Category: Weekly Reflection

The disciples then went off, entered the city, and found it just as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover. While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said, ‘Take it; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, ‘This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many. Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God’ (Mark 14:16, 22-25).

Blood is mentioned in all of the readings for today and in each case it is used in connection with the idea of covenant. God marked his special relationships with people by establishing covenants with them. God’s covenant with the Israelite nation, for example, was celebrated with a special sacrifice of atonement. Each year, a high priest would liturgically put all the sins of the people on a single lamb, and that lamb would then be slain.

This gospel reading described Jesus sharing the great feast of Passover with his disciples and celebrating the liberation of the people of God from slavery. He pronounced the words, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many. Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

The next day, the disciples discovered the reality of that promise. The blood that sealed this new covenant was that of Jesus himself. God showed the greatness of his love in emptying himself to become human and shared in our humanity to the extent of death on a cross. Jesus, the Son of God, was now the lamb whose blood sealed the new covenant of love between God and all human beings.

By being the lamb, Jesus also inaugurated a new healing covenant. Every time we share his body and blood in the Eucharist, we are involved in that sacrifice that has the power to transcend time and space and meet us where we are.

There may come decisive moments, or even whole chapters of our lives, that require us to empty ourselves as Jesus did. People rarely receive awards or recognition for feeding the poor, tutoring the struggling, or “being the lamb” in countless of other ways. But, in doing these things, we build up the love that exists between ourselves and those we serve and between ourselves and God.

What are some sacrifices you have seen others make for you? How have those sacrifices impacted your life?

Adapted from “Word on the Go”, a downloadable resource from RENEW International

I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. (John 16:12-15).

The story of Pentecost is the story of the early Church. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus were fulfilled, and the believers began to spread the Good News.

The Pentecost story in the first reading in the Acts of the Apostles is a reversal of the Tower of Babel story. In the Book of Genesis, we are told of a time when all people spoke the same language. The people banded together to create a tower that would reach up to Heaven. The tower had such grandeur that the people praised the builders instead of God. Since people had used the gift of language to rebel, God took away their common language and scattered them (Genesis 11:1-0). This is the perfect example of what not to do with a divine gift. The people in the story fell in love with their gift and forgot the giver.

In the Pentecost story, the people who spoke all of the languages of the known world gathered in Jerusalem and, suddenly, they were able to communicate as one again. This gift came directly from God.

This is important to remember as we think about the gifts that we’ve been given. Whether we are physically strong or charismatic, these are gifts from God. Our response to these gifts is to use them in gratitude.

Of course, we may also have the opposite problem. Instead of feeling pride in our gifts, we may feel jealous of the gifts of others. Too often we beat ourselves up for not being strong enough or smart enough. Instead of using our own gifts, we waste our energy wishing for the gifts of others.

But we are not in competition with one another. As a community of Christians, we are a single body with a single mission to proclaim the Good News. Each member’s task is to figure out how his or her unique set of skills and talents can help all of us reach that common goal. There is one mission but many ministries.

Your gifts are God-given, and the best way to give thanks to God for those gifts is to use those talents in the service of God and others.

What are some of the prime passions and talents God has given you? How do you use them?

Adapted from Word on the Go, a downloadable resource from RENEW International
 
 

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing’ (John 15:1-5).

Lent is about “pruning” bad habits and eliminating things that get in the way of our relationship with God, our selves, and others. Easter, on the other hand, is about the resurrection, new beginnings, and joy. It is the result of this pruning – a strengthened and invigorated relationship with God or a renewed outlook on life and faith. New life begins from where we have changed or withdrawn from old, unhealthy behaviors.

Think about it this way: When we are consumed by anger, we don’t have as much energy going toward love. We take that energy away from love to feed our anger. If we prune away that anger, we have that much more energy to give to something more constructive.

Now that Lent is over and the “pruning” is complete, we can see how we are connected to Christ and we can choose where to grow by redirecting our energy. Easter is a time to begin anew and become who we now can become only because those old encumbrances are gone.

Only branches that are connected to the vine produce grapes. So, too, will we be fruitful as long as we maintain our connection to Jesus. The Gospel tells us that as long as we live in Christ, even if we occasionally need a little pruning to make us stronger or better, we will always be fruitful.

