PRI Reflections on Scripture | Saturday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time

PRI Reflections on Scripture | Feast of Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr

Original Post Date: August 10, 2024 === Gospel John 12:24-26 Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.” Reflection Jesus is trying to teach his disciples that there is a process that he wants them to understand, is the Kingdom of God. We die to old ways. We die to illusions. We die to half truths. Whenever we die to something, something new is born. Something becomes clearer or something becomes more, more in touch with the truth. Closing Prayer Let us pray. Father, It's a mistake for us to feel that when we are exposed as being someone who doesn't understand or doesn't see the truth, we feel that we've failed. It is a process that we have to embrace. Help us never to lose enthusiasm for our growth as God exposes to us the errors that we get caught up in. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

HOMILY • The 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Original Airdate: August 2, 2020 Isaiah 55:1-3 | Romans 8:35, 37-39 | Matthew 14:13-21 Opening Prayer Draw near to your servants, oh Lord, and answer their prayers with unceasing kindness that, for those who glory in you as their creator and guide, you may restore what you have created and keep safe what you have restored.  Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen. Closing Prayer Father, your goodness, your generosity, your mercy are so far beyond our mind to comprehend, but our heart understands.  And when we live in that atmosphere, in that environment, in that comfort of that sense of who you are, we find ourselves feeling so much less stress.  It is stressful times for us, this virus, how are economy is going.  So please bless us with a conviction that all of this somehow has purpose and meaning and is going to bring us to a place of abundant life.  And we ask this through Christ our Lord, amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

PRI Reflections on Scripture | Saturday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time

Original Post Date: August 9, 2025 === Gospel Matthew 17:14-20 A man came up to Jesus, knelt down before him, and said, "Lord, have pity on my son, who is a lunatic and suffers severely; often he falls into fire, and often into water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him." Jesus said in reply, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring the boy here to me." Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him, and from that hour the boy was cured. Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said, "Why could we not drive it out?" He said to them, "Because of your little faith. Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Reflection It's interesting to me that Jesus uses such a dramatic example of the power that we have, because God dwells within us. Move a mountain. It's impossible. Does that mean that God wants us to move mountains? No. He's making a simple, profound truth clear to us. Faith isn't about how much you believe, it's whether or not you believe. It's not something you have a little bit of and then grow, and we have a lot more of it. No, it's a decision you make that God can do anything. It's not you that can do anything with God's support or help. That's not the point. It's whatever God wants to use you for, it will be effective. The belief is not in us being able to do it, but in God being able to do it through us. And there is no way that God deserves anything but absolute trust in faith in his power. Closing Prayer Father, it's easy for us to be overwhelmed by things. Things that we want to see changed, but they're not yet changed. And often times, if we're waiting and waiting, we think, well, nothing's going to happen. So give us this conviction that whenever we see things falling apart, whenever we see lies in place of truth, we need to know that we believe that these things for God are not a problem. And if he uses us then we should be grateful. If he's not using us yet, we should be hopeful. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

PRI Reflections on Scripture | Friday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time

Original Post Date: August 9, 2024 === Gospel Matthew 16:24-28 Jesus said to his disciples, “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. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay each according to his conduct. Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.” Reflection Nothing seems clearer in the teaching of Jesus, that we have to become people that are others centered, not self-centered. It's so easy for us to have it without even realizing it, that we focus everything on what's happening to me and how am I feeling it? What is fair and what is unfair? And all Jesus is saying is, look. Let go of that. Focus on self and focus on me. Focus on me and what I've done, what I'm doing. The example I have and you'll find life. Closing Prayer Father, your gift to us is your transforming grace. And one of the signs that it works within us, is that we see ourselves focused less and less on our wants, our needs, and focused on the things that people need around us. Free us from a prison of self-centeredness. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

PRI Reflections on Scripture | Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord - Cycle B

Original Post Date: August 6, 2024 === Gospel  Mark 9:2-10 Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them,  and his clothes became dazzling white,  such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.  Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses,  and they were conversing with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,  “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents:  one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;  from the cloud came a voice,  “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them. As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves,  questioning what rising from the dead meant. Reflection What is interesting to me in this passage is the cloud. The disciples are going through an experience that is terrifying and confusing and wonderful all at the same time. But it's like this cloud that came over them. The voice of God, it's like stop trying to analyze each of these parts. Just enter into a place of listening to what I'm trying to do for you and what God is doing for you. He's coming to you in the flesh. And so the cloud is a symbol for all of us to understand that when we enter into the full mystery of what the scriptures are saying, we are encountering God who longs, longs to be a part of our life. Closing Prayer Father, help us to acknowledge the desire, the will, the intention that you have for us. You long for us to see the light, life, the truth. And you will show us sign after sign after sign. Awaken us to all the signs you're sending. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]