Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: Matthew 5: 1-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. 
He began to teach them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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We live in a world saturated by social media. People can share their opinion instantly, regardless of whether or not that’s a good idea. One popular platform is X, formerly known as Twitter. Twitter allows you to post whatever is on your mind in 160 characters or less. 

Here is one example.

Congratulations to the astronauts who left earth today. Good choice.

One could write a book about the meaning of that statement – and that is the genius of Twitter and its users, distilling common human experience into pithy tweets.

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus delivers his first public sermon, commonly referred to as the Beatitudes. He distills God’s vision for humanity into nine simple sentences or, we might say, “tweets.” While much could be said about each of them, I’ll focus on two.

First, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” 

To be “poor in spirit” means, “to know your need for God.” These are the ones who understand the fragility of human life, who see through the emptiness of wealth and power, who seek their comfort and lasting security in God.

Of all the Saints, who has demonstrated what it means to be “poor in spirit” better than Francis of Assisi?

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Francis was born into a wealthy Italian family in the 12^th century. But he renounced his family fortune literally to the point of stripping himself bare before his bishop in the public square as a sign of his desire to offer himself completely to God. 

He then spent the rest of his life rebuilding the Church. On his deathbed, Francis said to the first Franciscans, “My brothers, I have done what was mine to do. Now you must do what is yours to do.”

Most people in this world are not called to live such an extreme form of poverty voluntarily. But, like Francis, part of what is “ours” to do is to be poor in spirit, to discover our need for God.

I think of a father of three young children, who gets up early every morning to pray before there’s a stir in the house. He studies the Word of God, then shares it with teenagers as a Catholic high school teacher.

He is not physically poor the way Francis was. But he is doing what is his to do, which involves learning how to be in the world, but not of it.

That’s where most of us find ourselves. 

We love God. But we’re not Francis of Assisi. We haven’t renounced all of our possessions. We’re ordinary moms, dads, teachers, and workers in the vineyard who are trying to be spiritually poor, while living in a secular world.

Striking that balance is never easy. But “blessed” are those who do.

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The second beatitude can seem a bit more ambiguous. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the land.”

What is this “land” Jesus is referring to? 

We might think of a piece of ground, even national territory. As important as that may be, God’s promise is greater. In the bible, the primary use of “land” is to create space for people to worship.

That was what made Israel God’s people – their ability to worship him.

Yet several times in the Old Testament, God takes back his land when people turn against him. Just six chapters into the Book of Genesis, God covers the earth in a flood, saving only Noah and his family, because humanity had fallen into wicked ways.

As it is written, “The LORD regretted making human beings on earth, and his heart was grieved.” 

History repeats itself in the Book of Exodus. Israel turns away from God by worshiping false idols. The Lord warns them through the prophets to repent, but they do not amend their ways.

Eventually, their land is invaded and their Temple is destroyed as they are sent into exile. God promises to return his people to their land, so that they may worship him again, but Jesus extends this invitation to all nations in today’s Gospel. 

Every person is called to worship God, not only on a strip of land or in this church, but also in our homes and in the world. Wherever we speak, stand, or lay our head is considered “holy ground.”

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Like Francis of Assisi, may we do what is ours to do – come to know, love, and serve the Lord all the days of our lives.

And along the way, discover how blessed we are.

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Image credits: (1) Jackson Community Church (2) The Word Proclaimed Institute (3) Sermon on the Mount, Carl Bloch

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Gospel: Mark 4: 26-34

Jesus said to the crowds:
“This is how it is with the Kingdom of God;
it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land
and would sleep and rise night and day
and the seed would sprout and grow,
he knows not how.
Of its own accord the land yields fruit,
first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,
for the harvest has come.”

He said,
“To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God,
or what parable can we use for it?
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,
is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants
and puts forth large branches,
so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”
With many such parables
he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.
Without parables he did not speak to them,
but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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There are three stages to farming.

First, you must break open the ground and scatter the seed. Then, wait for the harvest. When ready, reap what you’ve sown.

Human beings tend to be really good at steps one and three: working and reaping. Often, what we struggle with is step number two: waiting.

That’s the time when Mother Nature runs her course. Once the seeds are planted, without any effort of our own, the rains fall, the sun rises and sets, the seeds mysteriously break out of their shell and begin to sprout.

Only then can we reap what we’ve sown.

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus likens God’s intervention in our lives to a farmer planting his seed. Once the seeds are planted, he goes to bed without any stress or anxiety. He simply waits patiently for nature to run its course.

Similarly, once we’ve made our petitions known to God, Jesus tells us not to stress or be anxious. Simply wait. 

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What’s something I’m waiting on God to answer?

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As Saint Paul reminds us, “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God” (Philippians 4:6).

Much like the farmer who trusts in his harvest, trust in the Creator of all.

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Image credits: (1) Integrated Catholic Life (2) Devotions by Chris Hendrix (3) The Spruce

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Gospel: Mark 4: 21-25

Jesus said to his disciples,
“Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket
or under a bed,
and not to be placed on a lampstand?
For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; 
nothing is secret except to come to light.
Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.”
He also told them, “Take care what you hear.
The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, 
and still more will be given to you.
To the one who has, more will be given; 
from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Imagine life without light.

If you opened your fridge, you’d struggle to find the milk. If you came to Mass, the church would be dark. If you drove at night, the roads would be hauntingly black.

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Light is essential to how we live our lives. But different size light bulbs are needed for different purposes.

In your fridge, a 40-watt bulb is perfect. In a church, you need brighter bulbs. At night, you need even larger bulbs to brighten our streets.

While each bulb has a different intensity, they all serve the same purpose: to cast out the darkness in their respective place.

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In a similar way, God has given each of us a purpose in life – a unique way to shine brightly, to share our faith, our heart, our time, our resources, serving as the face and voice of Christ. 

Priests shine by making Jesus present in the Eucharist, when pouring holy water over a child’s head in baptism, by absolving a heavy burdened soul in the confessional, visiting the sick in the hospital, or celebrating the bond of marriage.

Some of you bring the Eucharist to the homebound; you prepare food for the hungry in our soup kitchen; you serve as a catechist; you are the voice of reconciliation in your family; a prophetic voice in society; or you love and serve your neighbor in the world. 

So, how do we collectively light up the world around us?

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“No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed,” Jesus says. “Rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.”

Be that light – shine “brightly” – in your spot. Together, we can brighten the world.

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Image credits: (1) Presence and Practice (2) ResearchGate (3) Salt&Light