Author: admin

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Gospel: Luke 12:1-7

At that time:
So many people were crowding together 
that they were trampling one another underfoot.
Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples,
“Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees.

“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness
will be heard in the light,
and what you have whispered behind closed doors
will be proclaimed on the housetops.
I tell you, my friends,
do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but after that can do no more.
I shall show you whom to fear.
Be afraid of the one who after killing
has the power to cast into Gehenna;
yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.
Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?
Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.
Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.
Do not be afraid.
You are worth more than many sparrows.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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The words, “Do not be afraid,” appear more than 100 times in the bible.

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It’s what Moses told the Israelites while the Lord was leading them out slavery in Egypt into the Promised Land.

“Do not be afraid.”

They’re the same words the Archangel Gabriel spoke to Mary before she conceived in her womb.

“Do not be afraid.” 

It’s what Jesus tells his disciples in today’s Gospel and, again, after his resurrection. Hard days were ahead for those early Christians, but Jesus tells them: “Do not be afraid.” 

Some 2,000 years later, after Communism fell in Europe, Pope John Paul II reminded Catholics around the world, “Do not be afraid.”

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It’s a timely message for all of us. 

People around the world are still afraid of COVID; afraid of returning to work; afraid of not finding a job; afraid of a health scare; afraid of their children losing faith; afraid of being alone.

Jesus is with us! He’s stronger than the trials we face.

Whatever God wants us to accomplish in this world, we will do through Christ who strengthens us.

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“Do not be afraid,” Jesus says, “I have overcome the world.”

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Image credits: (1) Catholic Life, Diocese of Lacrosse (2) Pantocrator (3) Dominican Sisters of Mary, sistersofmary.org

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Gospel: Luke 11:42-46

The Lord said:
“Woe to you Pharisees!
You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb,
but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God.
These you should have done, without overlooking the others.
Woe to you Pharisees!
You love the seat of honor in synagogues
and greetings in marketplaces.  
Woe to you!
You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.”

Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply,
“Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.”
And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law!
You impose on people burdens hard to carry,
but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Saint Ignatius of Antioch was one of the very first Christian martyrs. Once while preaching, he said, “Do not have Jesus Christ on your lips and the world in your heart.”

We must choose one.

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The scribes and Pharisees hadn’t learned that lesson. They spoke of God, and claimed to be his representatives on earth, but they were obsessed with things of this world – money, pride, power, image, and prestige.

They were religious on the outside, but defiled on the inside. “You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk,” Jesus says.

Jesus sees through their outward appearance and directly into their hearts. 

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While it’s easy to criticize these religious figures from long ago, you and I face the same temptations they did – namely to, “have God on our lips but the world in our hearts.”

Whether we cling to wealth; nurse old grudges; or judge our neighbors unfairly, these things must be removed from our hearts.

May the Spirit continue to transform us so that every word we speak and every action we take brings glory to God. 

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Image credits: (1) AnaStpaul (2) Christ and the Pharisees, Ernst Zimmerman (3) 412teens.org

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Gospel: Luke 11: 37-41

After Jesus had spoken,
a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home.
He entered and reclined at table to eat.
The Pharisee was amazed to see
that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal.
The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees!
Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,
inside you are filled with plunder and evil.
You fools!
Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?
But as to what is within, give alms,
and behold, everything will be clean for you.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Some of you have heard me speak a lot recently about transactional versus transformative relationships.

A transactional relationship is like a business deal. 

When you pull into a gas station, for example, an attendant comes to your car, pumps your gas, then you pay them. There’s not a change in either person’s heart; only an exchange of gas for money.

There’s nothing wrong with this type of relationship within certain areas of our lives. But transactional relationships can also apply to religion.

It’s possible to go to Mass, for example, simply out of obligation. We show up. We check a box. While we’re physically present, if there’s no inner transformation or a change in a person’s heart, then it becomes a transactional experience.

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While it’s always a good thing to come to church, God wants more for us. He wants everyone to have transformational faith – faith that changes our lives for the better.

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This is why Jesus is challenging the Pharisee in today’s Gospel.

This Pharisee is a law-abiding Jew. He knows the rules of his religion and he follows them well. But he’s not inwardly transformed by his practice. His relationship with God is transactional.

He washes his hands before a meal. He’s done what he’s obligated to do. Now on to the next thing.

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How much of my own relationship with God is transactional? And how much of it is transformative?

Can I remember coming to Mass and feeling inwardly changed?

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This is God’s desire for us: that we always leave his house changed for the better.

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Image credits: (1) International Association of Fire Chiefs (2) Ocean’s Bridge, Emmaus: Christ Breaking Bread (3) Crosswalk.com