Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Matthew 10: 37-42

Jesus said to his apostles:
“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 a righteous man
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 the little one is a disciple—
amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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At first glance, these may be the most difficult words ever spoken by Jesus:

Whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.

When these words were first spoken, the disciples must’ve been horrified. They knew in a very graphic way what the cost of carrying a cross would be. Crucifixion was a brutal method of execution. 

So, what does Jesus mean?

Is he inviting us to suffer? Is he adding extra burdens to our shoulders?

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No. 

There’s only one cross that every Christian must carry:

That clumsy, awkward, often hard to carry cross called life.

We might re-phrase Jesus’ words to these: Whoever does not take up his ‘life’ and follow after me is not worthy of me.

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So many of us have heavy crosses to bear: children to provide for, difficult or stressful jobs, an illness, or grief in our hearts.

For some, there’s the added pressure of keeping the fire kindled in your marriage, concerns about finances, maintaining sobriety, caring for an aging loved one, and certainly, our best attempt to grow in our relationship with God.

Life’s demands have already placed plenty of weight on our shoulders.

We simply can’t shrug it off.

That’s the cross.

Be faithful to the tasks that God has given you to do. Do them humbly. Do them all out of love.

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If you’re a parent, then shower your children generously with affection. If you have a job, then work hard, work honestly, and work without complaint.

If you’re in recovery, then continue walking the road of sobriety. If you’re burdened with an illness, then bear it in hope. If you’re caring for someone who’s sick or aging, then do so tenderly.

Whatever you do, do for the glory of God.

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What aspect of my life do I find hard to carry? Or what weighs me down?

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“Come to me, all you who are heavy burdened,” Jesus says, “and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy, and my burden, light.” 

With every cross we bear, the Lord is always there to help. This is why he instructs us to join our lives to his. He enables us to weather every storm – and to do so in peace.

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The second half of the Gospel pertains to our neighbor.

“Whoever gives a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, will surely not lose his reward,” Jesus says.

We should always be aware of the burdens other people carry, seeking to lighten their load with charity… or, as Jesus says in today’s Gospel, by giving them a “cup of water.”

This idea of charity is at the heart of our parish identity.

I think about all of you who visit the sick and homebound; who bring communion to those in assisted living; who prepare food in our soup kitchen; who bake for our café; who welcome new parishioners; and who teach in our faith formation program.

And, of course, we all intercede for our neighbor at Mass. In these, and in many other ways, we offer each other a “cup of water,” refreshment along the path of life.

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“Whoever does not take up his life and follow after me is not worthy of me,” the Lord says.

Whatever joys or sorrows we carry this week, we join them to Jesus. As our vision statement reminds us: “We are all generations journeying together with Jesus to satisfy our hungry hearts. Come and see!”

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Image credits: (1) Caitebug.me (2) Heaven4Sure (3) Crossroads church

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Gospel:

When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.
And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said,
“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,
“I will do it. Be made clean.”
His leprosy was cleansed immediately.
Then Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one,
but go show yourself to the priest,
and offer the gift that Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Leprosy was a disease that disfigured, and in some cases, slowly ate away at a person’s flesh. 

Part of why people intentionally kept their distance from lepers was because they didn’t know how leprosy was contracted.

So, when approaching the edge of town, lepers had to cry out, “Unclean! Unclean!”

A warning to others: stay away. Spotting a leper sparked panic.

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The damage caused by this disease was not only physical; it was also psychologically and emotionally devastating. 

Lepers lived entirely alone.

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Thus, the physical healing of this man’s body was only the beginning of his journey. 

Jesus did his part. He cleansed the man’s flesh.

But now the community must also do theirs. They must welcome a man they once feared, seeing him not as a leper, but as a brother. 

In that sense, the community must be healed, too; they need to be cleansed of their fear.

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It’s not easy making room in our hearts for “lepers” – the black sheep; those who’ve hurt us, but now seek our forgiveness; the recovering addict; people with whom we disagree; or those who are different from us, seeking to build a bridge.

But when God acts in their lives, initiating some form of healing, we must continue the good work begun within them – much like that early community was being challenged to welcome the leper, now cleansed.

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What might it look like for me alleviate some fear in order to make room for a “leper” in my heart?

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Image credits: (1) The Healing Trust (2) Jesus Heals a Leper by Jean Marie Melchior Doze, Fine Art America (3) Amazon.com

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Gospel: Matthew 7: 15-20

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing,
but underneath are ravenous wolves.
By their fruits you will know them.
Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Just so, every good tree bears good fruit,
and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down
and thrown into the fire.
So by their fruits you will know them.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Over the last two years, I’ve developed an interest in gardening. 

This morning, I was proudly able to show off my little garden to my brother, who’s come to visit. It’s not much, but it’s a sacred space hidden behind a white picket fence, protected from the endless herds of deer who seem to eat everything in their path.

One of the first lessons I learned in gardening is that there are two types of branches: those that bear fruit and those that don’t.

We’ve all seen withering branches. They’re dark, limp, and slow to die. But even as they wither, these branches sap energy from the vine. 

It’s a fascinating truth: withering branches take energy to die. It’s why a gardener must identify and prune them quickly; they take energy away from the plant, which could be better used elsewhere.

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In the Gospel today, Jesus says, “Every good tree bears good fruit.”

It’s no secret: we all bear good fruit. Being present with the Lord today is but one example. But if we look deeper, perhaps the question for us is, “Can we bear more fruit?”

Are there withering branches within us – thoughts, habits, feelings – that sap our energy and need to be pruned?

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I don’t think twice about cutting withering branches off of my plants and trees in my garden.

But looking into my own heart and spiritual life can be different; at times, I hesitate to allow the Lord to be the Divine Gardener, to mercifully remove from me what isn’t bearing fruit.

Maybe you’ve felt hesitant, too.

May Jesus give us all the grace we need to be humble and grateful for such pruning. We’ll only be happier and healthier for it.

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Image credits: (1) Beloved Women (2) Revival Focus (3) YouTube, The Lord’s House