Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: Luke 7: 18-23

At that time,
John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask,
“Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” 
When the men came to the Lord, they said,
“John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask,
‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’”
At that time Jesus cured many of their diseases, sufferings, and evil spirits;
he also granted sight to many who were blind. 
And Jesus said to them in reply,
“Go and tell John what you have seen and heard:
the blind regain their sight,
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear, the dead are raised,
the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. 
And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Words have power. 

They can build people up or tear them down.

Both John the Baptist and King Herod remind us of that.

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In today’s Gospel, for example, John the Baptist is locked inside a prison cell deep inside King Herod’s palace, which is why he sends his friends to Jesus.

John told King Herod that his marriage was unlawful. Now he’s paying the price for his words.

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Within a matter of days, King Herod will do the same.

While drunk at a party, Herod will make a foolish promise to a young girl. “Ask of me anything you want and it’s yours.” 

To his surprise, the girl will ask for the head of John the Baptist, causing Herod to spill innocent blood.

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Two men whose lives were changed because of their words.

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Like Herod and John, our words matter. We speak, write, and text thousands of them every day, and they can either hurt or inspire.

If we were to read a transcript of every word we’ll speak by the end of the day, what might it say? Would we speak each of those words again?

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“From the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks,” Jesus says. 

May every word we say build others up, never tearing them down.

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Image credits: (1) Transformative Conversations Consulting (2) National Catholic Reporter (3) Catholic365.com

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Gospel: Mt. 21: 23-27

When Jesus had come into the temple area,
the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him
as he was teaching and said,
“By what authority are you doing these things? 
And who gave you this authority?” 
Jesus said to them in reply,
“I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me,
then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things. 
Where was John’s baptism from?
Was it of heavenly or of human origin?” 
They discussed this among themselves and said,
“If we say ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say to us,
‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 
But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we fear the crowd,
for they all regard John as a prophet.” 
So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.” 
He himself said to them,
“Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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There’s often tension between God’s timing and our timing. While we want things now, sometimes God makes us wait.

Even Jesus had to wait.

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For example, in today’s Gospel the religious authorities are pressuring him to answer, “By whose authority are you doing these things?”

Jesus has been turning over tables in the temple area and telling his followers, “Blessed are you when they persecute you because of me.”

Understandably, the authorities want to know, “Who are you to say and do these things?”

While Jesus may have wanted to reveal his identity as the Son of God, he knew that once he did, the authorities would charge him with blasphemy, an offense punishable by death.

Now is not the time for him to speak. There are other things that his Father wants him to accomplish in his public ministry before being handed over. 

So, Jesus must wait.

He buys time by answering their question with a question of his own.

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So, what does this mean for us?

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There are times when we want God to act. We ask the Lord to remove a grudge, to uproot a habit from our lives, to bring our children back to church, to answer a lingering prayer.

But sometimes we must wait. Our timing isn’t God’s timing.

May the Lord give us the faith and patience we need to trust in his Providential care.

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Image credits: (1) #morningmemo (2) Christ Among the Doctor’s, Paolo Veronese (3) Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope

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Gospel: Matthew 11: 11-15

Jesus said to the crowds:
“Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 
From the days of John the Baptist until now,
the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence,
and the violent are taking it by force. 
All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John. 
And if you are willing to accept it,
he is Elijah, the one who is to come. 
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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“The Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force.”

This may be one of the most obscure verses in all of the Gospels, perhaps lost in translation. But it still may have meaning for us today.

What does Jesus mean when he says, “the violent” are taking over heaven by force?

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Some scholars believe Jesus was using military terms to compare his kingdom to an earthly kingdom.

In his day, it was common for soldiers to surround a foreign city and take it by force.

When attacking, those soldiers had to fight tooth and nail to enter – their lives depended upon it.

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Similarly, Jesus urges his disciples to see themselves like soldiers surrounding a city; they must fight bravely – giving everything they have – in order to enter the city of God.

Their lives – our lives – depend upon it.

May we live like soldiers in that sense, bravely confessing our faith, and doing whatever we must to live it out with love.

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Image credits: (1) The Guardian (2) Siege, Wikipedia (3) St. John of Capistrano, Pinterest