Author: admin

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Gospel: Matthew 13:54-58

Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue.
They were astonished and said,
“Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?
Is he not the carpenter’s son?
Is not his mother named Mary
and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
Are not his sisters all with us?
Where did this man get all this?”
And they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them,
“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and in his own house.”
And he did not work many mighty deeds there
because of their lack of faith.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Mother Teresa used to run a school for street children in downtown Calcutta. Written on the wall outside the school’s entrance was a set of teachings everyone was encouraged to follow, including the following: 

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People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

The good you do today will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

In the end, what you do is between you and God. It’s never between you and them anyway.

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That last rule, in particular, speaks to the heart of today’s Gospel. 

Jesus returns to his hometown, where he begins preaching in the synagogue. I presume he not only shared the good news of salvation with them; he also spoke to them about the various miracles he performed, including healing the sick and calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee.

His disciples must’ve verified his claims, telling others they saw such works with their own eyes!

Still, the Lord is not received the way one would hope. Instead of awe and wonder, Jesus is bombarded with skepticism as people question, “Where did this man get such wisdom? … Is he not the carpenter’s son?” 

While their lack of faith must’ve felt like a dagger in his heart, the Lord’s inner peace was never dependent upon other people’s approval; his sole focus was doing the will of his Father. 

So, it is with us. We live to love and serve the Lord.

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As Mother Teresa reminded those school children in Calcutta, “What you do is between you and God. It’s never between you and them anyway.”

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Image credits: (1) QuoteFancy (2) Bible Trek, Nazareth Series, YouTube (3) AZQuotes

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Gospel: Matthew 13: 47-53

Jesus said to the disciples:
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind.
When it is full they haul it ashore
and sit down to put what is good into buckets.
What is bad they throw away.
Thus it will be at the end of the age.
The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous
and throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”

“Do you understand all these things?”
They answered, “Yes.”
And he replied,
“Then every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of heaven
is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom
both the new and the old.”
When Jesus finished these parables, he went away from there.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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There were two different kinds of nets the Apostles would’ve used as fishermen. Each had its own name. One was a casting net. It was tied to a fisherman’s arm then thrown into the sea while standing along the shoreline.

The second was a drag net, which was thrown out of the back of a fisherman’s boat. Once he started accelerating, the net would sink into the water, collecting whatever was in its path. Only after the net was hauled ashore, could the fisherman separate the good from the rotten fish.

It’s this – the second type of net, the drag net – which Jesus is referring to in today’s Gospel.

“The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,” he says, “which collects fish of every kind. When it is full, they haul it ashore.”

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There are three movements happening here. 

First, the net is cast. Second, it collects everything in its path. Third, the contents are revealed – and judged.

We are living in that second movement.

The Church is the fishing net already cast into the sea. It is our role and responsibility to bring as many people into it as possible. 

Judgment doesn’t happen until the end of time, when the net is hauled ashore and Christ the Fisherman determines who’s in versus who’s out.

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This parable may leave some feeling challenged while others comforted, as the Lord instructs us plainly to welcome all into the Church. He will separate who is good from who is bad at the end of the age.

How does this parable fit with my own understanding and experience of the Church?

Do I seek to welcome all? Do I judge others prematurely, prior to the net reaching the shore?

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“The kingdom of heaven … collects fish of every kind,” the Lord says.

May we do as we are told, casting our nets far and wide.

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Image credits: (1) GotQuestions.org (2) kindlings.org (3) MyWaterEarth&Sky

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Gospel: Matthew 13: 44-46

Jesus said to his disciples:
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides again,
and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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What are two of the most important words any Christian can say?

“Yes, Jesus.”

In Latin, Iesu ita. 

Some say it’s from these two words, Iesu ita, that we get the word, “Jesuit.”

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Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, a man who not only founded the Jesuit religious order, but also lived his life according to those words, “Yes, Jesus.”

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Prior to his conversion, Ignatius was a soldier in the Spanish army, who desired nothing more than glory in war. But his life changed after suffering a terrible leg injury, landing him bedridden in a hospital for months.

Reluctantly, Ignatius started reading the biographies of different Saints, as there were no other books available. But their stories inspired him so deeply that he converted to Catholicism and decided he would do his best to become a Saint, too. 

After being ordained a Catholic priest, Ignatius founded the Jesuits with a few friends and a vow to live those two simple words: Iesu ita.

“Yes Jesus.”

500 years later, there are more than 17,000 Jesuits sharing the Gospel across the globe, including Pope Francis!

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In the spirit of Ignatius, what might saying Iesu ita, “yes Jesus” mean for me today?

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Image credits: (1) Medium (2) Jesuitespao.com (3) Creative Fabrica