Author: admin

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Gospel: Luke 12: 49-53

Jesus said to his disciples:
“I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on a household of five will be divided,
three against two and two against three;
a father will be divided against his son
and a son against his father, 
a mother against her daughter
and a daughter against her mother,
a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!”

What is this “fire” that Jesus is referring to? 

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The divine “fire” of his red-hot love. 

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If you are in a good place spiritually, then that love feels like a “fire” in the best sense of the word – God’s love warms you and illumines your path.

As the Psalmist says, “Your word is a lamp for my path and a light – a ‘fire’ – for my steps.” 

God’s love can also fill your heart with fiery passion. As the prophet Jeremiah says, “Your WORD is like a fire in my bones; woe to me if I do not preach it!” 

We also see this divine fire at work in the lives of the Saints, who put God first in their lives.

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But, if you’re not in a good place spiritually, then that same divine “fire” can be painful as it purifies the heart.

For example, the first day of sobriety can feel like fire to an addict. But what is God doing? Burning away an addiction that once held them captive.

Telling the truth can feel like fire to someone caught in a lie. But God is burning away dishonesty in a relationship.

Forgiving a deep-seated wound can feel like fire to someone who’s been nursing a grudge. But God is burning the anger out of their heart.

An act of humility can feel like fire to our ego. But humility is always superior to pride.

Honesty, self-control, forgiveness, and humility … these are all good things! They’re necessary for spiritual growth and healthy relationships. But sometimes they burn; that’s the purifying hand of God at work in our lives.

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Where in my heart does that divine fire soothe? Where does it burn? 

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“I have come to set the earth on fire!” the Lord says. He has come to purify. May it begin with me.

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Image credits: (1) The Pilgrims’ Center, Facebook (2) Names of Jesus (3) Ursuline Sisters Mission

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Gospel: Luke 12: 39-48

Jesus said to his disciples: 
“Be sure of this:
if the master of the house had known the hour
when the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

Then Peter said,
“Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?”
And the Lord replied,
“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward
whom the master will put in charge of his servants
to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.
Truly, I say to you, he will put him
in charge of all his property.
But if that servant says to himself,
‘My master is delayed in coming,’
and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants,
to eat and drink and get drunk,
then that servant’s master will come
on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour
and will punish the servant severely
and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
That servant who knew his master’s will
but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will
shall be beaten severely;
and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will
but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating
shall be beaten only lightly. 
Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Saint Augustine once said, “I am terrified by what I am for you, but given comfort by what I am with you. For you, I am a bishop, but with you I am a Christian.”

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As bishop of the local church in Hippo, or what is modern-day Algeria, Augustine was entrusted by God with the responsibility of caring for the spiritual welfare of his flock. 

This included preaching the Gospel, teaching against heresy, administering the Sacraments, visiting the sick, burying the dead, managing finances, and so on.

This was a heavy yoke placed upon his shoulders, and he understood the enormity of the task. As Jesus says plainly in today’s Gospel, “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

In addition to the weight of his flock, Augustine was also a towering intellect, a prolific writer, and the most influential theologian of his age, if not ever. 

“I am terrified by what I am for you,” he says.

Had he misused his gifts – or led his flock into scandal – then the Lord would’ve held him accountable. This is partly why the pope and the local bishop are prayed for by name at each Mass; we ask God to grant them the grace to lead us honestly and courageously.

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Augustine’s consolation was not in his office as bishop, but in his identity as a baptized member of the Body of Christ. “I am given comfort by what I am with you,” he says.

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Fortunately, none of us has been given the enormous task of leading an entire diocese, or helping to shape Catholic theology as profoundly as Augustine did.

But we are all called to lead in various ways – I as pastor of this parish; you as protector of your family; all of us as Christians in this world. This responsibility should spark a holy fear – a type of awe – in our hearts.

We have been entrusted with much.

But with every layer of responsibility comes an equal – or greater – amount of grace. As Saint Paul reminds us, “We can do all things well through Christ who strengthens us.”

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Image credits: (1) Redbubble (2) FCE-Probitas (3) Seasonal Preaching

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Gospel: John 21: 15-17

After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and
eaten breakfast with them, he said to Simon Peter,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
He then said to Simon Peter a second time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
He said to him the third time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time,
“Do you love me?” and he said to him,
“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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I’m sure many of us remember where we were when we heard Pope John Paul II passed from this world, entering eternal life on April 2, 2005. 

It was my brother’s 21^st birthday.

I was a sophomore at Seton Hall University, just a few months away from becoming a Catholic. I remember being particularly moved by John Paul’s life and example, perhaps most famously for his message: “Do not be afraid.”

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The Lord tells us more than 300 times in the bible to not be afraid. It’s a call John Paul was reminded of throughout his life.

When he experienced the death of his mother at 9 years old, and then his father, and then his brother; when he was left alone without his deepest familial roots, the Lord said to him, “Do not be afraid.”

When the Nazi’s invaded his homeland, closed his university, and forced him to work in a factory, he remembered those words, “Do not be afraid.”

When war broke out and he risked his life entering a clandestine seminary to study for the priesthood, he remembered, “Do not be afraid.”

When he became a professor teaching at the only Catholic university behind the Iron Curtain in Lublin; when he was called to become a bishop for the persecuted flock in Poland; when he was elected pope in 1978, called to feed God’s sheep, echoing the call in today’s Gospel…

And when he breathed his last on April 2, 2005, he must’ve felt those words ring in the deepest chambers of his soul, which stayed with him since his youth:

“Do not be afraid.”

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John Paul’s journey is, in a sense, everyone’s journey. At certain times in life, we all need to remember the words of the Lord: “Do not be afraid. I have overcome the world.”

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May John Paul intercede for us, that God would give us the strength to follow him, not only today, but also into a future yet to be written.

Pope Saint John Paul II, pray for us.

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Image credits: (1) Redbubble (2) A-Z Quotes (3) Pinterest