Original Postdate: September 18, 2026

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Gospel

Luke 7:31-35

Jesus said to the crowds:

“To what shall I compare the people of this generation?

What are they like?

They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another,

‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance.

We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.’

For John the Baptist came neither eating food nor drinking wine,

and you said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’

The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said,

‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,

a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’

But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

Reflection

Jesus here is talking to the crowds and in particular to those in the crowd. They're close minded. No matter what is presented to them, no matter what argument you use, they will say, no, that's not true. That's not the way it is. So we see in this particular passage is, we must not fall into the trap of being close minded about anything.

We need one thing. We need one thing only. And that's wisdom. It has another name. The Holy Spirit, who dwells in any heart that opens themselves to that gift. Take this time to reflect on these thoughts, and I will close with a prayer.

Closing Prayer

Father, your promised spirit is the key to us understanding who we are and why we're here, and who we are called to be. And so bless us with the gift of wisdom. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Original Airdate: September 15, 2023

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Gospel 

Luke 2:33-35

Jesus’ father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;

and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,

“Behold, this child is destined

for the fall and rise of many in Israel,

and to be a sign that will be contradicted

and you yourself a sword will pierce

so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Reflection

What Simeon and Anna had told Mary and Joseph about their son was that he was the one to come. He was the Messiah. And they must have had some sense of that because of the way his birth took place. But they also said his message is going to be contradicted by the temple. He's going to be the enemy of the temple.

And you also will see him suffer intensely. Yet he's doing something that you must understand, he’s revealing people's hearts, he’s revealing who all of us are.

Closing Prayer

Mary and Joseph became aware of their destiny. Their child was called to save the world, would be rejected and would be put through a painful, painful death. And Mary had to begin her journey of acceptance. That's the key. Accepting our destiny. It calls for great authenticity, it calls for us recognizing and spending time wondering about who we are and why we're here. When those two things are in sync with God's plan we are a powerful source of life to ourselves and everyone around us. Amen.

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Original Postdate: September 14, 2024

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Gospel

John 3:13-17

Jesus said to Nicodemus:

"No one has gone up to heaven

except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.

And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,

so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,

so that everyone who believes in him might not perish

but might have eternal life.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,

but that the world might be saved through him.

Reflection

Nicodemus is one of the leading Pharisees and wanted to know more about Jesus. He was curious about the way he interpreted the Torah. And so Jesus gives him images to think about, and this image is really a powerful one because it says, what Jesus is trying to say, is that the Messiah that is coming is coming to destroy evil.

And when serpents were attacking the Israelites, he reminds him that Moses lifted up one of the serpents, it’s like evil being exposed for what it is, and then he says clearly, I am coming into the world to be lifted up, and my lifting up, my crucifixion will be a healing force in your life, and evil will no longer have the strength it had before.

Closing Prayer

Father, we struggle always with our weaknesses, with our faults. We think sometimes the world has come under the power of evil. But let us always remember that you've made a promise. Yes, evil will be manifested, we need to see it for what it is, but it will never win. It will never conquer the good. Because of Jesus death on the cross. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Original Airdate: September 17, 2023

Opening Prayer

Look upon us, oh God, creator and ruler of all things, that we may feel the working of your mercy.  Grant that we may serve you with all our heart.  Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen.

Closing Prayer

Father, our weaknesses, our bad choices are so often the burden that we carry.  Even though we believe you forgive us, we still carry the shame.  Free us from that so that we can see the value of our mistakes as tools that draw us closer and closer to who you call us to be.  Give us patience and radical forgiveness, and we ask this in Jesus’ name, amen.

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Original Airdate: September 16, 2023

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Gospel

Luke 6:43-49

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I command?

Reflection

We're all familiar with the phrase, ‘You'll be known by your fruits.’

What this is talking about is some kind of authenticity that God longs for us to have, and what He uses as an image of what is the source of authenticity, it is the goodness that God places in your heart. And you may say a lot of things that sound good to you and to others, but if they are not who you are, if they're not in line with your core intention, when the water comes, when the river rushes, the house is swept away.

So the only way that we can truly follow Jesus is to be convinced of the things that He has taught us. And the greatest teaching is pay attention to your intention that is in your heart, because that's where God does His best work, transforming you there so that no matter what happens, no matter what it costs, you will be a source of truth

Closing Prayer

Father, let us look at the things that go wrong, the things that test us as your way of longing for us to be stronger, not to expose our weakness, but He longs for us to understand that unless we are so thoroughly and completely convinced to be a source of goodness, no matter what the cost, we will never withstand the temptation of giving in. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Original Airdate: September 13, 2024

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Gospel

Luke 6:39-42

Jesus told his disciples a parable:

"Can a blind person guide a blind person?

Will not both fall into a pit?

No disciple is superior to the teacher;

but when fully trained,

every disciple will be like his teacher.

Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye,

but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?

How can you say to your brother,

'Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,'

when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye?

You hypocrite!  Remove the wooden beam from your eye first;

then you will see clearly

to remove the splinter in your brother's eye.”

