I very nearly named our little Bible study “two or three” after this last line from our Gospel reading today: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). Over the years, our group has ebbed and flowed. Some gatherings would have a dozen or more members, and other times just two or three of us would be able to attend. We’re all…
Jesus offers us the key to discipleship in today’s Gospel reading: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16: 24-25). Paradoxically, this is also the key to fulfillment and happiness. To be Christian disciples, we must deny ourselves by emptying ourselves of sin, pride,…
In today’s Gospel reading, Peter recognized and professed the truth of Christ’s identity: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). He proclaimed that Jesus is the Son of the living God, the Messiah, the King of heaven and earth. I can imagine Peter, who was sometimes impulsive, replying with fervor but without fully understanding the depth of his words. Jesus pointed out that Peter did not study to learn this.…
Have you ever noticed that one of the first things that people do when they see a baby with his or her parent is try to see the resemblance between the child and the parents? “He has dad’s eyes,” or “she looks just like her mama!” As baptized Christians, we are children of God, made in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:27). All things were made through Christ (Colossians 1:16), so as Christians we bear…
One of the things that I have missed the most during this time of social distancing due to Covid 19 is meeting in-person with my Bible study group. One of our group’s traditions is taking a meeting each month just for hospitality and fellowship. We take turns hosting our gathering in our homes. We have coffee and snacks, pray together, and simply enjoy being with each other. This focus on mutual hospitality and fellowship is…
In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, Jesus tells His disciples that they are “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world” (Matthew 5: 13-14). Part of the role of a disciple of Christ is to make the world better for everyone. The places where we live and work should be more peaceful and happy as a result of the salt and light that we bring to them. Salt is a seasoning that brings…
The very first Beatitude is “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). In the Gospel passage of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14), the tax collector who “would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner’” (Luke 18:13) demonstrated that he was poor in spirit. In his humility, he was repentant and…
Money is a tool we are meant to use for good. Sometimes tools can become our masters, bossing us around. Jesus warns us: “No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon” (Lk 16:13). In Jesus’s time, having a master meant that you were a slave. We are called to be “slaves,” or…
“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” (Lk 12:49). Jesus longs to see each one of us on fire with love for God and for each other. He doesn’t want to see just a little flicker of love. No, he wants to see our hearts blazing—full of warmth, energy, and light. Fire is usually destructive. It burns away almost everything in its path, leaving behind…
Today’s Scripture readings continue our theme from last week of keeping our eyes and hearts set on heaven. The first reading tells how the Jewish people in Egypt were prepared for their Exodus. They were to eat their Passover as those ready to leave their homes in Egypt and allow God to deliver them: “This is how you are to eat it: with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand,…