How have you strengthened your relationship with God this Easter season?

Adapted from Word on the Go, a downloadable resource from RENEW International

Jesus said: ‘I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep’ (John 10:11-15).

At one time or another, most of us have probably worked just for the financial reward—we punch in, punch out, and go through the motions. On the other hand, have you ever worked at doing something that you loved? Perhaps something that was challenging but that you found meaning in, and that you felt called to do?

In this gospel passage, Jesus spoke of himself as the good shepherd, as compared to the hired hand. The life’s work and call of a shepherd was to watch over his flock. It was his responsibility to see that no sheep went astray or was preyed upon. A shepherd didn’t just do his job; he was deeply invested in his sheep and herded them with care and concern. Jesus contrasted the good shepherd with the hired hand. The hired hand has no concern for the sheep but only for the reward of earning a day’s wages. When the wolf comes, the hired hand takes off, protecting only himself.

We know that, as the good shepherd, Jesus loves and cares for us. As Christians, we are called to share that love and care with those we serve and those with whom we work.

Ask yourself—are you just doing your job, or are you living out your vocation? Are you the hired hand, working only for the reward of money, prestige, or a line on your resume? Or are you the good shepherd who responds to the call of God, finding and giving meaning to the work you do and the people you encounter?

Adapted from Word on the Go, a downloadable resource from RENEW International

And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ They gave him a piece of baked fish; he took it and ate it in front of them. He said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he said to them, ‘Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things’” (Luke 24:40-48).

In this final post-resurrection appearance, the two disciples were startled and terrified when Jesus appeared to them. Can you imagine—Jesus who had died was in their midst? Was he a ghost? Jesus realized their fears and disbelief and invited them to look at him and touch him. He even asked for food to show them that there was no doubt that he was alive.

In their joy, the disciples came to understand not only the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection, but to realize that it was also their destiny and calling. Death never triumphs; life and love always have the final say. They were the witnesses of this glory and joy and were charged with spreading this Good News to “all the nations” (Luke 24:47).

Just as the disciples were part of this story and mission, we are too. Jesus lives in and through us. As witnesses of the risen Christ, we are invited to proclaim this Good News throughout our day-to-day encounters, our relationships, and the very way we live our lives. What better way to live than to share the joy of the love of Christ through our words, actions, and our encounters with each and every person we meet?

How do you witness the risen Christ in your life?

Adapted from Word on the Go, a downloadable resource from RENEW International

The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him. After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: ‘This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel (Mark 1:12-15).

As Lent begins, the Church enters a period of spiritual renewal leading to Easter. Lent is a time of retreat. We journey inward to places of solitude and silence to rediscover God’s love for us.

In the passage prior to this Gospel for the first Sunday of Lent, Mark writes that Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan and heard the voice confirming that his future mission was blessed by his heavenly Father.

In this passage, we read that Jesus was driven into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to prepare for his public mission. He lived among wild beasts, and he was tempted by Satan, but angels of hope and trust ministered to him as he fasted and prayed during those forty days.

For us, there is no physical desert. Our deserts are metaphorical. They are moments of dryness in our lives that come from tensions in family life, arguments with significant others, anxiety about economic distress, war, and many other sources.

This Gospel passage invites us to recognize those times when we experience our own demons of despair, desolation, and fear as times that reveal the face of God to us in an intimate way. These are the times in which we discover our reliance on God, and that leads us to new and greater life.

What have been “desert” moments in your life that have caused you tension, stress, or despair? How has God been a part of these moments?

Adapted from Word on the Go, a downloadable resource from RENEW International

A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said, ‘If you wish, you can make me clean.’ Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, ‘I do will it. Be made clean.’ The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean. Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once. He said to him, ‘See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them’ (Mark 1:40-44).

This Sunday’s Gospel of Jesus healing a leper is one of the most popular stories of Jesus’ compassion. It is also a call to Jesus’ followers to use their compassion to identify with the marginalized of society and be willing to associate with the “unclean.”

