Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Matthew 10:34 – 11:1

Jesus said to his Apostles:
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.
I have come to bring not peace but the sword.
For I have come to set
a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one’s enemies will be those of his household.

“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

“Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet’s reward,
and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is righteous 
will receive a righteous man’s reward.
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones to drink
because he is a disciple–
amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”

When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples,
he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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“I have come to bring not peace, but the sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother.”

This does not sound like the jovial Jesus so many of us adore. So, what does Jesus mean by such harsh, divisive words?  

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Practicing Jews would’ve understood. The Old Testament is filled with prophesies about the coming of the Lord. 

Two of them reference bringing, “not peace, but the sword,” and, “setting a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother.” When these things happen, the kingdom of God is at hand.

God’s presence on earth would bring a period of judgment and division, splitting families. Not because God seeks to divide, but because people respond to faith differently.

That’s a tension every family experiences.

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Often in ministry, I encounter grandparents concerned about the baptism – not of their children, but their grandchildren. The faith which they tried handing on from one generation to the next has been weakened over time for one reason or another. That causes division!

Or couples who marry. I’ve spoken with many spouses concerned about faith. One feels God is moving deeper into their heart, while the other is increasingly distant from God. That threatens the intimacy of the couple.

Or young people who want to do something beautiful for God. In my case, being ordained a priest. My vocation wasn’t accepted by all.

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“I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother.”

While these seem to be difficult words from our Lord, Jesus is not seeking to divide families. But he is pointing out the sad truth that people respond to faith differently. Some with joy and surrender, others with indifference, even rejection.

Perhaps today we can pray for all families experiencing this tension of belief. May the Lord, who alone grants the gift of faith, transform doubt into faith. Doing so will bring not the sword, but unity, peace, and above all, salvation.

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Image credits: (1) Regnum Christi (2) ConnectUs (3) A Knight’s Blog, Sword: Word of God

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Gospel: Matthew 13: 1-9

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. 
Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore. 
And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:
“A sower went out to sow. 
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and birds came and ate it up. 
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. 
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,
and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots. 
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. 
But some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. 
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Can you think of something, some moment, or someone that’s changed your life?

It could’ve been a college acceptance letter. A marriage proposal. A job opportunity. An “aha” moment. A word spoken in prayer.

For me, it’s been discovering the Bible. God’s Word has been my foundation since I was a boy. I remember being sixteen years old, reading the Bible from cover to cover, sparking my journey with Jesus.

Each page was like another seed planted, which slowly began changing me.

In the words of the prophet Jeremiah, “When I found your words, I devoured them. They became my happiness and the joy of my heart.”

Now that Word has touched even the harder to reach places of my heart. 

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus likens his Father to a farmer who sows seed. He throws it everywhere – not only on rich, fertile soil, but also on arid, thorny, and rocky ground.

To me, that makes God seem like a lousy farmer, but a loving Father. A lousy farmer because he tosses seed everywhere– even in places that have little chance for growth.

But a loving Father for the very same reason; God holds out hope that even those arid, rocky, or thorny places inside of us may one day change and bear good fruit. 

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So, what prevents our hearts from being fertile, or receptive to God’s Word?

Perhaps it’s the fear of change; an attachment to worldly things; doubt; or unhealthy habits. Things any human can experience. Still, the Lord speaks to us; he scatters the seed of his word, hoping one day it will take root.

Think of some of the Gospel verses we’ve heard in the last few weeks: “Do not be afraid.” … “Come to me, all you who are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest.” … “Whoever has ears ought to hear.” 

The Lord knows the most resistant parts of our hearts can be cultivated with the right amount of care – and persistence. As the prophet Isaiah says in our first reading, God’s Word will not return to Him void.

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So, what makes soil fertile? Or how do we become receptive to God’s Word?

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In order to become fertile, soil must first be broken open, tossed about, and repeatedly separated. It’s a type of chaos that prepares the ground to receive seeds. Once planted and watered, those seeds begin taking root, and, eventually, bear fruit.

In a sense, our hearts must be broken open – or vulnerable in some way – before they can truly become receptive to God’s Word. Think about those days when I was a curious teenager searching for answers, reading the bible from cover to cover.

Or think about those 42 young people traveling with me to World Youth Day in two weeks. They’re open to God and his Word in a way they may never have been before.

Opportunity opens our hearts to grace.

But so does suffering.

Think about the first time a person walks into an AA meeting.

Or the moment a relationship you valued ends.

Or when life takes a sudden, unexpected turn for the worse.

These moments are chaotic; they stir something inside of us. 

And God, the lousy farmer and loving Father, is there scattering seed, throwing his Word at us, hoping it may take root. As Jesus said in last week’s Gospel, “Come to me, all you who are heavy burdened and I will give you rest.”

When a weary heart is broken open, there’s a chance God’s Word will take root and bear fruit.

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Has the Word of God changed me? 

Do I hear it only at Mass, or also at home? 

Even something as simple as keeping a bible by your bedside, reading a few verses before you go to sleep can allow God to speak to you!

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Can you think of something, some moment, or someone that’s changed your life?

Hopefully we can all say, “The Bible.”

In the words of Jeremiah, the prophet, “When I read your words, I devoured them. They became my happiness and the joy of my heart,” even today.

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Image credits: (1) Vocal Media (2) Christianity (3) Knowing-Jesus.com

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Gospel: Matthew 10: 16-23

Jesus said to his Apostles:
“Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves;
so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.
But beware of men, 
for they will hand you over to courts
and scourge you in their synagogues,
and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake
as a witness before them and the pagans.
When they hand you over,
do not worry about how you are to speak
or what you are to say.
You will be given at that moment what you are to say.
For it will not be you who speak
but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Brother will hand over brother to death,
and the father his child;
children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but whoever endures to the end will be saved.
When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.
Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel
before the Son of Man comes.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Father Walter Ciszek, S.J., spent twenty-three years in Soviet prison camps after being falsely accused of being a spy.

In his memoir, With God in Russia, Ciszek describes the horrific rigors of daily life, how prisoners lived under constant surveillance, worked inhumane hours, were tortured, and faced the constant threat of death. 

Determined to break him, Soviet officers drugged him, beat him, interrogated him, and occasionally, moved him from one camp to another.

Little did the guards realize that every time they moved Father Walter from one prison to another, they helped to stretch the kingdom of God.

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Everywhere he went, Father Walter celebrated Mass under the cover of darkness, led retreats, taught prisoners how to pray, and even baptized once hardened criminals. He was like a light shining in the darkness. 

All of this came as no surprise to him. Jesus predicted it would happen in today’s Gospel.

“Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves,” he says. “Men will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness.” 

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What happened to Father Walter also happened to the first Christians. 

When they were persecuted in one town, they fled to the next. Doing so caused the Gospel to spread further and further, until it reached the ends of the world.

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So, what does this mean for us?

The Gospel can spread under every conceivable circumstance, even in labor camps, public floggings, and kangaroo courts. If it can spread there, then it can also spread around us.

Regardless of what our circumstances may be in this moment – whether we’re filled with blessings, or in dire need of grace – the Gospel can spread.

Much of that potential is determined by our own attitude, and how responsive we are to grace. 

Father Walter Ciszek, pray for us.

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Image credits: (1) Tony Mangia, Twitter (2) America Magazine (3) The Word Among Us