. 
He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
'Pay back what you owe.'

Read the full scripture passage here: bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091723.cfm

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Jesus tells us that we need to stop living by "an eye for an eye" and instead start loving our enemies. As Fr. Jim reminds us, this is much easier said than done, even in our "enlightened" age [emphasis mine].

Matthew 5:38-48

Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
When someone strikes you on your right cheek,
turn the other one as well.
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic,
hand over your cloak as well.
Should anyone press you into service for one mile,
go for two miles.
Give to the one who asks of you,
and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.

“You have heard that it was said,
You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers only,
what is unusual about that?
Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Alternate for Luke 6:17, 20-26

Fr. Jim recorded Gospel Studies for most Gospels from September through May but sometimes Gospels were missed or the recording quality is unusable. There is not Gospel Study for the above passage from Luke, however, this passage from Matthew is a substitute. 

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from Luke 5:1-11

While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening
to the word of God,
he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.
He saw two boats there alongside the lake;
the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,
he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.
Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
"Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch."
Simon said in reply,
"Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing,
but at your command I will lower the nets."

Read the full scripture passage: bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/020925.cfm

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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In this Gospel on the presentation of Jesus in the Temple, Fr. Jim reminds us that Mary and Joseph went out of their way to bring Jesus to Jerusalem; a journey that was not easy but foreshadows the ultimate sacrifice Jesus would make for us.

from Luke 2:22-40
When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.

Read the full scripture passage:
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/020225.cfm

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Fr. Jim explores the baptism story of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke and asks, "Are we ready and willing to totally immerse ourselves in God's love and be of greater service to God and one another?"

from Luke 3:15-16, 21-22
The people were filled with expectation,
and all were asking in their hearts
whether John might be the Christ.
John answered them all, saying,
“I am baptizing you with water,
but one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Read the full scripture passage: bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011225.cfm

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Fr. Jim asks: Will we be the wise men and women taking up the journey to Jesus? Like the Magi, will we take a different path than the world would have us go?

from Matthew 2:1-12
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.”
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
“Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word,
that I too may go and do him homage.”
After their audience with the king they set out.

Read the full scripture: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010525.cfm

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Fr. Jim Willig reflects on the Visitation of Mary and Elizabeth, highlighting Mary’s faith, obedience, and perseverance during her journey to Elizabeth. Through this reflection, he invites us to recognize the Spirit’s stirring in our own lives and embrace the hope and renewal offered by the Advent season.

from Luke 1:39-45
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah, 
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb, 
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, 
cried out in a loud voice and said, 
“Blessed are you among women, 
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

Read the full scripture passage: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122224.cfm

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from Luke 3:10-18

The crowds asked John the Baptist,
“What should we do?”
He said to them in reply,
“Whoever has two cloaks
should share with the person who has none.
And whoever has food should do likewise.”
Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him,
“Teacher, what should we do?”
He answered them,
“Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.”
Soldiers also asked him,
“And what is it that we should do?”
He told them,
“Do not practice extortion,
do not falsely accuse anyone,
and be satisfied with your wages.” ...

Read the full scripture passage: bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121524.cfm

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Fr. Jim teaches that if John the Baptist came today he would not mince words. He would call a sin, a sin and challenge each of us to identify the sin within our lives and urge us to turn away. Click play above to hear Fr. Jim's full Advent message.

Luke 3:1-6
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,
when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea,
and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee,
and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region
of Ituraea and Trachonitis,
and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,
during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,
the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.
John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan,
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,
as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:
    A voice of one crying out in the desert:
    “Prepare the way of the Lord,
        make straight his paths.
    Every valley shall be filled
        and every mountain and hill shall be made low.
    The winding roads shall be made straight,
        and the rough ways made smooth,
    and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

Read all the scriptures for this Sunday: bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120824.cfm

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