Leprosy is a chronic illness caused by bacteria in the bloodstream that leads to skin lesions. In first century Jewish culture, ritual impurity was passed on when a sick person touched a healthy person. The healthy person then became “unclean” and had to undergo ritual cleansing before being re-admitted to the temple. Jesus’ decision to touch this man had both medical and social consequences.

Jesus’ miracle is a great reversal: Jesus does not become unclean or ill, but the leper is made clean. Jesus does not respect the social barrier between himself and the leper. Instead, he destroys it with a touch and restores wholeness to the man.

The kingdom of Heaven, the image of society where each person is welcomed and respected, is a central theme in all of Jesus’ preaching. To follow his example and build this kingdom on earth, we must be willing to “touch” all people, literally and emotionally, because this is what builds true community.

Has someone on the margins of society ever asked you for help? How have you reacted?

Adapted from Word on the Go, a downloadable resource from RENEW International

Accomplishing goals and making contributions to the world are essential human needs. We cannot be happy and fulfilled in life unless we’re working toward something. Our goals can be anything from growing a business to finding fulfilling relationships. We all want to change or improve something about our lives, and we all want that change to last.

Often, our goals are personal. If you’re like many people, you may be seeking weight loss solutions as one of your personal goals. Getting the body you want – and deserve – is an important part of finding fulfillment. When your body feels strong and healthy, you have more energy to go after what it is you really want in life. You’ll have more energy, allowing you to live proactively and find your purpose. And you’ll have the confidence you need to do amazing things at work and in your personal life.

When it comes to weight loss, a lot of people acknowledge the problem, but come up with the wrong solution. Whether they want to lose weight for better health or to build confidence in their appearance, they think the solution is to do so as quickly as possible. This thinking is flawed and it will fail to take you closer to making your objectives a reality. Fad diets and trendy products won’t give you the lasting results you want.

To truly achieve your weight loss goals, you need to change your beliefs. Lasting weight loss – attaining the body that is right for you – requires a shift in your habits and perspective.

There are fundamental reasons that you choose to eat when and what you do. Eating is good – it tastes good, it feels good – and we associate it with pleasure. And when we feel pain, whether it be from stress, depression or because of a deep dissatisfaction with something in our lives, food is an outlet for these unsettling feelings.

If you’re someone who uses eating to cope with being in a negative state, it’s time to look objectively at your choices. When you’re sad, you eat; when you’re worried, you eat. These habits need to change. How can you alter your beliefs so you no longer feel like eating is your form of therapy? Losing weight in a long-lasting way requires us to rewire our brains and to change our associations with pain and pleasure.

You can take yourself from a negative state to a beautiful state – and you can achieve weight loss. It’s all part of the same magnificent life journey.

WEIGHT LOSS SOLUTIONS THAT CREATE LASTING RESULTS

If you’ve tried dieting before, you know how difficult it can be. You feel hungry and irritable, because your body isn’t getting what it needs. Worse yet, you lose the weight, then regain it by the end of the month.

Why do diets usually produce only temporary results? Because without reframing the problem, without acknowledging the fact that you are constrained by your habits, you don’t solve the fundamental issue at play. You stick a band aid on a bullet wound. Addressing the root problem requires you to change your habits and bring about a lifestyle change.

Before you can truly improve your health – both physical and mental – you must learn to connect pleasure with the tools and methods you need to use to get there. The tactics matter, too, but you can only commit to these tactics once you are connecting them with pleasure. Then, you will be genuinely excited about meeting your goals, and will you consistently apply the tactics that will produce the change you seek.

How do you bring about this shift in your thinking? It’s nice to think of changing one’s habits, but how do you actually go about doing that? You must establish a specific goal and a metric by which you can gauge your progress on a daily basis. You also need to change your habits and perspectives – what you associate with pain and pleasure.You can do this by interrupting the limiting beliefs you’ve already adopted and replacing them with associations that will help you achieve weight loss.

John was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God.’ The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ — which translated means Teacher — ‘where are you staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come, and you will see.’ So they went and saw where Jesus was staying, and they stayed with him that day. (John 1:35-39).

Our role is like the role of John the Baptist — to point out Jesus to others. Once we do, we must let go and allow them to follow Jesus in the way they feel called, not in a way that we choose. Once we have shown them Jesus, it is their task to discern what is it they want to do.

