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 others 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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Jesus’ words were scandalous when he spoke them, because he accuses the scribes and Pharisees of being “hypocrites.” 

Phonies.

Originally, a “hypocrite” referred to someone who wore a mask. So, he’s telling these men that they’re like actors on a stage. 

Their real identity – an ugly one at that – is concealed by their overflowing robes and fluency of rules.

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Unfortunately, there always will be people like the scribes and Pharisees, who use religion as a cloak. They appear holy on the outside, but are defiled – unclean – within.

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That is not us.

We’ve gathered here this morning because we want to love and serve the Lord. We want to be holy. So, what does this Gospel have to do with us?

There’s always the temptation to become comfortable with religion, to reach a point where we no longer change within.

Perhaps our prayers have become rote; we say the words without attaching our hearts to them. Or we stop the Spirit from inching us out of our comfort zones. Or we slow our efforts at charity.

But faith is meant to stretch us; to challenge us to love more; to serve longer; to pray harder; to live more humbly; to resist becoming complacent in our relationship with God.

“Do not be like the hypocrites,” Jesus says. Allow the Holy Spirit to stretch you a little more today.

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Image credits: (1) Adobe Stock, Hypocrite Images (2) Embracing Brokenness Ministries (3) City of Liberty International Church

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Gospel: Matthew 5:43-48

Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
    You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers only,
what is unusual about that?
Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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If you have ever played a video game, then you know that there is always a series of levels. 

The first level is the easiest, and the final level is the most difficult.

Sometimes it takes multiple tries before you succeed in beating that final level… but if you do, then you’ve mastered the game.

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If Christianity were likened to a video game, then today’s Gospel would be the final level: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. 

If you can freely do this, then you’ve mastered Christianity. 

Have I mastered Christianity?

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Most of us likely have not. There are some mountains too tall for us to climb, humanly speaking. Forgiving those who’ve hurt us can be one of them. But with God, all things are possible.

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Perhaps one of the most difficult places to live it out this teaching is within our own homes. Can we strive for peace today, by choosing mercy over anger, love over resentment?

This is how the game is mastered, so to speak, by praying for the grace to put our faith into practice one day, one relationship at a time.

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Image credits: (1) Orthodox Christianity (2) Jewish Link (3) BRC Recovery

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Gospel: John 16: 12-15

Jesus said to his disciples:
“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Over the last century, psychologists like Sigmund Freud have studied the human mind, curious to know what makes us tick.

Why do we behave in certain ways? How do we cope with living in an imperfect world? How do we respond to stimulation, even trauma? 

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Perhaps one of the more interesting psychological conditions they’ve identified is narcissism. It’s been defined as, “extreme self-involvement to the degree that it makes a person ignore the needs of those around them.”

While we don’t know the precise cause, it may be a reaction to trauma. For example, if a person experiences deep shock and isn’t able to cope, then he or she begins putting up emotional walls to avoid ever feeling hurt again.

This fear of hurt becomes so severe that it prevents that person from entering into deep, nurturing relationships.

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Although narcissism is rare, psychologists also say that this tendency to put walls up is something that we all do in mild form; it’s a defense mechanism.

We can all identify a moment when we were hurt: someone bullied us on the bus; we were harassed at work; we were a victim of racism or prejudice; we lost a loved one; or experienced a broken heart.

So, we put up a wall, which may be temporary or long-standing.

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This tendency to defend – or separate – ourselves from others dates back to the Garden of Eden. 

What happened when God questioned Adam and Eve? “Have you eaten from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat?” God asks Adam.

(Eve, here comes the bus).

“She made me do it!” he says.

Adam separates himself from Eve. He fears being punished by God for a mistake that he freely made, so he places the blame on Eve. With that, Adam and Eve’s unity is broken – and by extension, the unity of all mankind.

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How many of us have had an “Adam and Eve” experience? A relationship we once valued was damaged, even broken?

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This is what makes being human so hard. We all want to experience intimacy; we all want to enter into relationships with other people. We want friends, perhaps a spouse, companions for our journey.

Sometimes those relationships hurt us, so we start to defend ourselves. But, why do we not give up? In spite of being hurt, why are we willing to try again?

Because we were made in the image and likeness of God, who lives in relationship.

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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Trinity, our belief that God is One in Three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

While this is ultimately a mystery – God’s inner life is beyond our understanding – what we might say is this: God lives without walls.

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit love one another so intensely that their bond cannot be broken; they cannot be separated.

They are the opposite of Adam and Eve.

We were made in this image and likeness; like magnets, we’re drawn to other people because we have this innate desire to live like God does – in perfect harmony with those around us.

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This is God’s will for us – to live together. To live in peace.

So, where might I need the Lord’s help? What relationship in my life needs some repair?

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Hurt is part of being human. Separation is part of our story, dating back to Adam and Eve. 

But today’s feast reminds us that we were made – not for brokenness – but for harmony. 

The more we strive for that unity, the more we reflect the inner life of God.

And who doesn’t want that?

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Image credits: (1) The Trinity, Taddeo Crivelli (2) About Childhood Trauma Recovery (3) Trinity, Andrei Rublev