Author: admin

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Gospel: Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms,
do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you pray,
do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room,
close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you fast,
do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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On January 25^th, as snow was falling and freezing onto our streets, Olympians began to gather half-way around the world in the small, snowy, hilltop town of Cortina, located in the foothills of the Italian Alps. The time for the 2026 Winter Olympics had come.

Some of the greatest athletes in the world walked proudly into the Olympic stadium to the tune of their national anthems, with dreams of glory burning in their hearts.

Perhaps the most talked about athlete of all was Lindsey Vonn, the 41-year-old American gold medalist skier who came out of retirement for one last shot at victory. 

Although her Olympic dream ended after 13 seconds in a literal crash landing, she later posted on social media: “I hope if you take away anything from my journey it’s that you all have the courage to dare greatly. Life is too short not to.”

Vonn reminds us that we are not only capable of daring greatly, but we are also capable of doing great things. Competition is written into the human spirit. We all want to win – and some like her are willing to fight for it.

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Today, we mark the beginning of Lent – a forty-day journey into the desert with God. What are our hopes, even dreams, for this holy season?

Lent appropriately begins with Ash Wednesday, challenging our understanding of greatness. Were we only created for gold, a singular medal placed around our neck tied with ribbon? Or is there another dream – a bigger dream, a divine dream – we all share?

Saint Paul writes, “These athletes train for a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable one.” Much like downhill skiing, Paul describes Christianity in strongly athletic terms. When facing the end of his race, he wrote this to his spiritual son, Timothy.

“I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight; I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith… All that awaits me now is the crown of righteousness.”

Paul describes his faith journey in terms of effort; grit; sacrifice; and endurance. He exhausted himself for the sake of the Gospel. His goal was not a perishable, but an imperishable, crown.

One which everyone can be awarded.

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In a few moments, each of us will have a black cross of ash traced onto our foreheads. That cross is meant to remind us that everything and everyone in this world eventually returns to dust; even the world’s greatest athletes will fade into the annals of history.

But we who compete for the sake of the Gospel shall rise again, when God calls us by name, bestowing upon us glory beyond our wildest imagining.

This is the irony of our Christian faith. The only way up is down. Glory comes through humility. Blessings come from being last, from washing feet, from being the servant of all. And, mysteriously, death, my death, leads to life. 

Over these forty days of Lent, may we compete well, renewing our commitment to Christ and our neighbor through acts of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. May our goal be peace, inner renewal, and ultimately, an imperishable crown of glory.

Thanks be to God.

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Image credits: (1) WUKY, Winter Olympics Milano Cortina (2) Winter Olympics, Axios (3) Malcom Guite, WordPress

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Gospel: Mark 8.11-13

The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus,
seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.
He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said,
“Why does this generation seek a sign?
Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.”
Then he left them, got into the boat again,
and went off to the other shore.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Have you ever asked yourself the question, “What if?” 

What if I went to a different college? What if I took the road less traveled? What if I took a risk for Jesus? 

In today’s Gospel, I’m left wondering the same question, “What if?” 

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In three short verses, Jesus arrives on the shores of Galilee… then, immediately, he departs. Mark gives the impression that Jesus has barely gotten out of his boat before being confronted by the Pharisees, who are seeking another sign from him.

The Lord has already raised a girl from the dead, cast out an unclean spirit, and fed thousands after multiplying a few loaves of bread. What else do they need to see?

Dismayed by their unbelief, Jesus sighs from the “depths of his spirit,” gets back into his boat, and heads to a different shore.

What if the Lord passed by them and went into town anyway? What were his plans? Would he have taught in their synagogue? Performed another miracle? Raised someone else from the dead? Changed a community forever?

We’ll never know. The Pharisees’ unbelief sapped the Lord’s desire to do any good for them.

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I imagine Jesus arrives along the shores of our own hearts each morning, planning to do good. But he only stays when welcomed.

What if we invite him to step out of the boat, and do the good he has planned?

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Image credits: (1) What if Jesus, Kristene DeMarco, The Field (2) He Sat Down and Taught, Mark Manning, Altus Fine Art (3) Unsplash

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Gospel: Matthew 5:17-37

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses
that of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you,
whoever is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment;
and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’
will be answerable to the Sanhedrin;
and whoever says, ‘You fool,’
will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,
and there recall that your brother
has anything against you,
leave your gift there at the altar,
go first and be reconciled with your brother,
and then come and offer your gift.
Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court.
Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,
and the judge will hand you over to the guard,
and you will be thrown into prison.
Amen, I say to you,
you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.

