Everyone is in debt, and I'm not talking about student loans or mortgages. St. Paul says that the only debt that counts is the debt of love. We have received such a wide and welcoming love from God that we could never pay it back, but we can "pay it forward" by loving others.

Jesus' disciples try to send the crowds away so they won't have to be responsible for them. Jesus won't let even his closest followers get by with that.

Just let the weeds grow along with the wheat? What kind of gardening advice is that?

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Why are some folk never attracted to the gospel at all and others come and stay for a little while then leave? Why do some folks find enough in Jesus' message to stick around for a lifetime? Matthew has Jesus adress these questions in his gospel.

Every time Jesus tells his followers about something really scary he follows it up by saying, "Don't be afraid?" What could give Jesus' disciples the self-awareness to hold fear at bay even in the most dire of circumstances?