Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Matthew 6. 1-6, 16-18

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door,
and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to others to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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After the conclusion of World War Two, the novelist Godfrey Winn interviewed a British surgeon who gave up his private practice during the war in order to remold the disfigured faces and limbs of Allied soldiers.

When asked why he gave up his practice – his livelihood – the surgeon replied, “It was an honor to do it.”

This surgeon was motivated by things the material world cannot give – love; honor; Christian duty.

He points to the essence of Christ’s teachings in today’s Gospel: it’s not what you do, as much as why you do it.

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Today Jesus speaks about three very good things: charity, prayer, and fasting. Things that are not only good for the human soul, but also pleasing to God…when done with the right intention.

For example, when giving alms, do it out of love, instead of a desire to seek human praise.

When we pray, pray with the desire to be heard, not to be seen or recognized by others.

When we fast, do so with a penitential heart, instead of seeking to trim our waist.

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Again, think of that British surgeon. What he did was objectively good, but what matters more to God is why he did it; he was motivated by love.

The same should be true for us when trying to live out our faith.

God, who sees beneath the surface, is not only interested in what we do today, but why we do it. May our motives always be driven by love.

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Image credits: (1) My Dental Agency (2) Open the Bible (3) Responsive Reiding, WordPress

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2 Corinthians 8: 1-9

We want you to know, brothers and sisters, of the grace of God
that has been given to the churches of Macedonia,
for in a severe test of affliction,
the abundance of their joy and their profound poverty
overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.
For according to their means, I can testify,
and beyond their means, spontaneously,
they begged us insistently for the favor of taking part
in the service to the holy ones,
and this, not as we expected,
but they gave themselves first to the Lord
and to us through the will of God,
so that we urged Titus that, as he had already begun,
he should also complete for you this gracious act also.
Now as you excel in every respect,
in faith, discourse, knowledge, all earnestness,
and in the love we have for you,
may you excel in this gracious act also.

I say this not by way of command,
but to test the genuineness of your love
by your concern for others.
For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that for your sake he became poor although he was rich,
so that by his poverty you might become rich.

The Word of the Lord.

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Today we encountered, “Saint Paul the fundraiser.” He’s writing to the church in Corinth, exhorting them to be generous with their resources.

In particular, Paul is taking a collection for the church in Jerusalem, which was exceptionally dear to his heart for two reasons: Christians in Jerusalem were quite poor, and, of course, Jerusalem is the place where Jesus was raised from the dead.

Supporting the Christians in Jerusalem is a tradition that continues to this day as they guard some of the holiest sites in our faith, including the empty tomb.

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Paul uses several tactics in his appeal: 

He tells the Corinthians how generous neighboring churches have been; he stresses the difference between wanting to be generous and actually being generous; and he cites the generosity of Christ, who renounced his place in the kingdom of God to live and die among us.

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Jesus commands us to have that same generous spirit in the Gospel. 

However, instead of stressing the need for financial giving, the Lord commands us to be generous in forgiving our neighbors and loving our enemies.

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How am I a generous person? Do I give to the poor? Am I generous in terms of giving my time, offering my forgiveness, and even loving those whom I find difficult?

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God loves a cheerful giver.

May we find a way to be generous today.

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Image credits: (1) Focus Magazine (2) Saint Paul Writing his Epistles, Valentin de Boulogne (3) Focus Magazine

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Gospel: Matthew 5: 38-44

Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
When someone strikes you on your right cheek,
turn the other one to him as well.
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic,
hand him your cloak as well.
Should anyone press you into service for one mile,
go with him for two miles.
Give to the one who asks of you,
and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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I’m sure we’ve all heard the phrase, “Go the extra mile.”

I heard it a lot growing up, especially when I did the bare minimum. If I vacuumed the house but didn’t move tables, chairs, or light furniture, my mother would say, “Kev, go the extra mile.”

If I cooked dinner for myself but not my brother, “Kev, go the extra mile.”

I’d say to the kids who use our playground today, “When you see litter around the basketball court, pick it up. Go the extra mile.”

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This phrase, “go the extra mile,” dates back to the Roman Empire.

At that time, citizens were legally obligated to carry messages from the emperor to distant provinces when asked. It was civil service.

While there was a limit on the actual distance one was required to travel, Jesus encouraged his followers to go even further. “Should anyone press you into service for one mile,” he says, “go with him for two miles.”

Christians stretched this idea of going the extra mile into a spiritual practice of doing more than what is asked of you in terms of charity.

Instead of praying for five minutes, try praying for ten. 

Instead of going to Mass alone, pick up a neighbor along the way. 

Instead of feeding one person in need, feed two. 

Instead of forgiving a person once, forgive them twice.

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“Should anyone press you into service for one mile,” Jesus says, don’t stop there.

Go the extra mile.

What’s an extra mile for me today?

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Image credits: (1) UpClose Team (2) Print-Print (3) eos.org