“You have heard that it was said, 
You shall not commit adultery.
But I say to you,
everyone who looks at a woman with lust
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
If your right eye causes you to sin,
tear it out and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.
And if your right hand causes you to sin,
cut it off and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.

“It was also said,
Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.
But I say to you,
whoever divorces his wife –  unless the marriage is unlawful – 
causes her to commit adultery,
and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

“Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
Do not take a false oath,
but make good to the Lord all that you vow.
But I say to you, do not swear at all;
not by heaven, for it is God’s throne;
nor by the earth, for it is his footstool;
nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
Do not swear by your head,
for you cannot make a single hair white or black.
Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’
Anything more is from the evil one.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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After graduating from college, I became a third-grade teacher in one of the lowest performing public schools in the country through a program called Teach for America.

While rewarding, it certainly had its challenges – like trying to get every single one of my students to focus. Some days it felt like the kids would rather watch paint peel, than learn how to multiply or divide.

But one tactic guaranteed to break that slow glaze of boredom was the promise of playing a game. A class favorite was Simon Says.

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“Simon says, ‘Touch your nose.’”

“Simon says, ‘Touch your shoulder.’”

“Touch your head.”

It was hilarious watching the kids police each other. Twenty-two sets of eyes raced constantly across the room, trying to make sure no one else was cheating. 

When someone was caught, that person would hoot and holler in self-defense, claiming total innocence.

“Mr. K, he’s lying!” … “She’s cheating!” … “No, I’m not!” 

Right or wrong, honesty meant less than victory.

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Haven’t we all been there?

Maybe we cheated in a game as a child. Or we borrowed a neighbor’s answer on a test. Or let a lie slip. Maybe we “forgot” to include something on our taxes or found an opportune loophole year after year.

All this points to a humbling insight about humanity: at some point, we’ve all broken the rules. We convinced ourselves that no one was looking, or that no one would get hurt. So, we did what was easier or more convenient, instead of what was right. 

Saint Paul admits to having this struggle himself. “What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but what I hate.”

Why can it be so difficult for humans to follow the rules? To fess up? To take the high road? To follow Christ?

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The Greek philosopher, Plato, likened the human soul to a charioteer whose task it is to drive two different horses. One horse is gentle and mild, obedient to our commands. The other is wild and rebellious.

The name of the first horse is Reason. The second is Passion.

Reason and Passion constantly tug at our flesh.

For example, Reason would say, “I didn’t do what Simon says. I should sit down now. I’m out. Someone else will win.”

But Passion would say, “Nobody saw you! Stay in the game!”… Even, “Lie if you’re caught.”

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It’s our passions that Jesus is addressing in today’s Gospel, which is a continuation of his first public sermon. Seated high up on a mountain, the Lord surrounds himself with his disciples and first followers, sharing God’s vision for humanity with them.

There, Jesus reveals he is more than a dreamer. He begins by quoting the Law of Moses, which was considered eternal and unchangeable. Then he re-interprets it by saying, “But I say to you.” 

Jesus is not claiming to be a prophet. In the Old Testament, prophets would always begin by saying, “Thus says the LORD.” By calmly speaking for himself, he is putting himself on par with God.

This alarming claim doesn’t go unnoticed by his listeners who question, “What kind of authority has been given him?”

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At the heart of his teachings, the Lord proclaims that one must not only be externally pure; we must also live with a pure heart.

It’s not enough speak with honesty. We should never even think about telling a lie.

It’s not enough to refrain from harming another person. We should never harbor an unpleasant thought.

It’s not enough to feed the poor. We must also love them.

It’s not enough to know what is right. We must also do what is right with a joyful, generous heart. In fact, Jesus says the person who entertains the idea of doing wrong is as guilty as the one who does what is wrong.

“So, be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect,” he says. An impossible standard without the help of divine grace.

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As we prepare for the holy season of Lent, where might the Lord be directing our attention? What part of our heart may be deafened to his voice, hardened by anger, or caught in sin?

You might say, where does Passion overcome Reason?

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Simon says, “Let Christ control your heart.”

Only then can we be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.

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Image credits: (1) The Sermon on the Mount, by Carl Bloch (2) Ready Child (3) Augsborg Fortress