Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Matthew 18:21 – 19:1

Peter approached Jesus and asked him,
“Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive him?
As many as seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began the accounting,
a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
Since he had no way of paying it back,
his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property,
in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’
Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount.
He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
‘Pay back what you owe.’
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
But he refused.
Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison
until he paid back the debt.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,
they were deeply disturbed,
and went to their master and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?’
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”

When Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee
and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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There’s an old Swedish proverb, “Those who wish to sing always find a song.”

In good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, those who wish to sing always find a song.

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Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Maximillian Kolbe, priest and martyr.

Maximillian was one of millions of prisoners sent to Auschwitz, the most infamous death camp in history. 

One day while working in the camp, another prisoner tried escaping. Furious over the attempt, the camp guards selected ten other men to be put to death in his place.

One of the men selected pleaded for mercy, telling the guards that he was a father and a husband.

Then Saint Maximillian stepped forward and said, “I am a Catholic priest. Let me take his place.”

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Maximillian and the other nine men were thrown into a hole, condemned to death by starvation.

Heroically, Maximillian led those men in prayer for nearly two weeks.

Other prisoners personally recounted how their singing could be heard rising out of the ground at all hours of the day, making it sound like a church choir buried in the depths of Auschwitz. The hope was contagious. 

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So, what might Saint Maximillian’s life say to us today?

No matter where we find ourselves – in good times or in bad, in sickness or in health, on a mountaintop or in the belly of the earth – we all have a reason to sing a song.

Jesus has been raised from the dead, and because of him, so will Saint Maximillian, his companions, and all who’ve placed their hope in God. Saint Maximillian Kolbe, pray for us!

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Image credits: (1) Amazon.com (2) Hallow (3) iStock

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Gospel: Matthew 18: 15-20

Jesus said to his disciples:
“If your brother sins against you,
go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.
If he does not listen,
take one or two others along with you,
so that every fact may be established
on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church.
If he refuses to listen even to the Church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you,
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Some of us cringe at the idea of conflict. We’d rather hold things in, suck it up and keep the peace, than speak the truth. But the Lord reminds us in today’s Gospel that silence isn’t always possible. 

Sometimes, we need to talk.

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone,” Jesus says. 

It’s never a matter of if– but when– crucial conversations need to happen.

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Jesus had several such conversations with Peter.

For example, after giving Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven, Jesus predicts his crucifixion and death, which Peter protests vehemently. 

Immediately, the Lord pulls Peter aside, and says, “Get behind me, Satan! You are thinking not as God does but as human beings do.” 

A stern rebuke. But Peter humbly accepts his fault and gets back in line. 

Jesus and Peter have another crucial conversation after Peter denies knowing Jesus three times. Once the Lord is raised from the dead, he appears to Peter on the shores of Galilee and asks him simply, “Peter do you love me?”

Jesus doesn’t show up to shame Peter; rather, to be reconciled with him, to remind him of the responsibility he bears, and to send him out on mission.

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Like Peter, sometimes we make mistakes. We say or do things that hurt someone we love. And like Jesus, sometimes we’re the one who needs to speak up for the sake of reconciliation. 

When these crucial conversations happen, remember the promise of the Lord, who assures us, “Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in the midst of them.”

The Lord comes to bring us reconciliation and peace, even when it means… 

We need to talk.

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Image credits: (1) It’s a God thing (2) Domine, Quo Vadis! Annabale Caracci (3) The Sacred Page

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Gospel: Matthew 18: 1-5, 10, 12-14

The disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”
He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,
“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever becomes humble like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.
What is your opinion?
If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,
will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills
and go in search of the stray?
And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.
In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones be lost.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Chapter 18 of Matthew’s Gospel deals with Christian ethics. Jesus tells us how we are to behave in this world, using two familiar images – both of which provide points of reflection – a child and a sheep.

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First, the Lord tell us to turn – or return – to the innocence that we had as children. Back then, life was simple. We trusted our parents implicitly; we were arrestingly honest; humble; we saw the world with awe and wonder, and that made us joyful. 

Perhaps it’s an urban legend that children laugh 300 to 400 times per day. But adults certainly laugh less than children. Part of what Jesus is calling us to do is to find joy in simple things, to laugh more, and to trust God the way your children trust you.

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Secondly, see yourself as a sheep.

Sheep have a natural herding mentality. They know instinctively that they cannot survive on their own. Their strength does not come from within; rather, from their closeness to their shepherd.

Throughout our lives, we must fight against the temptation of self-reliance; we cannot make it through life alone. 

We need the strength that comes from living in community – in this community – and above all, the strength that comes from staying close to Jesus, our Good Shepherd.

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Am I joyful like a child? Do I laugh often? Do I trust the Lord implicitly?

Like a sheep, do I make every effort to stay close to my shepherd, or at times do I wander?

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“Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” the disciples ask Jesus.

Those who are joyful like children and stay with the flock.

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Image credits: (1) Daily Dependence (2) Adobe Stock (3) Psephizo