Jesus’ question is at the heart of the discernment process of every vocation. He asks those following him, “What are you looking for?” (John 1:38). He is asking them, “What are the desires of your heart?” and “What do you feel you are being called to do?”

The response of the disciples is, “Where are you staying?” (John 1:38). They seem to ask, “Jesus, what are you all about?”

Christian vocation in life starts with a relationship with Jesus and his people in the Christian community. It is Jesus who will be able to direct us to what we are truly seeking. He offers the invitation to the disciples and to us: “Come, and you will see” (John 1:39).

We are all called to enter into a relationship with Jesus and to model our lives and values after his. Let us enter deeply into this loving relationship.

How do you take on the role of John the Baptist and point out Christ to others? How do you continue to grow and develop in your relationship with Jesus?

Adapted from, Word on the Go, a downloadable resource from RENEW International.

After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way. (Matthew 2:9-12).

How many times in your life have you said to God, “Please give me a sign”? Whether you’re making a difficult decision or trying to find God in the chaos of everyday life, it’s not unusual to ask God for some kind of indication that He’s there. From today’s Gospel, we see that people have been looking for signs for a long time. In their search for the newborn King, the magi followed the star that brought them first to the palace of King Herod and then to the house where “they saw the child with Mary his mother” (Matthew 2:11).

Throughout the Christmas season, the Scriptures speak of how God has revealed himself to us. Today’s Gospel reading shows that God revealed himself not only to the Jewish people, but also to the Gentiles, which are represented by the magi. God is the God of the whole world, not just the God of a particular set of people.

What are the signs today that God is for everyone, loves everyone, and wants everyone to live the reign of God on earth? We are the signs. We are called to be the stars that lead people to God. We bear the Good News to the world. We are all called to be evangelizers and do so by the witness of our lives.

In what ways to you serve as a sign that leads others to God? How can you be a better sign to others?

Adapted from PrayerTime: Faith-Sharing Reflections on the Sunday Gospels

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, He took him into his arms and blessed God, saying: ‘Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.’ The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted —and you yourself a sword will pierce—so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.’ There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem (Luke 2:25-38).

Given their modest circumstances, Mary and Joseph must have been especially surprised at the glorious events in the temple. First, Simeon, an old man filled with the Spirit, takes the child in his arms. He, like Mary earlier in Luke’s Gospel, is moved to praise God in song. Then, the old woman Anna, a prophet, likewise celebrates at the sight of Jesus. She cannot contain her enthusiasm and immediately begins spreading the news of the child.

Luke’s Gospel is full of instances in which humble people give dramatic expressions of praise in response to an encounter with the divine. This is fitting and gives us comfort, because the inspiring, empowering, life-giving message of the Gospel is for all, no matter how great or small our place in society may be.

No one who encounters Jesus in the episodes described in Luke’s Gospel goes away unchanged, and each responds to that encounter. Mary accepts Simeon’s rather ominous prophecy about her future heartache; Joseph agrees to raise a child that is not his own, knowing people will gossip; Simeon accepts his coming death in peace and praise; and Anna sets out to spread the message.

For us, the task is the same: to become attentive to the God who is ever beckoning us into relationship and, through this relationship, take steps to become the person God is calling us to be. In our everyday lives, the more we grow in love, the closer we grow to God and each other.

When have I recognized God’s presence in ordinary people or situations, and how has that experience affected me?

Adapted from, Word on the Go, a downloadable resource from RENEW International.

Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ But Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?’ And the angel said to her in reply, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God’ (Luke 1:30-35).

“How can this be?” This is a perfectly normal reaction from a person faced with something that does not seem to make sense. Mary, an ordinary, humble, Jewish girl, is visited by an angel who tells her she will conceive a son, though she has no husband, and this child will be the Messiah that her people have longed for. Her reaction— “How can this be?”—is perfectly understandable.

