Category: Uncategorized

***

1 Thessalonians 2: 1-8

You yourselves know, brothers and sisters,
that our reception among you was not without effect.
Rather, after we had suffered and been insolently treated,
as you know, in Philippi,
we drew courage through our God
to speak to you the Gospel of God with much struggle.
Our exhortation was not from delusion or impure motives,
nor did it work through deception.
But as we were judged worthy by God to be entrusted with the Gospel,
that is how we speak,
not as trying to please men,
but rather God, who judges our hearts.
Nor, indeed, did we ever appear with flattering speech, as you know,
or with a pretext for greed–God is witness–
nor did we seek praise from men,
either from you or from others,
although we were able to impose our weight as Apostles of Christ.
Rather, we were gentle among you,
as a nursing mother cares for her children.
With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you
not only the Gospel of God, but our very selves as well,
so dearly beloved had you become to us.

The Word of the Lord.

***

***

Some of us know what it’s like to have our name slandered, or a false charge presented against us. It’s painful not only because it questions our reputation, but also because it can undo the impact of our work.

Such is the case for Saint Paul in our first reading.

His First Letter to the Thessalonians is the oldest book or letter in the New Testament, pre-dating the Gospels. His cause for writing to these early Christians was two-fold. 

First and foremost, Paul had to answer the question of death. These early Christians didn’t meet Jesus, but they believed Paul’s preaching, that they, too, could enter the kingdom of God if they were faithful. 

Still, they wanted to know, “Can we still enter God’s kingdom if we die before Jesus returns?” The answer was a resounding, “Yes.”

***

But, secondly, Paul must clear his name.

***

Beneath his words of encouragement and teaching, Paul laments the suffering he endured while preaching the Gospel.

People resistant to the Gospel message threw multiple accusations at him, including everything from being a criminal on the run, to being delusional, impure, a liar, and a thief seeking to profit from his labors.

But he understood that people resistant to change – or to the Gospel message – often turn to lies to discredit what they dislike.

“We grew courage through our God to speak to you the Gospel of God with much struggle,” he says. “But we were judged worthy by God to be entrusted with the Gospel.”

***

Thankfully, Paul never gave up.

In spite of the troubles he faced – from slander to physical abuse – he ran the race to the finish and kept the faith. In so doing, he spread the Gospel with great success.

Like Paul, may nothing stop us from preaching and living the Truth. Jesus Christ has loved us and given himself for us. 

So, how might we share this truth with others today?

***

***

Image credits: (1) Medium (2) Saint Paul Delivering the Aeropagus Sermon, Raphael (3) Redbubble

***

Gospel: Matthew 23: 13-22

Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men.
You do not enter yourselves,
nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You traverse sea and land to make one convert,
and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna
twice as much as yourselves.

“Woe to you, blind guides, who say,
‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing,
but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.’
Blind fools, which is greater, the gold,
or the temple that made the gold sacred?
And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing,
but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.’
You blind ones, which is greater, the gift,
or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it;
one who swears by the temple swears by it
and by him who dwells in it;
one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God
and by him who is seated on it.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

Someone once said, “You may be the only bible a person ever reads.”

As Christians, you and I are meant to digest the Word of God so deeply that it becomes part of who we are.

***

In today’s Gospel, Jesus accuses the religious authorities of doing the very opposite. They’ve essentially hijacked religion, turning it into a system of rules, leading people to believe that God cares more about the purity of their hands than the purity of their hearts.

“Woe to you!” Jesus says.

The meaning of this word, “woe,” in Greek not only carries a sense of deep wrath, but also sorrow. The fact that the religious leaders of his day have prevented people from encountering the love and mercy of God made Jesus sorrowfully angry.

So, he condemns them with seven different “woes.” Some have called this Gospel passage, “Christ’s rolling thunder.” 

Nowhere else does Jesus issue such a strong, sustained rebuke. In fact, the religious leaders are the only ones whom Jesus condemns in the Gospels. A hard truth to swallow, considering the fact that Jesus prayed for – and even forgave – his executioners! 

But this is how seriously the Lord holds religious figures accountable – and, for that matter, anyone who claims to know and follow him.

***

“You may be the only bible a person ever reads.”

As believers in Christ, how has the Word of God come alive in your heart? How is the compassion of Christ revealed in your speech? How does the love of God reveal itself through your actions?

