Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: Luke 4:16-30

Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Rolling up the scroll,
he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
They also asked, “Is this not the son of Joseph?”
He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb,
‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place
the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’”
And he said,
“Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you,
there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah
when the sky was closed for three and a half years
and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong.
But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Today’s Gospel passage takes place in the synagogue of Jesus’ hometown, where he just started his public ministry. He begins by opening the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, proclaiming, “Today this prophecy is fulfilled in your hearing.”

God has visited his people!

Filled with awe and excitement, Saint Luke tells us, “All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.”

Yet, within a matter of sentences, the same crowd who marveled at Christ’s words were ready to push him off a cliff! 

What a tragic, confusing turn of events.

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In many ways, this quickened experience of praise and rejection bookends Christ’s life. When he is born in Bethlehem, the magi lay gifts at his feet in adoration, while King Herod tries killing him. Thus, the Lord’s birth is the cause of both praise and rejection.

Thirty-three years later on Palm Sunday, crowds lay palm branches at his feet in praise, only to shout five days later on Good Friday, “Crucify him!” 

Such is the fragile nature of public opinion – and by extension, the feebleness of humanity. 

These Gospel characters remind us how quickly people can be to judge; to draw false conclusions without having all of the facts; to turn on others, even God in the flesh.

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Perhaps some of us have experienced the same phenomenon of worldly praise and quickened rejection. Or maybe we’ve found ourselves in the position of the crowds – critical of others and quick to judge.

But the Lord reminds us today that our mission is never to seek the praise of man or to be overly concerned by a change in public opinion.

We have one mission only: to bring glory to God.

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Image credits: (1) The Court of Public Opinion, Vegas Legal Magazine (2) Nazareth’s Synagogue Church, Danny the Digger (3) Instagram

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Gospel: Matthew 16: 21-27

Jesus began to show his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly
from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised. 
Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,
“God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” 
He turned and said to Peter,
“Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. 
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

Then Jesus said to his disciples,
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me. 
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life? 
Or what can one give in exchange for his life? 
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory,
and then he will repay all according to his conduct.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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What are four words that can make a person cringe?

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“We need to talk.”

Imagine coming home from a stressful day at school or work. Suddenly, you see your family seated on the couch. As your heartbeat picks up and your stomach drops, you begin to wonder, “What happened?” 

Feeling everyone’s eyes gazing upon you, someone breaks the uncomfortable silence with those four loaded words: “We need to talk.” 

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Some people try avoiding conflict at all costs. They’d rather bury their heads in the sand, hold things in, make excuses, downplay important issues, or remain silent than speak up. 

But working to preserve a fragile ceasefire or surface-level peace may only lead to further problems.

For example, parents cannot remain silent if they see their child being bullied, running with the wrong crowd, or slipping into an addiction. Nor should one spouse stay silent if the other is exhibiting harmful or inappropriate behavior.

Such crucial conversations, although difficult, are meant to preserve a relationship, keeping it from taking a turn for the worse, or ending.

Even Jesus had to have these conversations with his disciples.

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In last week’s Gospel, Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven after he professed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” 

Peter must’ve been on cloud nine. But today he takes a precipitous fall as Jesus rebukes him sternly, saying, “Get behind me, Satan!”

Why the abrupt change?

After handing over the keys, Jesus opens his heart and reveals more about his future to his disciples, which will include being arrested and crucified in Jerusalem. To that devastating announcement, he adds that after three days, he will be raised from the dead.

Peter seemed to have missed that part.

Confused and upset, a newly empowered Peter pulls Jesus aside, saying, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” 

Peter scoffs at the idea of a cross. Why should Jesus walk into a trap that he can easily avoid? Why lead himself and his disciples to a humiliating and excruciatingly painful death? After all, Christ is a miracle worker, not a criminal!

It seems Peter’s faith has suddenly evaporated, crushing Christ’s heart. But the Lord will not give up on his “rock.” So, it’s time for a crucial conversation. They need to talk.

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It’s been said, the eyes are the windows into the soul. 