It is what follows Mary’s initial reaction that makes her a model disciple. She doesn’t try to bargain with the angel (“Let me just get married first; then I can be the mother of God”) or take charge of the situation (“If this is going to happen, we have some planning to do!”). Rather, her response is one of complete acceptance of God’s will. “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

Mary’s “yes” with no questions or conditions reveals her discipleship. Her “yes” is also paralleled years later in her son’s acceptance of God’s will on the night before his crucifixion: “not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

Despite any assurances of what the future will hold, Mary places her complete trust in God and does what God asks. This is the model that we are called to emulate. Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection do not mean that we will never face suffering or difficulty. God simply promises that he will never abandon us, no matter what we face in life.

How is God calling you to be a disciple in your life? What holds you back from accepting what God is asking?

Adapted from PrayerTime: Faith-Sharing Reflections on the Sunday Gospels, available from the RENEW International

And this is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ he admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, ‘I am not the Christ.’ So they asked him, ‘What are you then? Are you Elijah?’ And he said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the Prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’ So they said to him, ‘Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?’ He said, ‘I am the voice of the one crying out in the desert, make straight the way of the Lord,” as Isaiah the prophet said’(John 1:19-23).

In this Gospel passage, the priests, Levites, and Pharisees all ask John the Baptist what many Jews were wondering: “Who are you? … Are you Elijah? … Are you the Prophet?” (John 1:19-21). John denies any special role for himself. He says that he is just pointing toward “the one who is coming after me” (John 1:27).

John models the kind of attitude and behavior that all of us as Christians are called to imitate. All that we are meant to do is to direct others towards Christ. We are not to call attention to ourselves or to heighten our own importance. We are meant to reach beyond ourselves to help others live life to the fullest.

This selfless love is found amidst the often overwhelming evils in the world. It is found in those whose charity and works for justice help “to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners” (Isaiah 61: 1, which is this Sunday’s first reading).

These acts of selfless love illuminate our world as the holiday lights illuminate a December night. May our actions, too, light up the world.

Who are the people who have allowed their self-importance to recede so that you were able to grow and develop into the person God is calling you to be? How can you thank or acknowledge them?

Adapted from PrayerTime: Faith-Sharing Reflections on the Sunday Gospels.

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his own work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch. Watch, therefore; you do not know when the Lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening or at midnight, or at the cockcrow, or in the morning. May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’” (Mark 13:33-37).

Advent is a time for prayerful reflection, a time to be particularly alert to the promptings of God’s grace. The Advent call in the Gospel is to “Be watchful! Be alert!” (Mark 13:33). This is not a call to passively wait for the risen Jesus to come again. This is a call to engage in an active watchfulness by putting your spiritual life in order. It is a challenge to put Christ at the center of your life, over all other pursuits, ambitions, or involvements.

Advent is a time for generous good works in which kindness and care for others supersedes self-absorption and concern. Openheartedness creates room for Christ’s vital presence. The distractions of Christmas can often lead to a passive waiting for the coming of Christ. You may find Christmas coming and going with little change in your life. So, “be alert!” and focus on the significance of this holy season.

In what ways is God’s grace urging you to a more conscious awareness of the presence of Christ and a deeper relationship with him in this Advent season?

Adapted from PrayerTime: Faith-Sharing Reflections on the Sunday Gospels, available from the RENEW International online store.

“’Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord, our God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments’” (Matthew 22:36-40).

There are 613 precepts in the Torah which make up Jewish law. How does one decide which is the most important? In other words, what is the heart of the Torah?

Jesus’ response is simple. The heart of the Torah is love. Laws are signs and guideposts on our journey, helping us to learn to love with our full selves – our entire heart, mind, and soul. This law aids us in becoming better lovers of God, one another, and all of creation.

This passage is an invitation to see the world through God’s eyes and to love as God loves.

We have been loved into being, created for love in such a way that we are drawn to love as God loves. God loves and sustains the entire world, and loves each part of us at every moment. God’s love has no limits. God’s love is of excess and is poured out endlessly on us. His love is not conditional.

By saying that love is the heart of the Torah, Jesus is calling us to reciprocate this love and love as freely as God. We are invited to see the connection between love of God and love of neighbor. When we truly love those around us, we are showing our love for God.

How can you increase your consciousness of love in your life?

What would your world look like if you approached all people by trying to see God present in them?

Adapted from Word on the Go, a downloadable resource from RENEW International.

