Author: admin

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Gospel: Matthew 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.”
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
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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Peter is understandably afraid. Until now, he’s only walked on land. Never would he have imagined walking on water, which could swallow him whole.

Still, the Lord dares Peter to step out of his comfort zone; to trust that Peter can do something new – something radical – with the Lord’s blessing.

We don’t know how far Peter walked, whether it was one foot or a thousand before the wind screamed loud enough and the waves reached high enough that he lost his newfound freedom and began to sink. 

But while he trusted Jesus, Peter was as light as a feather. When he reached his limit and fear filled his heart, he sank like lead.

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I wonder if any of the other disciples would’ve been inspired to follow Peter’s example, stepping out of the boat, had he stayed out on the water. 

Would they have surprised Jesus by their courage? Or could each of the disciples have walked on water with enough trust? 

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We’ve all stood on the edge of that proverbial boat before, knowing that Jesus is calling us to take a leap of faith.

Whether it’s an addict being invited to stand on the waters of sobriety.

A newly married couple being inspired to bring life into the world.

Or an otherwise ordinary day when, suddenly, we have an impulse to do something kind, beautiful, even BIG for God.

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Walking on land is boring in that sense. We all do it.

But those who put their trust in Christ can do so much more, for our God is the One, “whom even the winds and the sea obey.”

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Image credits: (1) Christ Walking on Water, Julius Sergius von Klever (2) Christ Walking on the Sea, Amédeé Verint (3) iStock

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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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Arthur Brooks is a Catholic professor at Harvard, who teaches an elective on happiness. This is currently the most popular class on campus with a waiting list of over 400 students!

Brooks claims that all of his students are right-brained, intelligent, high-achievers who have a world of possibilities before them, yet many struggle with feeling unhappy or depressed… and they want to better understand why.

While there can be many factors underlying these feelings, Brooks says that one trap any human being can fall into – not just students at Harvard – is what he calls the “arrival fallacy.”

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The “arrival fallacy” is the belief that achieving a long-term goal will make us happy. Yet when we do, the feeling is short-lived.

Consider Scottie Scheffler.

Scheffler is currently the best golfer in the world. (I’m jealous). But after winning his last major golf tournament, Scheffler admitted that the happiness he felt from all of his worldly success was short lived.

Sometimes the euphoria of winning only lasted a matter of minutes.

“You get there,” he said to reporters after raising his trophy and receiving a seven-figure payout, “you get to No. 1 in the world, and you’re like, ‘What’s the point?’ … Does it fill the deepest wants and desires of my heart?”

“Absolutely not.”

Standing on top of the world, Scheffler speaks prophetically: we need more than worldly success or “larger barns” to be happy.

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In today’s Gospel, a man feels miffed by his older brother. Their father has died and now the man wants his share of the family wealth. 

“Teacher,” he says to Jesus, “tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” According to the Book of Deuteronomy, the eldest son was poised to receive double the inheritance of any younger brother, leaving this man feeling cheated.

Doesn’t he sound a lot like Martha, whom we encountered in the Gospel a few weeks ago?

Martha and her sister, Mary, hosted the Lord for a meal. But after working in the kitchen for some time by herself, Martha stormed into the living room, interrupted Jesus, accused her sister of causing all of her anxiety, then commanded Jesus, “Tell her to help me!”

Both Martha and this disgruntled younger brother believe they have the solution to their unhappiness – either more wealth or a helping hand from their sibling. They just need Jesus to issue the verdict.

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Peering into this disgruntled brother’s heart, Jesus offers him a parable, instead. A rich man’s land produced a bountiful harvest. So, he asked himself, “What shall I do, for I do not have enough 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 I’m left wondering, be merry with whom?

This man never considers anyone other than himself. Foolishly, he believes he’ll be content, not with people, but with things. Then God demands his life that very night.

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If the disgruntled younger brother is not careful, then he can become the man in the parable – selfish, greedy, entirely alone.

The fact that he’s arguing with his older brother over a family inheritance implies that he already has enough to survive; if they were poor, then there would’ve been nothing to argue about! 

But money is always about more than money. In this case, money aggravates an already fragile relationship between brothers.

Thus, what both men should be concerned about more than their father’s estate is reconciliation. If they cannot learn the art of forgiveness, then neither will live in peace; the anger and resentment will simmer, slowly burning away any peace in their hearts.

Secondly, they – and we – should be weary of the “arrival fallacy.” 

While there is an undeniable sense of satisfaction that comes from achieving our worldly goals – even our share of an inheritance – lasting happiness is not the fruit of raising a trophy or building larger barns. 

According to Arthur Brooks, the path to happiness is a bit more complex. In fact, he identifies six different behaviors that happy people practice, which the man in the parable does not:

Happy people ask deep questions. They fall in love. They look upward. They’re spiritual or philosophical. They find a calling in their work. They seek beauty in nature, art, and music. And they’re not afraid of suffering.

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Do these ideas of happiness resonate with me? 

Like Scottie Scheffler, have I come to see there’s more to life than winning?

Or, do I find myself building larger barns in an effort to make myself happy? 

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“Be rich in what matters to God,” Jesus says.

Ask the bigger questions.

Share life’s blessings with others.

Fall in love.

Then we’ll be happy.

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Image credits: (1) Maria Moor, Medium (2) Parsippany United Methodist Church (3) Medium

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Gospel: Matthew 13: 54-58

Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue.
They were astonished and said,
“Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?
Is he not the carpenter’s son?
Is not his mother named Mary
and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
Are not his sisters all with us?
Where did this man get all this?”
And they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them,
“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and in his own house.”
And he did not work many mighty deeds there
because of their lack of faith.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Mother Teresa used to run a school for street children in downtown Calcutta. Written on the wall outside the school’s entrance was a set of teachings everyone was encouraged to follow, including the following: 

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People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

The good you do today will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

In the end, what you do is between you and God. It’s never between you and them anyway.

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In the Gospel, Jesus returns to his hometown, where he’s not welcomed like one might expect. Rather, he’s bombarded with skepticism and doubt as people question, “Where did this man get such wisdom? … Is he not the carpenter’s son?” 

Rather than trying to fit in, the Lord chooses to be himself, to preach the truth, and then move on to the next town.

Some will come to believe in him because of his words, while others will not. But he’s not out to please the locals anyway; he only wants to do his Father’s will.

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Similarly, sometimes the good we do either goes unnoticed by others or is taken for granted. 

Do good anyway.

The one we seek to please is not of this world; like Jesus, we serve our Father in heaven.

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Image credits: (1) Cornerstone Magazine (2) The Independent (3) Pinterest