Finding God In Our Hearts with Msgr. Don Fischer

PRI Reflections on Scripture | Tuesday of the 6th Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel  Mark 8:14-21 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. Jesus enjoined them, "Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." They concluded among themselves that it was because they had no bread. When he became aware of this he said to them, "Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread? Do you not yet understand or comprehend? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear? And do you not remember, when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up?" They answered him, "Twelve." "When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?" They answered him, "Seven." He said to them, "Do you still not understand?” Reflection In many ways the disciples are revealed in the Scriptures as people who don't really get it. You know, who don't have a clue. But you have to understand that what Jesus is saying is really so radically new. They knew religion, they knew the temple, they knew its corruption. They didn't expect it to do much for them. And now Jesus is creating a new kingdom, the kingdom of Heaven, on earth. And it's all about something that nurtures and develops and feeds. And so he's longing for his disciples to understand this. So he uses signs and symbols and stories and parables. And he just simply gets frustrated because they don't understand. They don't yet know how to listen to the way he teaches, to ponder the images, to wonder, and to imagine something radically different than what they've known when it comes to religion. Closing Prayer Father, everything that you have created in the world is for us. Even the negative things or those things that remind us of what we don't want to be a part of. So open our eyes and our hearts and our ears. So we can feed on the nurturing love and the nurturing wisdom you share with us. 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 6th Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel Mark 8:11-13 The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation." Then he left them, got into the boat again, and went off to the other shore. Reflection It is seldom we are shown in the Scriptures the emotions of Jesus. But here he is frustrated, a deep sigh. And what he’s really saying is interesting. He's saying, Look, I have given you sign after sign after sign and you're asking for signs. It just underscores their blindness, their close mindedness, their close hearts. And that's what Jesus is worried about. They simply cannot open themselves to the message of life and joy that he's come to bring. Closing Prayer Father, you are speaking to us constantly. You show us things. You invite us into situations where we learn and we grow. Help us to give thanks for those signs that you've given us that you are with us. Help us to be attentive to them. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

HOMILY • The 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Original Airdate: February 16, 2020 Sirach 15:15-20 | 1 Corinthians 2:6-10 | Matthew 5:17-37 Oh God, who teaches that you abide in hearts that are just and true, grant that we may be so fashioned by your grace as to become a dwelling place pleasing to you.  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 5th Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel Mark 8:1-10 In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat, Jesus summoned the disciples and said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance.” His disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?” Still he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They replied, “Seven.” He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute, and they distributed them to the crowd. They also had a few fish. He said the blessing over them and ordered them distributed also. They ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets. There were about four thousand people. He dismissed the crowd and got into the boat with his disciples and came to the region of Dalmanutha. Reflection This is the only miracle that is found in all four of the Gospels. It what it is, is God caring for the physical needs of those who longed to follow him. When we think of it, we think maybe we are not supposed to pray for things like, you know, food or money or a better house or whatever. But there's nothing wrong with asking God to give us the things that enable us to live the life that we long to live for him. And it’s all right to pray for things that are material. That's the world we live in. That's the world Jesus recognizes as something that He wants to be a source of caring for our needs. Expect him to do that. Trust in him to answer your prayers. Closing Prayer Father, we are spiritual beings, but we are also physical beings that live in this world. Help us to know that you're interested in caring for us in both areas. You want us to grow as a spiritual being capable of doing your work and you want us to be comfortable and to live in a place that honors our dignity and our worth. 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 5th Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel Mark 7:31-37 Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man's ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, "Ephphatha!" (that is, "Be opened!") And immediately the man's ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished and they said, "He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” Reflection It's rare that we see the emotional side of Jesus in the Scriptures, but in this miracle, he does something interesting. He groans. And to groan is something that is like a longing, a desire, a so deep a desire that it makes us sound. And the interesting thing about that is that even the way he heals the man by spitting and touching his tongue, there's a reference to the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit is breath and spittle is a concrete image of the Spirit. So we see in this story is a beautiful way in which God infuses us with spirit. That’s his longing. And we know that in the teaching of the church, the Holy Spirit is the aspect of God in the world today, in your heart that also groans always to move in the direction of life, transformation, salvation, freedom to live as were called, to live. Closing Prayer Father, we have you as a father, as a brother, your son, and as this mystery, the Holy Spirit. We are told throughout the Scriptures that the Holy Spirit groans for our evolution, for our transformation, for our becoming who you call us to be. Help us to feel that energy of you longing in this presence of the spirit, to bring us to a place of wholeness and health. That it's not up to us to do this work. It's up to us to believe you can do this work and to enter into your desires, your will. Knowing and trusting everything going on around us is exactly as it should be. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]