Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: Matthew 23: 1-12

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,
“The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry
and lay them on people’s shoulders,
but they will not lift a finger to move them.
All their works are performed to be seen.
They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’
As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called ‘Master’;
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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The only group Jesus criticizes in the Gospels are the religious authorities of his day, because they turned religion into a matter of rules, which could be followed without ever invoking the heart. For some, religion had become strictly an external affair. 

“All their works are performed to be seen,” Jesus laments.

“They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets and seats of honor in synagogues.”

This temptation to appear religious – or to simply follow the “rules” – is timeless. Catholics can certainly be guilty of falling into it during Lent.

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The Church instructs us to pray, fast, and give alms. We can do all of these things without ever changing our heart.

We can avoid meat on Fridays while still harboring a grudge.

We can write a check without ever seeking contact with the poor.

We can pray for strangers while remaining estranged from loved ones. (This does not mean that we need to force reconciliation; rather, our hearts should be open and void of all negativity).

Missing a meal or checking a box will not turn us into Saints. We must walk the path of humility and love in order to please the Lord.

As the Lord cries out through the prophet Isaiah in our first reading, “Wash yourselves clean! [That is a matter of the heart.] Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good.”

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If we allow God to change our heart, then we will be holy and pleasing in his sight.

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Image credits: (1) uCatholic (2) TableTalk Magazine (3) Compelled Church Women’s Ministry, WordPress

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Gospel: Luke 6: 36-38

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

“Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you.”

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 hardest. 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 part of that final level: stop judging; stop condemning; forgive without limit; love relentlessly.

If you can do these things, then you’ve mastered Christianity.

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Perhaps one of the most difficult steps is forgiveness. 

What makes it so hard is the fact that, when we forgive, we forfeit the right to be angry with a person, waiving all opportunities to play passive aggressive; to weaponize our silence; to “win” an argument; or to seek revenge.

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But if we can do this – if we can love without limit and freely forgive – then we’ve mastered Christianity.

In the least, it’s worth a try. “For the measure with which you measure,” Jesus says, “will be measured out to you.”

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Image credits: (1) World Challenge (2) Mario Bros., Pinterest (3) Blog del Asistente de Bilingüismo

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Gospel: Mark 9: 2-10

Jesus took Peter, James, and John 
and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them, 
and his clothes became dazzling white, 
such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.
Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, 
and they were conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, 
“Rabbi, it is good that we are here!
Let us make three tents: 
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; 
from the cloud came a voice, 
“This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone
but Jesus alone with them.

As they were coming down from the mountain,
he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,
except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
So they kept the matter to themselves, 
questioning what rising from the dead meant.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Have you ever wondered what heaven is like?

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At times, it seems so distant, so far detached from our daily lives. It’s a place where we hope to end up someday, where we mentally place God and our loved ones, but it’s out there, not here.

The Book of Revelation describes heaven as a city – radiant, clear as crystal, with twelve gates, high walls, and angels protecting it.

A place where every tear is wiped away; where there is no more wailing, pain or death. A place for the poor in spirit, the merciful, the peacemakers, the clean of heart, those whom Jesus calls in his first public sermon, “blessed.”

As magnificent as heaven must be, Jesus simply refers to it as his, “Father’s house.”

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Today’s Gospel reveals who else lives in heaven. Among its residents are Moses and Elijah, who speak with the Lord as Jesus is transfigured before his disciples. 

Peter, James, and John cannot comprehend anything like this. God the Father has literally ripped the heavens opened, allowing the disciples a glimpse of the place where everything began, and where everything ends.

So much could be said about this miracle, but there’s one detail, in particular, that captures my attention.

Yes, Peter sees the Lord in his unfiltered glory. “His clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them,” the Gospel says. But what else – who else – does Peter see?

Moses and Elijah.

These men lived 800 to a thousand years before Jesus, yet they are alive again! They have names, faces, and bodies. Peter even distinguishes between the two of them. Moses represents the Law of the Old Testament and Elijah the prophets.

They reveal that in heaven, our names, our bodies, and our memories go with us. Nothing is lost. Nothing is forgotten. You’ll be you. And I’ll be me. 

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Peter was overcome with such delight at this marvelous sight – he wished to stay there forever! – that he says to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

Peter was not wrong in wanting to build something beautiful for Christ; he was wrong about the building materials.

Peter wanted to construct a tent.

What Jesus wanted was to fill Peter’s “inner room,” that place deep in his heart, with faith.

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The fact that Peter offers to build three tents, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah suggests that, to him, all three are equals. This point is reiterated by the fact that Peter refers to Jesus as “Rabbi,” teacher, not Lord.

What Peter doesn’t understand yet is that Jesus fulfills the Old Testament in himself. He is the long-awaited Messiah; the fulfillment of the Law; the one whom all of the prophets foretold. God the Father affirms this as he says, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”

Although Peter saw such a marvelous sight – the heavens opened, Christ transfigured, Moses and Elijah floating gloriously above him – he failed to put all of the pieces together, reminding us just how difficult it can be to believe.

Faith stretches our minds, enlarges our hearts, and challenges us to see the “fourth dimension,” God’s presence in all things.

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What are other things the Lord wants us to “see”?

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He wants us to see him “transfigured” at the altar. He wants us to see him in the Eucharist we are about to celebrate. He wants us to see him in the face of our family members, our friends, even strangers we pass as we exit this church. As he promises at the end of Matthew’s Gospel:

“Behold, I am with you always.”

Not just in heaven, but always, now.

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So, have you ever wondered what heaven is like?

Maybe it is a city – radiant, clear as crystal, with twelve gates, high walls, and angels protecting it. I hope to find out for certain one day!

But until then, each of us is invited to remain close to the One who will lead us – Jesus, God’s “beloved Son,” the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

What might that mean for us this week?

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Image credits: (1) Busy Blessed Women (2) The Transfiguration of Jesus, Carl Bloch (3) www.bibleinfo.com