Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Luke 15: 1-10

The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 
So Jesus addressed this parable to them.
“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?
And when he does find it,
he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
and, upon his arrival home,
he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 
I tell you, in just the same way
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous people
who have no need of repentance.

“Or what woman having ten coins and losing one
would not light a lamp and sweep the house,
searching carefully until she finds it?
And when she does find it,
she calls together her friends and neighbors
and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’ 
In just the same way, I tell you,
there will be rejoicing among the angels of God
over one sinner who repents.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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This is the third time the religious authorities express their disdain for Jesus’ association with sinners. They believed God wanted them to separate themselves from people with loose morals at any cost, lest they sin. 

Keeping their distance was a type of spiritual security policy.

However, Jesus does the opposite, spending his entire life with “tax collectors and sinners,” even calling them to share in his ministry. He justifies this approach, teaching them that God does not wait for the sinner to repent; rather, God goes after us. 

He seeks us out. He takes the initiative.

Whether it’s the shepherd seeking his lost sheep or a widow looking for a single coin, God is the protagonist, taking responsibility for the one who strayed or rolled away.

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This is the type of attitude that the Church – you and I – must take in our world today. We all know people who have fallen away from God, or people who, perhaps, never found him. This is certainly true among the younger generations.

With so many different distractions – from technology and social media, to varying life-philosophies – it can be difficult for people to find the Lord, which is why we must go after them.

We are certainly making this attempt in our parish – building out our baptismal ministry, a convalidation ministry (receiving civilly married couples into the Church), an outreach ministry for new moms, and re-imagining our faith formation and Confirmation programs.

Each of these ministries speak to the divine initiative of Jesus in the Gospel, who seeks, searches, finds, and rejoices.

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Is the Lord calling you to participate in any of these ministries? Or, in what ways do you engage the next generation?

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While the religious authorities thought closing others out of their world led to spiritual security, the opposite is true.

Jesus asks us to seek. Search. Find. Rejoice!

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Image credits: (1) Will Vaus (2) United Church of God (3) Million Minutes

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Gospel: Luke 14: 25-33

Great crowds were traveling with Jesus,
and he turned and addressed them,
“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, 
wife and children, brothers and sisters,
and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple.
Which of you wishing to construct a tower
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if there is enough for its completion? 
Otherwise, after laying the foundation
and finding himself unable to finish the work
the onlookers should laugh at him and say,
‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’ 
Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down
and decide whether with ten thousand troops
he can successfully oppose another king
advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? 
But if not, while he is still far away,
he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. 
In the same way,
everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be my disciple.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”

At first glance, this verse makes no sense. It seems to run contrary to all of Christ’s other teachings about love and service.

So, what does he mean?

The verb “hate” does not mean anger or hostility. Rather, if there is a conflict, then the demands of discipleship must take priority over any other human relationship, even those we hold most sacred. 

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In the early Church, this was certainly an issue, as Christians sometimes left their families, their homes, and their belongings in order to preach the Gospel to other villages, even to the ends of the earth. 

Faith also caused some marriages to split. Christianity was an outlawed religion in the first century; it could be dangerous to believe. Thus, some pagans divorced their Christian spouses out of fear of persecution. 

This was common enough for Paul to write about it in his First Letter to the Corinthians, consoling those Christians whose spouses left them, saying, “God has called you to peace.”

I experienced a similar type of tension in my own life after accepting God’s call to the priesthood. Not everyone in my family was supportive initially; some still aren’t.

But Christ comes first.

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Have you ever been in that position before, forced to choose between Christ and another good, even a relationship of great value?

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The path of belief is rarely smooth and straight. Sometimes it’s an uphill climb, requiring us to leave good things behind in order to follow the Lord.

But if Jesus puts us first, then we should do the same for him. As he reminds us elsewhere, “No one can serve two masters.”

How might I put the Lord first today?

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Image credits: (1) TrustPilot (2) Pantocrator, Mount Sinai (3) MY-DFM

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Gospel: Luke 14: 15-24

One of those at table with Jesus said to him,
“Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God.”
He replied to him,
“A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many.
When the time for the dinner came,
he dispatched his servant to say to those invited,
‘Come, everything is now ready.’
But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves.
The first said to him,
‘I have purchased a field and must go to examine it;
I ask you, consider me excused.’
And another said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen
and am on my way to evaluate them;
I ask you, consider me excused.’
And another said, ‘I have just married a woman,
and therefore I cannot come.’
The servant went and reported this to his master.
Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant,
‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town
and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out
and still there is room.’
The master then ordered the servant,
‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows
and make people come in that my home may be filled.
For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.’”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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In both yesterday and today’s Gospel passage, Jesus likens the kingdom of God to a banquet where a meal is shared. The banquet hall is packed, but not with the guests whom we might expect at first.

Yesterday, the Lord mentioned some of those who will be included: the poor, the blind, the sick, and the lame. Today, he reveals those who may be excluded.

“A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many,” he says. Literally, he invited, “everyone.” However, at least three of this man’s friends make excuses, deciding not to go.

One wanted to care for his land. Another preferred to care for his animals. A third wanted to be alone with his wife. So, the party went on without them.

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Two important lessons can be pulled from these parables:

First, no one can enter the kingdom of God without an invitation. Fortunately, all are invited! 

But the sad truth remains that some may decide not to enter; in that sense, they judge themselves.

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While we hope, even presume, that we’ll be admitted into heaven – after all, we’ve been invited – we should take care not to force ourselves out.

One concrete way to demonstrate our desire to be with Christ eternally is to participate in the banquet he offers us now – the Mass.

While some may make excuses not to attend on Sundays – at least three do in the Gospels – the door remains open to all for a time.

May we heed the words of Christ while we can:

“Come, everything is now ready.”

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