Staring into Peter’s eyes, Jesus sees fear, shock, concern, confusion, and disappointment. As if Peter wanted to drop his keys, raise the white flag, and go home.

So, the Lord rebukes him sternly, saying, “Get behind me!” He was not telling Peter to leave; rather, he was instructing him to reassume the role of disciple. 

Humbled, Peter accepts the rebuke, gets behind Jesus, and follows him to Jerusalem.

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Yet shortly thereafter, these two will have another crucial conversation.

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On the night of Jesus’ arrest, while he is praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter falls asleep. Meanwhile, the Lord prays in angst as the night sky is illumined by torches descending from Pilate’s court.

Leading the pack of armed soldiers is Judas Iscariot, snaking his way down the Kidron Valley. Scholars estimate it would’ve taken him forty-five minutes to reach Jesus.

With each second passing, Peter falls deeper into slumber, while the Lord struggles to resist the very temptation Peter proposed in today’s Gospel – getting out of town, fleeing from the gory humiliation of the cross. 

When Peter is finally awakened by the soldiers’ arrival, Jesus is arrested and led off to be crucified. As he shuffles off into the night, Jesus gazes back upon Peter with that unnerving look, “We need to talk.”

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After his victorious resurrection, Jesus reappears to Peter on the shores of Galilee, where their journey began. Not to condemn him, but to repair their relationship.

Seated around a charcoal fire, Jesus asks him one simple question – the one question that should guide these intimate, crucial conversations. Not, “Why did you abandon me?” 

But, “Do you love me?” 

To which Peter responds emphatically, “Yes, Lord! You know everything. You know that I love you!” So, Jesus asks only one thing of him in return, “Feed my sheep.” In a sense, this is how their reconciliation is satisfied, by Peter reassuming his role as shepherd.

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What might this mean for us?

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Sometimes, like Jesus and Peter, “We need to talk.” Whether it’s directly with the Lord, spouse to spouse, parent to child, friend to friend, or colleague to colleague.

Though uncomfortable, the purpose of these conversations is never meant to sever relationships; rather, to repair them.

May God give us the grace to listen to each other, the strength to speak honestly, and the humility to be reconciled whenever needed. 

“For wherever two or three are gathered in my name,” Jesus promises, “I am there in the midst of them.” 

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Image credits: (1) (2) LDS Blogs (3) Etsy

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Gospel: Matthew 23:8-12

Jesus spoke to his disciples:
“Do not be called ‘Rabbi.’
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called ‘Master’;
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Today we celebrate one of the greatest intellects the Church has ever known: Saint Augustine. 

Augustine has garnered more attention lately because of Pope Leo, who was formerly the head of the Augustinians, a religious order devoted to Augustine’s theology and spirituality.

But who, exactly, was he?

Augustine was the son of Saint Monica, whose feast day we celebrated yesterday. Like many adults today, Monica prayed tearfully for the conversion of her son, as well as for her husband, Patrick. Fortunately, she never gave up.

After two decades of marriage, Patrick converted to Christianity, a mere two years before his death. However, he’d never live to see Augustine’s accomplishments. It’d take a few more years of searching before Augustine surrendered to Christ.

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Almost two-thousand years later, we can still tell Augustine’s story because of his autobiography, Confessions. It was the first autobiography written in the Western world, and perhaps, the first in history.

With stunning honesty and humility, he retraces the mistakes of his youth, how he dabbled in pagan philosophies, indulged in worldly pleasures, and finally experienced a dramatic conversion. 

The last section of his autobiography focuses on philosophy, theology, and his understanding of the human heart. His most famous line being: “Our hearts are restless, until they rest in you, O LORD.”

Interestingly, Augustine wrote Confessions shortly after becoming a bishop! Imagine having a storied history, then sharing it with the world while also carrying the yoke of public ministry. 

But he understood his life in the context of service to God and the Church. As he later said, “With you I am a Christian. For you I am a bishop.”  

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May he intercede for us today, that we would all accept this truth and live accordingly: “Our hearts are restless, until they rest in you, O LORD.” 

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Image credits: (1) LCC Tanauan, Facebook (2) Pinterest (3) Etsy.com