Fr Kevin Kilgore

***

Gospel: Matthew 19: 23-30

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich
to enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Again I say to you,
it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.”
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said,
“Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said,
“For men this is impossible,
but for God all things are possible.”
Then Peter said to him in reply,
“We have given up everything and followed you.
What will there be for us?”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you
that you who have followed me, in the new age,
when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory,
will yourselves sit on twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters
or father or mother or children or lands
for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more,
and will inherit eternal life.
But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

Jesus has changed my life.

Because of Jesus, I am Catholic. Because of Jesus, I am a priest. Because of Jesus I am the pastor of this parish. Because of Jesus, my world and my priorities have been turned upside down, right-side up.

***

Today we celebrate the Queenship of Mary, our belief that she has not only been assumed body and soul into heaven, but also that she reigns as Queen – as intercessor for us – until the end of time.

Mary’s entire life changed – as mine and yours may have – because of Jesus.

Before the angel Gabriel appeared to her, Mary lived an ordinary life. She was a poor Jewish teenager living on the edge of the Roman Empire. None of us would’ve ever known she existed … until God acted in her life.

Suddenly, she became the Mother of God. The future she envisioned with Joseph was now different; he was to become a foster father, having no children with Mary of his own. 

A short-time thereafter, Mary and Joseph became refugees, fleeing into Egypt because King Herod wanted to kill the Christ-child. 

Thirty-years later, Mary stood at the foot of the Cross, as the fruit of her womb began breathing his last, being treated as the Psalmist says, “like a worm and no man.” 

Miraculously, three days later, Jesus was raised from the dead and some time thereafter, he brought his mother body and soul into heaven.

Mary’s entire life changed – even into eternity – because of Jesus.

***

How has my own life changed because of Jesus?

***

May Mary, Queen of Heaven, intercede for us, that whatever God has given us to do today, we would accept with the same openness – the same “yes” – that she did.

Doing so might change our lives, even into eternity.

***

***

Image credits: (1) Jesus Changed My Life Archives, Providence Church (2) Queenship of Mary, University of Dayton (3) When Mercy Found Me

***

Gospel: Matthew 19: 16-22

A young man approached Jesus and said,
“Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”
He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good?
There is only One who is good.
If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
He asked him, “Which ones?”
And Jesus replied, “You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
honor your father and your mother;
and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The young man said to him,
“All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?”
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad,
for he had many possessions.

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

Jesus looks upon this rich young man…and “loves” him.

He must’ve delighted in his zeal for religion, and in his effort to be, “perfect as his heavenly Father is perfect.”

But look at what happens as the Lord “loves” him.

Jesus peers into the rich young man’s heart, and invites him into deeper holiness. “You are lacking in one thing,” he says. “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor…then come and follow me.”

The man walks away sad, “for he had many possessions.” Though he was pious, the Lord occupied second – not first – place in his heart, a constant challenge for any believer.

***

Like this rich young man, Jesus looks upon us and “loves” us. He sees our zeal for God and all of the good works that we do to honor him in our neighbor.

But he also sees those things that may impede our spiritual growth. That’s what love does by its nature; it seeks to remove things that block further intimacy between two souls. 

What impedes my spiritual growth or keeps me from growing in intimacy with the Lord?

Perhaps my prayer has become ordinary; routine; dry. Maybe I try compartmentalizing my life, allowing faith to influence some – but not all – of my decisions. Maybe there’s a particular person, memory, or habit that draws me away from the Lord.

Or I simply don’t give God enough time.

***

Unlike the rich young man who walked away sad, may we try to let go of our “riches” and follow Jesus today.

Doing so always makes us happier, holier people. 

***

***

Image credits: (1) OnReligion, Pantocrator (2) Christ and the Rich Young Ruler, Heinrich Hofmann (3) Hungry for God’s Word?

***

Gospel: Matthew 15: 21-28

At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 
And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out,
“Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! 
My daughter is tormented by a demon.” 
But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her. 
Jesus’ disciples came and asked him,
“Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.”
He said in reply,
“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, “Lord, help me.” 
He said in reply,
“It is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.” 
She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters.” 
Then Jesus said to her in reply,
“O woman, great is your faith! 
Let it be done for you as you wish.” 
And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour.

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

When visiting religious shrines like Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal, often you’ll see people making desperate displays of faith. Pilgrims will come from around the world to place their prayer intention in the hands of Our Lady or a particular Saint.

For example, while I was in Fatima two weeks ago, I noticed an elderly woman crawling on her knees towards the chapel of the apparitions. She had to be at least a hundred yards away. At her pace, it could’ve taken another thirty minutes, even an hour, to reach Our Lady.

I didn’t know when her journey began or why she chose to crawl. But seeing this elderly woman drag her aching bones along the hardened pavement sent chills down my spine. 

It made me stop dead in my tracks and pray for her intention. 

Maybe she hoped for the conversion of a loved one. Perhaps she was haunted by a choice made years ago and still longed for forgiveness. 

Or, like the mother in today’s Gospel, maybe she had a daughter dramatically in need of healing.

***

“Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!” the mother says. “My daughter is tormented by a demon.” 

That’s the worst pain any parent can experience – watching your child suffer while feeling helpless, knowing there’s nothing you can do to stop it.

The Gospel does not tell us what other methods this mother has already tried to cure her daughter. But the fact that she turns to God for help – as opposed to blaming him for her daughter’s illness – is a sign of deep faith.

Yet, she’s not initially rewarded the way we might imagine. In fact, she receives a very cold response.

***

First, Jesus ignores her. 

Then the disciples dismiss her. “Send her away,” they say to Jesus, “for she keeps calling out after us.”

It’s a chilling scene.

But she persists. “Lord, help me.”

When Jesus finally speaks to her, it seems he does so condescendingly. “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.”

Still, this mother humbles herself further. “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” She senses that just a morsel of Christ’s power can heal her daughter.

Amazed by her faith and utter humility, Jesus blesses her, saying, “O woman, great is your faith!”

Then he gives her what she wants. “Let it be done for you as you wish.”

This becomes one of only two miracles that Jesus performs at a distance. This mother doesn’t need to rush home to know her daughter is well; Jesus’ word is enough, allowing her to part in peace.

***

Compare the depth of this woman’s faith with the shallowness of Peter’s faith in last week’s Gospel.

Remember, Peter and the other disciples were sailing across the Sea of Galilee, when suddenly they got caught in a storm – one so strong they feared they would drown. Meanwhile, Jesus was praying on solid ground by himself. 

When he finally appeared to them, Peter questioned the Lord’s identity – “Lord, if it is you command me to come to you on the water.”

So, Peter stepped out of the boat and shortly thereafter began to sink. “O you of little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt?” 

Peter took his eyes off of Jesus, focusing on the wind and the waves, instead. Meanwhile, this desperate mother remains fixated upon the Lord until he calms the demonic storm enveloping her daughter.

“Great is your faith,” he says to her (unlike Peter), “let it be done for you as you wish.”

***

So, what might all of this mean for us? 

***

Like the persistent mother in today’s Gospel, or the little old lady in Fatima crawling on her knees, sometimes a desperate, but confident, display of faith moves the Lord to act.

But we conclude our prayer as the Lord himself did while staring into the heavens from the storm of the Cross:

“Into your hands, I commend my Spirit.” 

Let it be done unto me as you wish.

***

***

Image credits: (1) please LORD, Prayer for Anxiety (2) The Woman of Canaan at the Feet of Christ, The Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix (3) J.John on Twitter, X