Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Matthew 6: 7-15

Jesus said to his disciples:
“In praying, do not babble like the pagans,
who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“This is how you are to pray:

‘Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.’

“If you forgive others their transgressions,
your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others,
neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Today we begin our faith formation summer program. I’d like to begin by welcoming all of our young people who gather with us today. I ask everyone to pray for them, that the Holy Spirit would speak to their hearts and draw them closer to God.

Students, you will learn many things over the next week. One of the “essentials” is the importance of prayer, which is simply your conversation with God.

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I think of prayer like a stoplight. 

We begin by telling God what we want: the courage to do what is right; the ability to forgive; the discipline to become a stronger student or athlete; healing from an illness.

Then we await God’s response. Like a stoplight, the answer will be either: red, yellow, or green.

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Sometimes we pray for something and God answers us immediately. A small example might be misplacing your phone. You ask God to help you find it and, suddenly, POOF! It’s right in front of you.

A green light.

Other times, we pray for something and the answer is, “No.” A red light. But remember, even Jesus was told, “No.” During his final night on earth, he asked his Father to stop him from suffering – “let this cup pass from me” – but the answer was, “No.”

Hours later, Jesus suffered and died for us. But three days later he was raised from the dead!

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Most prayers receive a yellow light. We ask God for something and the answer isn’t, “yes” or “no,” but, “wait.”

For example, you may ask, “God, what is your plan for my life?” Or, “God, will you heal this person whom I love?” While the answer may be, “yes,” sometimes God asks us to wait – to keep praying – because that helps to strengthen our faith.

What is a yellow light in your heart? What is a prayer you are waiting for God to answer? 

While you wait, Jesus teaches us to pray the Our Father, which we heard in today’s Gospel. Why don’t we pray that now for everyone who has a yellow light, who’s waiting for God to answer.

Our Father…

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Image credits: (1) My Windowsill (2) iStock (3) The Cullman Tribune

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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