***

As Teresa of Avila reminds us, “Christ has no body on earth now, but yours.” May we use our eyes, our voice, our hands and feet to reveal the infinite love and mercy of God, lest Jesus cry out, “Woe to you!”

***

***

Image credits: (1) Timothy Eberly, Open the Bible (2) Woe To You, Chantal LaFortune (3) Pinterest

***

Gospel: Luke 13:22-30

Jesus passed through towns and villages,
teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.
Someone asked him,
“Lord, will only a few people be saved?”
He answered them,
“Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside knocking and saying,
‘Lord, open the door for us.’
He will say to you in reply,
‘I do not know where you are from.
And you will say,
‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’
Then he will say to you,
‘I do not know where you are from.
Depart from me, all you evildoers!’
And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
and all the prophets in the kingdom of God
and you yourselves cast out.
And people will come from the east and the west
and from the north and the south
and will recline at table in the kingdom of God.
For behold, some are last who will be first,
and some are first who will be last.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

One of the great joys of being a priest is celebrating Mass in different places, the most surreal being Christ’s empty tomb in Jerusalem.

***

The entrance to the tomb is very small, only about three feet wide and four feet high. It was intentionally designed this way so that only one person can enter at a time… and when you do, you must bow in adoration before passing through.

Unless, ironically enough, you’re a child. Then you can stroll right in.

After I passed through the “narrow gate,” I stood in awe, humbly realizing that for the next twenty-four minutes, I’d be the only person in the world praying at the Lord’s tomb.

***

That experience reminded me of Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel. 

“Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter, but will not be strong enough.” 

Christ’s imagery of a narrow gate leading into heaven would’ve made sense to his direct listeners to the extent that most gates in the ancient world were narrow. 

If gates were wide enough to let large crowds pass through all at once, then enemies could’ve easily snuck inside the city walls. It was much easier to discern who was coming or going when done in a single-file line.

We employ a similar idea today. Think about the millions of travelers who pass through the “narrow gate” of airport security each year in America alone. Although massive crowds are permitted, each passenger is individually screened. 

Similarly, each person will be “screened” by God before being allowed to enter into heaven. While we all will have the opportunity to pass through, each person is held individually responsible for how they’ve lived their life.

This makes the gate narrow.

***

It’s also why Jesus tells us to “strive.”

This verb – strive – means, “to struggle or to fight vigorously.” It’s the type of word we’d use to describe a person in battle. You need grit, momentum, and endurance in order to win.

We all experience a certain type of tension – a battle – in our daily lives. Think of how often we are called to resist temptation, to choose the higher road, to make the right decision, or to lean into our conscience. And how often we fail.

Even Saint Paul lamented how hard it was to overcome the desires of his flesh as he strove eagerly to enter through the “narrow gate.”

As he says in his Letter to the Romans, “What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate… So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.” 

Yet, towards the end of his life, he is able to declare humbly, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”

Paul fought eagerly; he ran the race to the finish; he kept the faith.

***

Yet who among us has the spirit of Saint Paul? Who has the same courage, grit, and relentless commitment to holiness? Must we be as holy as Paul to inherit eternal life?

Or, as an anonymous person asks Jesus in today’s Gospel, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” 

Jesus does not respond with a precise number or percentage. 

If Jesus said, “Only 5% of humanity will be saved,” then we’d all be sweating! But if he said, 99%, then we’d be shouting for joy. We’d bet our odds, quickly presuming that the warlords, the criminals, the evildoers in this world would be the 1% left behind.

But we simply don’t know.

The Lord urges us to think of the heavenly gate as narrowly cracked, requiring us to squeeze inside. Live as if you’re the only person in the world…and Jesus died just for you. 

This does not mean that anyone will be left out, or that we can earn our salvation. What it does mean is that we should not take God – or this life – for granted. Rather, use the time we have well.

***

Am I striving to enter through the narrow gate? Am I yearning for a deeper friendship with God?

***

After bowing before entering the empty tomb, bending at my waist in praise, I passed through the “narrow gate” in a matter of steps. There, I stood in awe, ready to celebrate Mass.

I felt like one of the magi, laying gifts at the feet of Christ in adoration. However, I had neither gold, nor frankincense, nor myrrh to offer.

What I did have was all God will ask of us:

Faith. Hope. Love.

And the greatest of these is love. 

***

***

Image credits: (1) An Informed Faith (2) Catholic News Agency (3) Curt Landry Ministries