In the time of Jesus, everyone owed much to the king. He was responsible for safety, trade, and everything the community had. Given this fact, everyone was obliged to be loyal to him. Imagine the king’s anger at having his invitation to a celebration refused by those who owed him so much! After his servants were killed, “The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city” (Matthew 22:7). New subjects were gathered who showed loyalty and celebrated with the king. However, when the king saw a guest who hadn’t put on a wedding garment, he said to his attendants, “Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth” (Matthew 22:13). That subject was willing to take what was offered, but not willing to give back what was due.

Instead of focusing on the king’s actions, look at this parable as a lesson in consistency of faith and life.
The king expected the outward profession of his subjects’ sense of personal loyalty. The first group of subjects professed loyalty, but did not act on it because they did not attend the celebration. This reminds us of times when we profess that we believe but do not let our faith guide our daily actions. Other subjects killed emissaries of the king. They rejected the king, just as we may at times choose to do things that are contrary to the challenge to love one another. The last group of subjects was willing to profess their loyalty and act on it by attending the celebration ─all except for the one subject who refused to dress respectfully but wanted to reap the benefits of the party. It is this third group that Jesus challenges us to be – by both professing our faith outwardly and allowing it to guide us internally.

“For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22: 14).

God calls us all to be in a relationship. But our response and the consistency of our response are up to us. We owe everything to God, just as the subjects owed everything to the king. All God asks us to do in return is to be consistent in heart and action in our response.

That consistency can be a tougher task than it appears. How do you respond to God’s call? Are your actions always consistent with your beliefs?

Adapted from Word on the Go, a downloadable resource from RENEW International.

A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ He said in reply, ‘I will not,’ but afterwards changed his mind and went. The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did his father’s will?” (Matthew 21:28 – 30)

 
Jesus used this parable as his answer to his religious adversaries, the chief priests and elders, when they challenged him on the authority of his preaching. By their answer to this question, they condemned themselves.
Their response was that the first son had done his father’s will. It was the only answer they could give. They could never have said that the second one, who said “Yes, sir” to his father but did not go and work in the vineyard, was doing his father’s will. The son can’t just listen to his father; he has to go out and actually do what his father has asked of him. It was the first son, who said he would not work in the vineyard, but then changed his mind and did the work, who did what his father asked.
 
Jesus answered the chief priests and elders, “Amen I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him” (Matthew 21: 32).
 
The chief priests and elders acted like the second son. They said yes to God, but they did not live the commandments. They did not do what was in the best interests of the people, but did only what was best for themselves. They were ignoring what they professed to believe.
 
One has to act and do his father’s will, not just acknowledge it.
 
In this parable, Jesus shows us the hypocrisy of his adversaries. But could this also be said of us? Are there times when our actions haven’t been in line with the faith we profess as Catholic?
 
Adapted from Word on the Go, a downloadable resource from RENEW International.
 
Image source
 
 

“So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage.And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying, ‘These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’He said to one of them in reply, ‘My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? [Or] am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?’ Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last” (Matthew 20: 10-16).

“It’s not fair!” How many times in a day do we say this? How many times do we hear it from spouses or friends or children? This Gospel confirms how little things have changed over the past 2,000 years.

Put yourself in the position of those hired first in the parable of the laborers and the vineyard. Of course it doesn’t seem fair. These workers “bore the day’s burden and the heat” and got paid just as much as those who worked only a few hours. The landowner refuted this charge of injustice by saying, “My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?” (Matthew 20: 13–15). In reality, the landowner was fair to each worker because they each received the agreed upon wage for their work.

Is your attitude that of the generous landowner? Or is it that of the workers who felt that they had been cheated? These workers were concerned only with themselves and focused on being the victims of the perceived unfairness. “It’s not fair” usually means “It’s not fair to me.”

The Gospel according to Matthew was written for those with a Judeo-Christian background. For that audience, the appearance of the Gentiles later in the “day” was an unsettling development. Imagine what it must have felt like to live according to long-held traditions and then discover that newcomers to the community not only didn’t have the same traditions but were not even expected to uphold them.

