Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: Matthew 11:25-27

At that time Jesus exclaimed: 
“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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A number of studies have suggested that the primary reason why Catholics do not share their faith is out of fear.

There’s the fear of inability, the feeling that we do not know enough about our faith in order to explain it convincingly to others.

The fear of rejection. Deep down, aren’t we all afraid of being turned down? How much deeper does that fear run when we try sharing our faith, the deepest part of ourselves with others?

And the fear of failure. Such a fear leads to a variety of missed opportunities – not only in terms of relationships, our career, or life-experience, but also in bringing others to Jesus. 

How do we overcome these fears?

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While some may find it hard to understand Scripture, or difficult to explain its relevance to our daily lives, the best evangelists are the ones who simply live their faith. 

Think of people like Mother Teresa and Dorothy Day. They did nothing extraordinary in the world’s eyes – they clothed and fed the poor. Yet who has not been inspired by their example?

Or Saint John Vianney. He had to overcome multiple obstacles in order to be ordained a priest. He would’ve been the first person to tell you how difficult Latin and theology came to him.

Yet he transformed a large swath of Catholic Europe just by sitting in the confessional for 16 hours a day.

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While fear is something we all experience, some of the world’s greatest evangelists were ordinary people who changed people’s hearts, not by their eloquence or persuasive arguments, but by love.

They were the “childlike,” the innocent ones, whom Jesus blesses in today’s Gospel.

This is, perhaps, what God is asking from all of us today – to share the Good News by living simply and loving deeply. Be kind. Love your neighbor. God will do the rest.

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Image credits: (1) Instagram (2) I’m Listening to God, WordPress (3) Concordia Gospel Outreach

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Gospel: Matthew 11: 20-24

Jesus began to reproach the towns
where most of his mighty deeds had been done,
since they had not repented.
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst
had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.
But I tell you, it will be more tolerable
for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.
And as for you, Capernaum:

Will you be exalted to heaven?
You will go down to the nether world.

For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom,
it would have remained until this day.
But I tell you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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There’s one thing that all parents, grandparents, priests, and ministers of the Gospel have in common: We plant seeds.

Seeds of kindness, hope, wisdom, love, and faith, often in the hearts of younger generations – children and grandchildren. 

Sometimes we live to see the fruit of our labor. Other times, we don’t.

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Such was the case for Father Isaac Jogues.

Isaac was a French Jesuit, who was one of the first missionaries to bring the Gospel to the Native Americans in the 1600’s. Four years before he was martyred, Isaac was beaten and tortured so badly that he was already regarded as a “living martyr.” 

He spent his ministry in America planting seeds of faith without seeing its fruit.

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Ten years after his death, a girl named Kateri was born in the village where Isaac was killed. Her parents and brother died in a smallpox epidemic when she was four. Raised thereafter by her uncle, Kateri was left nearly blind with scars across her face.

The locals called her, “Tekakwitha,” which meant, “she who bumps into things.”

Throughout her childhood, Kateri listened to other French priests who passed through her village, following in the footsteps of Fr. Isaac Jogues. 

Although she said nothing to them as a child, when she turned eighteen, she sought to be baptized. In a village that gave no welcome to Christians, Kateri became a Christian.

After enduring a year of abuse by her relatives for professing her faith, Kateri decided to make a 200-mile journey on foot to a Native and Christian village outside of Montreal. 

There she embraced a life of penance, praying for the conversion of her people, accepting Christ as her Spouse.

Almost 350 years later, in 2012, Kateri was canonized as the first Native American Saint.

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While Fr. Isaac Jogues died without ever seeing the fruit of his labor, he reminds us that some of the seeds we plant in life will, in time, bear good fruit. 

May we all find a way to plant a seed of faith in a child like Kateri today.

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Image credits: (1) Magnific (2) Instagram (3) Peak Beings Yoga

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Gospel: Matthew 10:34 – 11:1

Jesus said to his Apostles:
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.
I have come to bring not peace but the sword.
For I have come to set
a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one’s enemies will be those of his household.“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.“Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet’s reward,
and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is righteous 
will receive a righteous man’s reward.
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones to drink
because he is a disciple–
amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples,
he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!”

What is this “fire” Jesus is referring to? Certainly not the red-hot flames that singe and destroy. Rather, the “fire” of his divine love.

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If we are in a good place spiritually, then God’s fiery presence is a blessing. As the Psalmist proclaims, “Your word is a lamp for my path and a light – a fire – for my steps.”

That same divine presence fills our heart with fiery passion. As the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed, “Your WORD is like a fire in my bones; woe to me if I do not preach it!”

We often speak of people who are divinely inspired as being “on fire” with God’s Spirit. 

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However, if we are not in a good place spiritually, then that same divine fire can burn as it purifies our hearts.

For example, the first day of sobriety can feel like fire to an addict. But God is mercifully burning away an addiction that once held a person captive.

Telling the truth can feel like fire to someone caught in a lie. But God is burning away dishonesty. As it’s written elsewhere, “The Truth shall set you free.”

Forgiving a deep-seeded wound can feel like fire to someone who’s been nursing a grudge, but God is burning away the anger from a person’s heart.

An act of humility can feel like fire to our ego. But humility is always superior to pride.

Sobriety, honesty, forgiveness, humility, these are all good things! They’re necessary for healthy relationships and spiritual growth. But they can feel like fire to a person who is coming out of the darkness.

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Where does God’s presence feel like a soothing fire or a guiding light? And where might it burn?

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“I have come to set the earth on fire,” Jesus says, “and how I wish it were already blazing.” Lord, give us the welcome your evermore into our hearts, even when it burns. 

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Image credits: (1) Pantocrator, Sinai (2) Peak Beings Yoga (3) AnaStPaul