SJBExcelsior Podcast

When we gather together for Mass, we are also joined by all the saints in Heaven who intercede for us as well. We are pilgrims on a journey to Heaven.

In this week's readings we hear about the two greatest commandments: You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. Although these are easier said than done, once we receive the love that the Lord has to offer, we are able to give love to others for freely.

Even though we all are made in God's image, he made each one of us unique. In the words of St. Carlo Acutis, let us not become photocopies but stay as originals.

The feast of the Kingdom of Heaven is a universal feast, a feast for all. Therefore we must accept the invitation ourselves and in turn extend the invitation to others.

When we get anxiety, it can be easy to try to deal with it on our own. But the beautiful thing is we don’t have to. We serve a graciously giving God who wants to help us. Let us humble ourselves and ask Him for help.

The Lord is constantly knocking on the door to our heart, reminding us to turn back to Him and stay with Him.

Jesus uses this parable to show that life in the Kingdom of Heaven is not a transactional reward based on who worked the hardest or the longest. Instead, God’s grace, mercy, and salvation are freely given gifts of love, inviting us to celebrate when others receive His blessings rather than giving in to envy.

When someone wrongs us, it is easy to hang onto the anger and bitterness we feel. However, to continue to live in these feelings keeps us from living like Christ. We must be merciful as Christ is merciful with us.

We are called to love one another. This sometimes looks like fraternal correction. But before we implement fraternal correction, we must build a relationship.

When it comes to our suffering, it can be easy to think that we are far from the Lord and that the Lord has abandoned us. However, the Lord allows suffering as a way to grow closer to Him. So we must ask ourselves, what do we do with our suffering?