Author: admin

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Gospel: Mt. 14.22-36

Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side of the sea,
while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them, walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
“It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.”
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him,
and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
“Truly, you are the Son of God.”

After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret.
When the men of that place recognized him,
they sent word to all the surrounding country.
People brought to him all those who were sick
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak,
and as many as touched it were healed.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Some of the most common fears people have are a fear of public speaking, heights, failure, snakes, and confined spaces. Maybe we have a combination of these.

Why are we so afraid?

Some psychologists say, we’re afraid of losing control. 

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Consider Saint Peter in today’s Gospel.

Although he’s stuck in a storm in the middle of the night, he’s relatively safe, holed up on a boat. Suddenly, he sees Jesus walking on the water towards him, so he cries out: 

“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”

And so, Jesus says, “Come.”

Understandably, Peter is terrified. He’s spent his whole life walking on land. I’m sure he never dreamt of doing anything more. The land is comfortable; sturdy; familiar. 

But the water can swallow him whole.

Still, the Lord invites him to take a risk – to move beyond his comfort zone – to walk on water.

Peter didn’t start sinking because he was incapable of doing what Jesus said. The Gospel tells us, “When he saw how strong the wind was, he became frightened.”

Peter was afraid. That’s why he began to sink.

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I wonder how much further we might advance in life – and in our spiritual lives – if we were less afraid of failing; sinking; losing control. 

While some forces may be stronger than us – much like the wind and water being stronger than Peter – Jesus assures us that we will not drown because he’s standing there with us. As the disciples say elsewhere, “Even the wind and the seas obey him.”

What would it look like for me to step outside of my comfort zone? To take a leap of faith?

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May we follow Christ out onto the water today.

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Image credits: (1) St.Catherineop.com (2) laymansbible.wordpress.com (3) Clear Bible, WordPress

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Gospel: Matthew 14: 13-21

When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,
he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said,
“This is a deserted place and it is already late;
dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages
and buy food for themselves.”
He said to them, “There is no need for them to go away;
give them some food yourselves.”
But they said to him,
“Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”
Then he said, “Bring them here to me,”
and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples,
who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied,
and they picked up the fragments left over–
twelve wicker baskets full.
Those who ate were about five thousand men,
not counting women and children.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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How did Jesus do it? How did he feed thousands of people with only five loaves and two fish?

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The honest answer is, we don’t know. All the Gospel tells us is that everyone ate and was “satisfied.”

While we have to accept the possibility that Jesus could’ve simply multiplied the loaves and fish himself, some scholars argue that he did it another way.

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Instead of just multiplying food, Jesus transformed human hearts, inspiring people in that crowd to see themselves as part of the solution.

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“Give them some food yourselves,” he says.

In other words, I’ll give away what’s here, but you must reach into your own pockets and share what you have, as well.

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Imagine everyone with bread quietly tucked inside their pockets, reaching out and sharing what they have with others.

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This, then, might’ve been an even greater miracle – teaching thousands of people an important life lesson.

When problems arise, we must see ourselves as part of the solution.

This is true in terms of resolving poverty, famine, war – and even those little conflicts that happen inside our homes.

Whenever we find problems that need to be solved, we must see ourselves like the disciples – as part of the solution.

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Image credits: (1) it-oLogy (2) Maggie Oldham, Modern Etiquette Coach (3) Simpsons, Twitter

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Gospel: Luke 12: 13-21

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,
“Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” 
He replied to him,
“Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” 
Then he said to the crowd,
“Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

Then he told them a parable. 
“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. 
He asked himself, ‘What shall I do,
for I do not have space to store my harvest?’
And he said, ‘This is what I shall do:
I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. 
There I shall store all my grain and other goods
and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you,
you have so many good things stored up for many years,
rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’
But God said to him,
‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’
Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves
but are not rich in what matters to God.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Imagine a three-year old walking gleefully out of an ice cream shop, grasping onto her mother with one hand and holding a big ice cream cone in the other. 

She goes to take her first lick of ice cream, when suddenly her single scoop slides off of her cone, crashing onto a red-hot side walk. 

She bursts into tears. Her whole world and happiness is gone. 

Her mom may even laugh, knowing there’s not only more ice cream, there’s also more to life. 

But this toddler’s had it. All she cared about is melting at her feet.

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Often enough, that’s us.

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While we know there’s so much more to life, we can spend a large part it distracted by worldly things – good things – such as planning for retirement, saving for college, re-modeling our homes, looking for the next trend, or buying our next toy.

But ask anyone who lost their home in the floods in Kentucky, life is fragile; all things in this world are passing, except for our faith in God.

“Seek first the kingdom of God,” Jesus says, “and everything else will be given to you.” Not only temporary things, but also life eternal.

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Today’s Gospel begins with a familiar scene: like a three-year-old weeping over melting ice cream, brothers are arguing over an inheritance. 

Money has ripped this family apart. So, the youngest brother seeks counsel from Jesus. Imagine that. This man can ask for anything … and he asks God for money.

Instead of arbitrating over this family affair, the Lord tells them a parable about a man who had more than enough. 

His harvest was so bountiful that he decided to retire early; he’d build bigger barns for himself, allowing him to, “rest, eat, drink, and be merry!”

But for his selfishness, God demanded his life that night. 

“What does it profit a man,” Jesus says, “to gain the whole world – to have a bountiful harvest, to be the sole heir, to build bigger barns – but to lose his soul?”

Jesus does not condemn this man’s work ethic; nor does he condemn his success; nor his desire to secure his future. 

Jesus condemns him because he focused solely on material things, much like a toddler licking her ice cream. His happiness was attached entirely to his harvest.

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So, what might this parable say to us?

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Certainly, there’s the warning not to get caught up in materialism. 

But there’s also the deeper challenge to keep God present in all areas of our life, which is a lesson that builds upon the Mary-Martha story we heard two weeks ago.

Remember what happened: Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to him speak. 

Meanwhile, Martha was banging pots and pans in the kitchen, angry at her absentee sister. When Martha goes to complain, Jesus tells her she’s, “anxious and worried about many things.”

To be “worried” means, “to strangle.” 

Martha became so preoccupied with getting dinner done, that she strangled all of the grace out of her work. Jesus was no longer the center of her mind; she was.

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The man in today’s parable is no different. God isn’t the center of his life; he is. “I know what I shall do!” he says. “I shall build bigger barns! I shall rest, eat, drink, and be merry!”

He refers to himself eight times in this passage!

He’s tricked himself into believing he could secure his own future, without ever asking, “Lord, what is your will for me?” He’s chosen to squeeze God out of the picture.

And so, this man loses his “life.” The word used here means more than “time on earth;” this man lost his soul, all for a harvest of grain.

“O vanity of vanities!”

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At times we can all focus too heavily on worldly things – even when they’re good things. Perhaps this is where the Gospel is leading us to focus this week:

Do I find my security in things other than God? How attached am I to people and fleeting things?

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“Store up for yourselves treasure in heaven,” Jesus says.

Treasure, which comes by keeping God – not passing things – at the center of our lives.

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Image credits: (1) St. Michael Catholic Church, Livermore, CA (2) Sun Journal (3) iStock