Finding God In Our Hearts with Msgr. Don Fischer

HOMILY • The 3rd Sunday of Lent

Original Airdate: March 12, 2026 Exodus 17:3-7 | Romans 5:1-2,5-8 | John 4:5-42 O God, author of every mercy and of all goodness, who in fasting, prayer and almsgiving have shown us a remedy for sin, look graciously on this confession of our lowliness, that we, who are bowed down by our conscience, may always be lifted up by your mercy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

PRI Reflections on Scripture | Saturday of the 2nd Week of Lent

Gospel Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." So to them Jesus addressed this parable. "A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.' So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. Coming to his senses he thought, 'How many of my father's hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers."' So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.' But his father ordered his servants, 'Quickly, bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.' Then the celebration began. Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him, 'Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his father in reply, 'Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.' He said to him, 'My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’" Reflection I like focusing on the unhappy brother. Because he's so like the righteousness of so many of the people that Jesus was trying to reach. If you do what you're told, that's all that's required. But Jesus is coming into the world not for those people, but more for the sinner, for the younger son, for the one who sought life and wanted it more than anything else but made all the mistakes. And that's what we need to take to heart about this passage. God favors those who long to live and find life, and you can't do that without making mistakes. Let us never fear that our sins are the obstacle. We need to have passion, enthusiasm for life. We need to seek it and we make mistakes, and when we make mistakes, then we simply recognize that we are always forgiven.] Closing Prayer Father, your love is consistent. You are our father. You're the father of those of us who sin. You're the father of those of us who follow the rules rigorously. Let us be the same. Let us embrace all those who seek to please you and not judge them. 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 2nd Week of Lent

Gospel Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46 Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: "Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way. Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.' They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?" They answered him, "He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times." Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes? Therefore, I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit." When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them. And although they were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet. Reflection I wonder what the Pharisees felt when they’d hear words of Jesus condemning their life. Many of them must have felt somehow that they were guilty of what Jesus was saying. But when they're all together, when they're trying to protect what has been their way of life for so long, they are so resistant to hearing the truth. He reminds us that we have to be radically open to transformation and change if we're serious about following the Christ. We're to leave so many ways in which we've seen life to enter into the true work that God has called us to. Let us not be like the Pharisees. Let us be open to hearing exactly what Jesus is saying and knowing what needs to be changed in our life and not feeling responsible to be the one who changes it, but to allow him to do his work, to transform us into his son. Closing Prayer Father, when we see or feel that the words you speak are directly to us and we can know that we are not yet where we should be, help us always to be excited about the possibility of change and not wallow in shame or guilt that will get us nowhere. To admit, to see our darkness is essential. And until we do, we'll never be able to feel the healing power of your presence. 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 | Thursday of the 2nd Week of Lent

Gospel Luke 6:19-31 Jesus said to the Pharisees: "There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores. When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.' Abraham replied, 'My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented. Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.' He said, 'Then I beg you, father, send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.' But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.' He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.’" Reflection In the world of the Pharisees, they taught what is called the prosperity gospel. But back then it was just simply an understanding that the more that you follow the rules and regulations, the more perfectly you follow the law, the more you would be blessed by God. And the blessing of God was not to make you into a servant as Jesus explains it, but to make you prosperous, important. And all the things you longed for and needed physically, emotionally would be there for you. It was a misunderstanding completely of what it is that God is asking from us. He's not asking us to do what we're told and then be blessed. He's calling us to something so much more complex and beautiful. To be human beings who live in a world listening to our own needs and the needs of others, and longing for nothing more than to relieve the pain and suffering that they see there. The rich man had no interest in anyone who was suffering because they were considered unworthy. What a radical change. That Jesus had brought to the temple and what an important change that would actually save the world. Closing Prayer Father, one might say that you treated the Pharisees harshly and seem to condemn them, but we know basically inside of you there was a longing and a desire that every single one of them would be touched and transformed and move away from their shallow understanding of what God is really about to something richer and fuller. But as you condemn them, it's so clearly that what you were condemning were their ideas, their ways, not them individually. So bless us with understanding and patience with people who are not seeing the role that God has promised to inspire them and nurture them in. 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 | Wednesday of the 2nd Week in Lent

Gospel Matthew 20:17-28 As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the Twelve disciples aside by themselves, and said to them on the way, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day." Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, "What do you wish?" She answered him, "Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom." Jesus said in reply, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?" They said to him, "We can." He replied, "My chalice you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus summoned them and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Reflection It's clear that when the disciples heard the proclamation that Jesus made about what was to happen to Him at the end of his life, they didn't grasp it. They were confused. And I think it's fascinating to see James and John with their mommy coming to Jesus and asking for a special favor that they be put in positions of greatest authority and respect and honor. And Jesus is just shaking his head and saying, you know, they don't yet get it. They don't understand. And all he does is say, you know what you're asking? You really don't even know what you're asking. First of all, things like that are in my father's hands. I'm not the one determining what the future will be like. My father is the one in charge. But please know this, he keeps saying, please know that what I'm asking you to become is not people of great honor and prestige and importance. But you've all got to be servants. Keep service in mind. It's essential. Closing Prayer Father, our nature thrives in positions of authority and power. We like to have things that make us seem successful, and that's nothing unusual for a human being. The ego is sort of set in a way that that's what they want, but we have to always counter those desires with such a simple and beautiful teaching that comes up over and over again. We're not here to be served. We're here to serve. And we asked this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]