Reflection

Jesus is preparing men to go out and to heal, and to help people. And we know that the main thing that he longs for them to have toward these people is deep empathy and compassion. And one of the things that we see in this image of the beam in ourselves and the speck in someone else's eye, is that we need to be dealing with our own issues first.

We need to understand what it's like to go through a process of transformation in order to help others do it. The major difference will be that we will not tell them what to do, but open them to ways in which they can grow.

Closing Prayer

Father, your desire that we be healed by your grace, is not simply to make us more pleasing to you, but to make us more effective in working with our brothers and sisters. Give us wisdom and let that wisdom guide us. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Original Airdate: September 12, 2024

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Gospel

Luke 6:27-38

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Stop judging and you will not be judged.

Reflection

It's not unusual for us to spend time with someone who is continually criticizing and judging things as not what they should be. And it sometimes exhausts our energy. And what we see in this beautiful passages, is what Jesus saying is that when we look at someone else's life or a situation and we don't have compassion, empathy, and we look at just facts.

It's very easy to just judge someone as being worthless or being wrong, and all Jesus wants is for us consciously to greet each other, to be with each other, and to be supportive.

Closing Prayer

Father, you have this disposition toward us that's so beautiful. You take us as we are. You long for us to grow and to change. And most especially, you love us. You don't focus on our faults, but on our needs. So bless us with that disposition, especially toward ourselves. As we continue to build your kingdom. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Original Airdate: September 11, 2024

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Gospel

Luke 6:20-26

Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,

for the Kingdom of God is yours.

Blessed are you who are now hungry,

for you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who are now weeping,

for you will laugh.

Blessed are you when people hate you,

and when they exclude and insult you,

and denounce your name as evil

on account of the Son of Man.

Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!

Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.

For their ancestors treated the prophets

in the same way.

But woe to you who are rich,

for you have received your consolation.

But woe to you who are filled now,

for you will be hungry.

Woe to you who laugh now,

for you will grieve and weep.

Woe to you when all speak well of you,

for their ancestors treated the false

prophets in this way.”

Reflection

The prosperity gospel was a big part of the Old Testament. During this time people were told, if you follow the law, everything goes well for you. But the truth is, that Jesus wants to reveal is, if you follow him, if you do the work he's calling you to, the sign that you're engaged in it is the experience of feeling poor and hungry and sad and feeling neglected by the people around us.

That’s when God works, most especially within us, to open us to wisdom that we don't yet see. It's a beautiful promise that God is there when we are at our lowest and lifts us higher than we ever had been before.

Closing Prayer

Father, when things are not going the way we hoped, we often doubt your presence. Free us from that. Help us to trust in you in all things. When things are good and when things are not good, let us always believe that you are there, working through whatever it is to bring us more into the Kingdom of God. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Original Airdate: September 8 2023

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Gospel 

Matthew 1:18-23

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.

When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,

but before they lived together,

she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.

Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,

yet unwilling to expose her to shame,

decided to divorce her quietly.

Such was his intention when, behold,

the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,

"Joseph, son of David,

do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.

For it is through the Holy Spirit

that this child has been conceived in her.

She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,

because he will save his people from their sins."

All this took place to fulfill

what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,

and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means "God is with us.”

Reflection

The Old Testament is filled with truth, but the New Testament adds so much to what it was teaching. The prophecy is that God one day will be with us.

His name will be Emmanuel. But then when He comes the name given to him is Jesus, and it's the image of the reason God is going to become part of our life in a more intimate way, because He's there to save us from evil, from sin, from destruction. He's not just with us, but He's in us.

Closing Prayer

God, it’s only with your grace that were able to dig deeply into the fullness of who God is in this world with us. Keep us open to the realization of something so amazing that it's hard for us to comprehend. We tend to work on our own to please God, but the key is to allow God to work through us. And we ask this In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Original Airdate: September 9, 2024

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Gospel

Luke 6:6-11

On a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught,

and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.

The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely

to see if he would cure on the sabbath

so that they might discover a reason to accuse him.

But he realized their intentions

and said to the man with the withered hand,

"Come up and stand before us."

And he rose and stood there.

Then Jesus said to them,

"I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath

rather than to do evil,

to save life rather than to destroy it?"

Looking around at them all, he then said to him,

"Stretch out your hand."

He did so and his hand was restored.

But they became enraged

and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.

Reflection

It seems to me that the Pharisees are the shadow of all religion, an institution that takes power over you and takes away your freedom. And so when Jesus is dealing with the Pharisees, he's there as a healer. They're there as judges. And when we see Jesus pointing out their faults, their response is not to wonder or ponder or try to figure out what he was saying.

No, they have only one desire. A desire that comes from fear. They're being attacked and they want to destroy.

Closing Prayer

Father, your authority dwells within our hearts. You call us to discern how and why we are here and what we should do. So bless us with an attitude of openness to all the things we don't see. Help us to be open to changing the way we see, when you show us a new truth. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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