Finding God In Our Hearts with Msgr. Don Fischer

PRI Reflections on Scripture | Wednesday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel Mark 7:14-23 Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.” When he got home away from the crowd his disciples questioned him about the parable. He said to them, “Are even you likewise without understanding? Do you not realize that everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters not the heart but the stomach and passes out into the latrine?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) “But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him. From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.” Reflection As Jesus continues to describe how He wants to save us, how this whole process of our being touched by him impacts us in a way that changes everything. And I love his reference here to the heart. He’s saying what enters your heart is what's really essential. And God has promised to enter into our hearts. And if we think about healing and transformation of grace, we need to understand that the heart, if it is the cause of those things that are destructive, the heart is what needs to be healed. In the heart is the presence of God within you. Once you allow him into your heart, believe he dwells there, no evil can possibly flow from your heart to others. But that's the place where we connect. Heart to heart. Intention to intention. And it needs to be pure. It needs to be life giving. Closing Prayer Father, your grace by it’s very presence is healing. Just as you, as you walk this earth had your healing presence known. Bless us with knowing that that same presence dwells in our hearts and through us. You can do this mysterious work of driving out that which destroys us and freeing us from all that robs us of life. 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 | Tuesday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel  Mark  7:1-13 When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. (For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of the elders. And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves. And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds.) So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, "Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?" He responded, "Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts. You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition." He went on to say, "How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition! For Moses said, Honor your father and your mother, and Whoever curses father or mother shall die. Yet you say, 'If someone says to father or mother, "Any support you might have had from me is qorban"' (meaning, dedicated to God), you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother. You nullify the word of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many such things.” Reflection The indictment of Jesus against the Pharisees reminds us of a very important truth. We have many practices in our religion, many things that we think can not change, that we think are essential. But this gospel reminds us there is one core teaching in all of the practices of religion and that teaching is that you and I have been gifted with this gift of redemption. We’re freed of sin. We have no reason to try to earn anything from God by doing any rule or law. We are simply called to listen to the Spirit within us and to follow that spirit. That's what brings us life. It’s not about doing. It's about becoming someone infused with spirit. Closing Prayer Father, help us to make distinctions between things that are simply ways of helping us to become who we need to be. And your grace, your mysterious, powerful healing grace. It transforms us. We need to be aware and we need to be open to the transforming grace that you offer in Jesus. 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 | Monday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel Mark 6:53-56 After making the crossing to the other side of the sea, Jesus and his disciples came to land at Gennesaret and tied up there. As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him. They scurried about the surrounding country and began to bring in the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed. Reflection One of the things that’s clear in the Gospels stories is that Jesus had a hard time finding a way to teach and to preach because of those who longed for what he offered, were longing most especially for his healing power. And what's important about that is that the words of God, the teaching of God that we find in Jesus, the invitation on the part of God to be like Jesus in the world is a healing experience. Everything in the Gospel is about a healing experience, becoming who we really are in doing the work that were really called to do. Closing Prayer Father, no matter what encounter we have with your truth, please open our eyes so that we can see that everything you teach us, everything you ask from us is something that will be about a healing experience. You came to change us, not to tell us what we have to become, but to enable us to become all that you want us to be. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

HOMILY • The 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Original Airdate: February 5, 2023 Isaiah 58:7-10 | 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 | Matthew 5:13-16 Keep your family safe, oh Lord, with unfailing care that, relying solely on the hope of heavenly grace, they may be defended always by your protection.  Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever, amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

PRI Reflections on Scripture | Saturday of the 4th Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel Mark 6:30-34 The Apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat. So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place. People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. They hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them. When Jesus disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. Reflection One of the things I love about this gospel is the way we see Jesus, certainly depending upon his disciples to be the source of teaching that he long for them to be, but knowing and being sensitive to their human condition. That they could get tired and they overextended. And so he takes them away just to give them a place of rest. And when he gets there, and there was more work to be done he doesn't say, okay, now you got to take up the slack because there are people that need you. No, he himself steps in and I love the image that when he sees the people longing for something, he’s moved deeply with a sense of love for them. And then he continues his ministry Closing Prayer Hidden in this gospel is a lesson I think that is very important. When were asked to be who God calls us to be, to the people around us, to be caring and compassionate. We know sometimes we can do that and it's not too difficult. Other times, we're just exhausted and can't make any sense of what we're supposed to do. So that's when God steps in and does his part for us. We never work alone. We always work with our master and he knows we need rest. And he offers it to us as he takes over, and does the work we long to accomplish. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]