Gospel Reflections for Challenging Times

  Saturday - 3rd Week of Lent Gospel – Luke18:9-14 Let Us Pray! Stone of Anointing, Church of Holy Sepulchre The Pharisee and the Tax Collector!   Two very different individuals – one an elite and highly regarded member of Jewish society, a religious leader.   The other – reviled and hated, looked on as a collaborator with the Romans, someone who cheats and steals from the people. The Pharisee offers God a prayer of thanksgiving, well, sort of!   What is he thankful for?   That he’s not like others, that he is better than everyone.   He is blind to the needs of those around him and selfishly puts himself on a pedestal.   The tax collector, on the other hand, can’t even raise his head to the heavens.   His is a prayer of repentance, sorrow for his sins and failings.   The Pharisee thanks the Lord that he is not greedy or dishonest like others; and yet, that is exactly what he is.   The tax collector, the one everyone assume...

  Friday - Feast of the Annunciation Gospel – Luke 1:26-38 Saying Yes! Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth When was the last time you said YES? I mean a real unequivocal YES! Clean your room! Do your homework! Get a job! Set the table! Wash the dishes! When was the last time we said YES and really meant it? A real Yes! Not yes but when I feel like it. Not yes but maybe later. Not yes but grudgingly and unwillingly. A YES without limits or conditions, a yes without any time frame or complete awareness of what your YES might mean. A total, willing, trusting YES!!   Ever?? This is the YES we see in today’s Gospel. Mary, barely a teen, not knowing what the future may hold, not reluctant or afraid, not “let me think about it”, not YES but “not now”. Just a simple and total YES! Complete trust in God and in His plan for her. “Your will be done” When was the last time we said YES with trust and faith, without conditions or time limits? What are we waiting for?

  Thursday - 3rd Week of Lent Gospel – Luke11:14-23 Are You With Me? On the Sea of Galilee Are you with me?   It feels like a rallying cry to the crowds in Les Miserables !   Or maybe it’s the whispered words of an older brother as he plots in secret with his siblings to raid the cookie jar!   But in today’s Gospel, Jesus expressed similar words to the crowds – you are either with me or against me!   It’s a challenge to choose a side, a question of faith or denial! We all know from experience that we sometimes falter in our response!   Sometimes we don’t always listen to God.   We don’t always follow His commands!   We act selfishly and decide to cater to the whims of the world or our own desires.   The very act of Jesus driving out the demon from the mute is an announcement that the Kingdom is here, right here, right now.   And it’s time for the people to choose – with me or not! But this is not a once in a lifetime o...

  Wednesday – Third Week of Lent Gospel – Matthew 5:17-19 There are too many rules! Why do I have to obey them? Sunrise, Sea of Galilee As we enter this 3rd day of home-schooling, you have probably already heard these words many times by now. The quick answer is “Because I said so”, probably the same thing our parents said to us. Let’s face it, none of us like rules. We think they limit us; we think we know better; we wish they were easier to follow. Every time we get a new boss, a new principal, a new teacher or babysitter, we hope they will change the rules and make things easier. Jesus’ followers were thinking the same thing in today’s Gospel. But He sets them straight. He isn’t here to change the rules, to eliminate them or cut them down. He is here to change our FOCUS!   Quit thinking about obeying the law just because it’s the law. Quit thinking about focusing on how the law affects ourselves. Focus on how the rules focus on others! Focus on how cheating, lyin...

  Tuesday – Third Week of Lent Gospel – Matthew 18:21-35 How Many Times Must I Forgive? Wailing Wall, Jerusalem In today’s Gospel, Peter wants to know – how many times must I forgive another?   Once?   7 times? Jesus responds – 77 times? In other words, always! Then He uses a parable to illustrate His point. Why should I forgive someone else for hurting me? Why should I do it once, much less 7 times? They should ask for forgiveness first, then maybe! How can I possibly forgive 77 times? Fool me once, shame on you! Fool me twice, shame on me? The Golden Rule directs us to love our neighbor as ourselves. Forgiveness works the same way. The Our Father tells us: “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”. Turn the situation around. We are all human; we all make mistakes. How many times do we want to be forgiven? Only once?   If we hope for forgiveness for all our failings, then God calls us to offer forgiveness to others for thei...