Perhaps this parable is saying that we should not judge what God does in terms of “fairness.” God’s love is not dependent on what we do. It is unconditional and unchanging, even when we do not deserve it. Once we believe and embrace this fact, we will begin to understand the true meaning of love. And once we begin to understand that, we have a better chance of putting it into practice by offering this unconditional love to all people.
Why is it hard to believe in God’s immeasurable goodness? How can you believe more strongly?

Adapted from Word on the Go, a downloadable resource from RENEW International.
Artist: Diego Velazquez

Depending on the situation, sometimes Peter ‘gets it’ and sometimes Peter is as clueless as the rest.  But he never tires of being outspoken! Like when Jesus asks the disciples, “who do you say that I am” Peter the only one to hazard a guess! And when he answers “You are the son of God… the Messiah,” Jesus looks at Peter and says “You are blessed! You’re a rock! In fact, I’m building my church on this rock!”

Peter was willing to risk; to “get out of the boat,” to answer whenever Jesus called… without  fear of having the wrong answer, the wrong interpretation, or the wrong theology.  In the classroom of Christ, Peter was the antsy kid in the second row with his hand in the air saying “Ooo! Ooo! Pick me! Pick me!”

And although Peter (at times) may shoot from the hip; we can also see that he has the kind of radical trust in Jesus, and the kind of  daring faith, that the church was built on. (Oh that we could have such faith!)

But Peter was also a big picture guy.  And in today’s passage, Peter had noticed that as much as Jesus has been attracting crowds through his preaching and teaching, and especially his miracles, Jesus has also been attracting (and annoying) the Pharisees and Scribes. They had been getting more and more vocal in their opposition to Jesus; word had spread to the big guys in Jerusalem. [Linda Pepe, 2011]

Of course, Jesus isn’t letting up; he began to show the disciples that he was heading straight for Jerusalem.  Notice it doesn’t say that Jesus was telling the disciples he was going to Jerusalem, it says that he was “showing them that he must go to Jerusalem, and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” (vs.21)

He was showing them… Jesus was living out his message to an extent that it was visibly infuriating the religious leaders. And it wasn’t just that he was continuing to heal and preach and teach; but Jesus was challenging the system… the religious system, yes… but also the Roman government… the system that kept a few in power and the rest in oppression.  [Living Liturgy, 2014]

It’s interesting to me that we haven’t changed much in our interpretation of that phrase… ‘Take up your cross and follow me,’ since then.  For the most part, we equate the cross with suffering… and we have taken this verse and made it almost a cliché.

Authentic discipleship doesn’t require us to seek suffering. Being faithful to Jesus will bring enough as it is. This is so because living and witnessing to Gospel values challenges so many values society touts are the ones that will bring us happiness. Ultimately, though, we find that only living Gospel values brings us lasting happiness, even though we must die to self in the process. All who wish to be faithful to Jesus’ call to Gospel living must be prepared to suffer—and also be prepared to receive new Life. The Life Jesus offers is worth any price!

In the dog days of summer (in the northern hemisphere), who wouldn’t like to climb a high mountain where it’s cool and refreshing? When Peter, James, and John were invited by Jesus to go up a “high mountain,” they were not prepared for what would occur and for where the journey would lead. Something new was going to happen.

Coming halfway through the period of Ordinary Time,  the Transfiguration grants us a moment of enlightenment when we see Jesus clearly in all his glory and hear God tell us who Jesus is (“my beloved Son”). This revelation strengthens our resolve to continue listening to whatever Jesus has to tell us (“listen to him”), and encourages us to continue walking with him to Jerusalem where “the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” Because of the Transfiguration, we can see what is entirely new in where we are going, we can hear how we are to get there, we can follow fearlessly the One who leads us.

In face of Jesus’ transfiguration, the disciples “were very much afraid.” Perhaps they were afraid of losing what was familiar to them from of old. Perhaps they were afraid because they had an inkling that this new journey presents formidable challenges. If we are to enter into Jesus’ glorification, then we must be open to a transfiguration of ourselves, of our lives, of our own destiny. We must let go of our own limited vision and horizons and “listen to” Jesus opening up for us the uncharted territory of remarkable compassion and mercy,
forgiveness and care, love and humility. We must allow Jesus to transfigure us.

Image: “Transfiguration,” by Charles Emerson