Category: Uncategorized

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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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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 is the Feast of Saint Maximillian Kolbe, priest and martyr.

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

One day while he was working in the camp, another prisoner tried escaping. Furious over the attempt, the 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 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.

He led those men in prayer for nearly two weeks, trusting the Lord’s words in today’s Gospel: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in the midst of them.”

Personal accounts recalled how the prisoners’ 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 hell. The hope was contagious.

“Those who wish to sing always find a song.”

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Our song is of praise and thanksgiving, because Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead – and because of him, so shall we!

Saint Maximillian Kolbe, pray for us!

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Image credits: (1) Benedict XVI Institute (2) Cross Catholic Outreach (3) Musical Notes Silhouette, Amazon.com

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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 images – both of which should give us pause. He uses the image of a child and a sheep.

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“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven,” he says.

I think as we age, it’s easier for us to become pessimistic when we look at the state of our world today. Perhaps it hasn’t come together as purely as we had hoped or imagined as children.

Jesus tells us we have to “turn,” or perhaps return, to the innocence that once was. Just as when we were kids, we trusted our parents implicitly; we were arrestingly honest and humble. The Lord asks for the type of trusting spirit from us today.

There’s an added layer of responsibility here – not only to be humble and innocent, but also to, “not cause one of these little ones to sin.” As we age, we must remain wary of our hearts, minds, and tongues, taking care not to cause scandal to the innocent.

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Secondly, we are to see ourselves like sheep.

Sheep have a natural herding mentality. They cannot survive on their own. Yet as we age, we can find it easier to remain by ourselves, doing things on our own, pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps.

I see this often with the elderly – the refusal to ask for help; the reluctance to use a walker or cane; a type of ego that separates us from reality and from our community.

A more mature version of a sheep is to become a shepherd – one who leaves the ninety-nine in search of the one who is lost. You and I should never think in terms of crowds, or become obsessed with a spirituality of numbers; rather, think in terms of individuals.

Every soul is a child of God who, if lost, must be found.

Do I have the innocence of a child, trusting the Lord in all his ways? Do I have the heart of a shepherd, seeking the lost until they are found?

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The childlike and the shepherds, these are the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

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Image credits: (1) Westerville FWB Church, YouTube (2) Adobe stock (3) Apologia

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Gospel: Matthew 17: 22-27

As Jesus and his disciples were gathering in Galilee,
Jesus said to them,
“The Son of Man is to be handed over to men,
and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.”
And they were overwhelmed with grief.

When they came to Capernaum,
the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and said,
“Does not your teacher pay the temple tax?”
“Yes,” he said. 
When he came into the house, before he had time to speak,
Jesus asked him, “What is your opinion, Simon?
From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax?
From their subjects or from foreigners?”
When he said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him,
“Then the subjects are exempt.
But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook,
and take the first fish that comes up. 
Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax.
Give that to them for me and for you.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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The disciples just heard the greatest news ever told: “The Son of Man… will be raised on the third day.”

Death will lose its sting!

Yet, “They were overwhelmed with grief.”

It seems the disciples stopped listening to Jesus after he said the word, “death.” They couldn’t see beyond it. The good news of the resurrection seemed too distant; uncertain; beyond their understanding. 

What they did understand was the “d” word, death. 

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Jesus wasn’t blind to their incredulity. He saw their saddened faces; he watched them mope around, kicking their sandals into the dirt, digesting the news.

But he continues towards Jerusalem – towards his cross – anyways. In spite of his death, he will not leave them “orphans.” After the resurrection, the Lord will appear to them for forty days and forty nights, convincing them he’s alive again.

Then he sends forth his Spirit to teach and guide them at Pentecost.

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Often, we react the same way the disciples did when bad news comes our way.

We lose our job; we’re rejected by our top college; a relationship ends; a loved one returns to the Lord.

It seems like the world is ending. We mope, question, become weighed down in sadness.

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But remember the resurrection. 

With God on our side, there is always life after “death” – life after heartache or tragedy.

This is what faith is all about – trusting that God will always bring light out of darkness. As Saint Paul says, “All things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose.”

If you find yourself in a difficult place, call upon the Lord who will not abandon you; rather, he will fill you with every heavenly grace and blessing.

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Image credits: (1) Dave DeSelm Ministries (2) The Kingdom @ Glandore-Underdale (3) Gloria Dei Lutheran Church