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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Prayer is a two-way street. In most cases, we begin by asking the Lord for things we want…then we hang on, and await a response.

I think of God’s response to our prayers like a stoplight – it’s either green, yellow, or red.

At times, we pray for something and it’s given right away. For example, we lose our keys, pray to Saint Anthony, then POOF! We find them. 

A green light. 

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Other times, the answer is, “No.” A red light. 

Even Jesus heard “no” from his Father. Remember what happened on the last night of his life on earth.

Overwhelmed by the knowledge that he’s about to be crucified as his ministry seemed like a failure, Jesus prayed to his Father, saying. “Let this cup pass from me.”

But hours later, he’s dead. A red light.

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The majority of our prayers receive yellow lights. We ask God for something, but it takes time before it’s answered.

Think of the many yellow lights in our lives.

People around the world are praying for an end to war. Others are asking for help in their marriage, for strength to remain sober, or for healing from an illness.

We beg Jesus for help. Until he answers, we wait at a yellow light. This period of waiting is intended to strengthen our faith.

Think of faith like a muscle; it must be exercised in order to become stronger.

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So, what are you praying for? What’s the “yellow light” in your life?

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While waiting for an answer, try meditating on the Lord’s prayer: “Thy kingdom come…Thy will be done.”

We might add: “If you will it, Lord, turn that yellow light green.”

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Image credits: (1) Backyard Camp (2) Prince of Peace Church (3) Adobe Stock

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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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By the end of 2012, Time magazine considered the word, selfie, to be one of the “top 10 buzzwords of the year.” By 2013, some estimates claimed that selfies accounted for 30% of all pictures taken.

Today that number is probably even higher.

Although most, if not all of us, have taken a selfie, we know that there’s more to a picture – or a person – than meets the eye. 

Image isn’t everything. 

In fact, to God, image means little. 

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“Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them,” Jesus says in today’s Gospel. “Otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.”

There are three things, in particular, that God is interested in: charity, prayer, and fasting. While this Gospel passage is often read during Lent, these spiritual practices are always timely. 

But they only work to our benefit when our motivation is love.

If, for example, we give to the poor out of a sense of superiority or obligation, then the poor will thank us. But God less so, because he looks beyond the wallet into the heart.

If we wear our religion on our sleeve – if we pray in public, post pictures of our good works online, or tell the world that we’ve done a good deed – then the human praise we receive is our reward.

But if we refrain from telling the right hand what the left is doing, so to speak, then, “your Father who sees in secret will repay you.”

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While good works are always good – charity should be practiced regardless of a person’s motivation – our growth in holiness only comes when the focus is not on me.

But on Him.

What might we do to honor the Lord today?

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Image credits: (1) Selfie, Hand Luggage Only (2) Selfie, cnbctv18 (3) logancc.org

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Gospel: Mt. 5:43-48

Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers only,
what is unusual about that?
Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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If you have ever played a video game, then you know that there is always a series of levels. 

The first level is the easiest, and the final level is the most difficult.

Sometimes it takes multiple tries before you succeed in beating that final level… but if you do, then you’ve mastered the game.

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If Christianity were likened to a video game, then today’s Gospel would be the final level: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. 

If you can freely do this, then you’ve mastered Christianity. 

Have I mastered Christianity?

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Most of us likely have not. There are some mountains too tall for us to climb, humanly speaking. Forgiving those who’ve hurt us can be one of them.

But anything is possible when our heart is absorbed in Christ. Suddenly, he does the loving and forgiving through us.

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This is how the game is mastered, so to speak, by walking the path of surrender until, “it is no longer I who live, but Christ living in me” (Galatians 2:20).

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Image credits: (1) Kashmir Observer (2) Sermons by Chris Goring (3) Gentle Christian Parenting