Jesus said to his disciples, “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the one through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive him.”
And the Apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Jesus often uses strange, mysterious language to describe the power of faith.
“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,” he says in today’s Gospel, “then you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”
I’ve never wrapped my arms around a mulberry tree, but I imagine I’d look like a fool if I tried pulling one out of the earth. After a tug or two, my arms would be scratched and red all over, causing me to lose heart and give up.
Not even the world’s strongest person could uproot a tree with their bare hands.
But with faith, anyone can do it, Jesus says, because faith derives its power from God.
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What does this mean more concretely?
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There are all kinds of unwelcome things – people, habits, memories, experiences, emotions – that get deeply rooted in our hearts.
We want them gone. We try to uproot them, but for one reason or another, we cannot summon the strength.
This is where faith comes in.
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It may require asking the Lord over and over again, but with daily faith the size of a mustard seed, that mulberry tree can be cast into the sea.
It begins, as with all things in the spiritual life, by turning to the Lord.
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Image credits: (1) A Christian Pilgrimage, WordPress (2) One More River To Cross, WordPress.com (3) Inklings Community
Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward.
Jesus said to them, “The children of this age marry and remarry; but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise. That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called out ‘Lord, ‘ the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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As we begin the month of November, the days become shorter, darker, and colder, reminding us that, like this calendar year, most things come to an end.
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On Wednesday, we also celebrated All Souls Day, another reminder of the quick passage of time. So many present were here to pray for their loved ones, who have gone home to the Lord.
The beauty of our faith is rooted in our belief in eternal life, that those who have died will, indeed, live again.
As Jesus says in today’s Gospel, “They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise.”
But the odd truth is, we don’t know what it’ll be like. Haven’t you ever wondered, “What is heaven like?”
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In my ministry, I’ve spoken with several people who seemed to be near the end, but came back to life. They described a feeling of warmth; of light; of being in the presence of their loved ones. They experienced a peaceful place.
But, again, what is heaven like?
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While I hope to find out someday, I’ve never been. But I’d like to share an image that I reflect upon from time to time. It’s something that I shared with my mother during her final days on earth. It was an image that brought her comfort and peace.
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When I was in college, I went to the Grand Canyon with several of my friends. When we arrived at the Northern Rim Trail, I was speechless. I’d never seen anything so vast, so wide, so colorful, so beautiful.
At first, it was overwhelming.
But after adjusting to the view, I reached out to put my arms around my buddies. Although the canyon itself never changed, somehow seeing it with my friends made it even more beautiful.
And, I thought, that must be what heaven is like.
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Upon arriving in the kingdom of God, I’m sure we’ll be amazed by its beauty – how vast, how wide, how colorful, how deep.
But after adjusting to this new reality, we’ll do what I naturally did while standing at the Northern Rim Trail: we’ll reach out for our loved ones.
Although God never changes, somehow our experience of being in God’s kingdom does, because the more people there are, the more beautiful it becomes.
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And, so, when I think of heaven, I think of my mother sitting on a park bench at the Northern Rim Trail. She’s safe; she’s joyful; she sees the glory of God.
It’s an incredible view.
But she’s also reaching out for me – waiting – until I come home. When I finally have the chance to sit next to her, somehow that same place will become even more beautiful.
If we expand this idea, then we might imagine all of humanity standing – or sitting – at the Northern Rim Trail. Imagine all of us waiting for one last person to enter the kingdom of God.
Once he or she does, our experience of waiting will be over; our joy will be complete. We’ll join hands and rejoice forever.
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Often, we dream of heaven being a place filled with Saints – gloriously crowned, bowed in humility, praising God with the angels.
But if you look at that the picture below, then you’ll see a familiar, perhaps more accessible image.
That, to me, represents “all generations.”
I see a father and his two sons. An elderly couple, perhaps married for half a century. Parents. Aunts. Uncles. Friends waiting for friends.
Who do you see on that bench? Who has gone before you into the kingdom of God?
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“They are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise,” Jesus says.
So, what will heaven be like?
I’m not sure. But something tells me, it’ll be even more beautiful than the Grand Canyon. And Mom will be there waiting for me with Jesus.
And not only her, but all who’ve desired to be in the kingdom of God.
There’s room for us all.
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Image credits: (1) www.cbn.com (2) Tyndale House Publishers, What Will We Look Like in Heaven? (3) Grand Canyon Northern Rim Trail, Chris Arndt
Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. He summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.’ The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.’ He called in his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’ Then to another he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘One hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.’ And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the children of light.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Many work hard to achieve the American Dream. We spend our youth preparing for college, our working years advancing our career, and in the end, we hope to leave an inspiring legacy for those who come after us.
That’s a good thing. It’s good to work hard, to be creative, to take initiative.
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That’s why Jesus praises the dishonest steward in today’s Gospel.
Though he’s made several mistakes and wasted his master’s fortune, this steward devises a scheme to repay those debts while forging new business relationships for the future.
He’s determined and creative. And because of it, he carves out a future for himself, even after being fired.
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Jesus challenges us to put that same type of effort into our spiritual lives – to be as determined to serve the Lord as we are to be successful in life.
For example, some men pride themselves on being good mechanics; they believe they can fix anything.
Jesus might say to us today, “Brothers, are you as good at fixing the wounds in your family or the wounds in your heart as you are at fixing your car?”
Or, “Do you work as hard at being holy as you do at being successful?”
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Many women pride themselves on their ability to creatively turn their house into a tastefully decorated home.
Jesus might ask, “Are you as equally creative in cultivating Christian virtues – charity, patience, and forgiveness in your family?”
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That’s the Gospel challenge – to be as determined in spiritual affairs as we are in worldly affairs.
How might we put effort into our spiritual lives today?
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Image credits: (1) SLO Classical Academy (2) St. Mary Magdalen Orthodox Church (3) Henri Nouwen, Quote Fancy
