The meaning of the parable in this Sunday’s Gospel reading is set out directly for us: “Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary” (Lk 18:1). How often do we become weary? Weary of prayer, weary of our jobs and responsibilities, weary of our problems and illnesses? The answer for me is too often. How many times have I found myself with heavy eyelids while sitting…
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…
Letting go of our own plans and ways and trusting in God’s plans and ways is a theme in today’s scripture readings. Detachment from things, preferences, and ideas can help us to fully embrace God’s will. When we have confidence in God’s will for us—when we know that He has our best interests in mind—we will feel more peace and happiness. Imagine that there’s a certain task that you want to accomplish. You’ve thought it…
In today’s Gospel reading (Luke 11:1-13), Jesus exhorts us to persevere in prayer and trust in the infinite goodness of God: “And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Lk 11:9-10). Prayer stretches our souls so that God…
In today’s Gospel, the disciples went fishing but caught nothing. Then, once Jesus directed them where to cast their net, they caught so many fish that they couldn’t lift it into the boat (Jn 21:5-6). Notice how Jesus addresses them: “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” (Jn 21:5). To whom do these children belong? To God, of course! When you were a very small child, you were completely dependent on your parents. You had…