Jesus spoke of His Kingdom often. Sometimes He spoke of it directly: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Other times he used parables to explain it, such as the parables of the Sower, the Weeds Among the Wheat, the Mustard Seed, the Yeast, the Treasure, and the Pearl of Great Price, all found in Matthew 13. In today’s Gospel passage,…
I have raised children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. Isaiah 1:2 Have you ever rebelled against God? I know that I have–repeatedly. It might not look like outright rebellion, but I have definitely resisted God’s will for me in various ways. The rebellion usually sounds like this: “I want (insert situation here) to go my way!” This willful disobedience leads to anger, resentment, and conflict in my soul. It’s only…
In a homily Pope St. John Paul II gave on an apostolic trip to America, he offered this inspiring description of the Eucharist as the fullest expression of God’s love: “The Gospel of God’s love…finds its highest expression in the Eucharist. In the Mass and in Eucharistic Adoration we meet the merciful love of God that passes through the Heart of Jesus Christ.” Take a moment and imagine how this might work: God sends us…
Each of us has a deep longing in our hearts: to love and be loved. Pope Francis said that the ideal of love is “the most authentic desire of our hearts.” The Holy Trinity is love itself: an eternal exchange of love between God the Father and His Beloved Son. The Holy Spirit, “who proceeds from the Father and the Son” (Nicene Creed), is the result of this fruitful and creative love between God the…
When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. –Acts 2:1-3 Pentecost is the birthday of the Church! “For it was from the side of Christ…
So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs. Mark 16:19-20 Have you ever wondered what it would have been like if Jesus had not left the Apostles and ascended into heaven? What if He would have stayed with…
Our Gospel reflection for this Sunday (John 15:9-17) is awe-inspiring. It’s part of the Last Supper discourses where Jesus spoke directly to His disciples about the most important aspects of discipleship, as well as the mysteries of salvation and the Holy Trinity. Jesus and the eleven apostles (Judas had already left to betray Him) had finished the Last Supper and He imparted these important truths to them before His Passion. This passage is part of…
Remain in me, as I remain in you. John 15:4 What does it mean to “remain” in Jesus? And what does it mean that Jesus “remains” in us? The word “remain” occurs eight times in our Gospel reading for this Sunday (John 15:1-8). In the allegory of the Vine and the Branches, Jesus teaches His disciples what it means to be in union with Him. We are called to be one with each other and…
I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11 Imagine a little lost sheep, all beat up and stuck in the brambles of the wilderness. She wandered away from the flock and now lost, hungry, hurt, and afraid, she is in need of someone to save her. She can’t save herself this time. Sheep are known for straying off like this. When we sin, our souls “stray…
Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have. Luke 24:39 These words should shock you: “God is dead.” Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote these famous words in criticism of morality and religion. He wrote, “the belief in the Christian God has become unbelievable,” and everything that was “built upon this faith, propped up…