Finding God In Our Hearts with Msgr. Don Fischer

PRI Reflections on Scripture | Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Lent

Gospel  Matthew 18:21-35 Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.” Reflection In our relationship with God, it seems to me it all begins when you understand who He is and who he is for us. This God loves, cares for us. Longs for nothing more than we grow and change and evolve. That's his compassionate heart. And when one is not touched by that, if one does not feel that compassion, one cannot understand the demand from the gospel that we must always be people filled with forgiveness. This man that's in this story is not touched by the kindness of God. He doesn't feel that as a compassionate act, just as something that helped him out, that something that gave him more of what he wanted. He was totally wrapped up in himself. In his ego and what was good for him. So the first and most important thing for each of us is to understand the love that God has for us, and once we feel it, once we have it in our heart, we will always give it to others. Closing Prayer Father, you're the source of everything for us. You are the one who creates within us compassion, empathy, love, forgiveness. Help us to be open to this gift. Help us to know that without you, we can fall into the trap of being fully focused on ourself and whatever works for us. But we need your compassion in our hearts. 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 3rd Week in Lent

Gospel Luke 4:24-30 Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth: “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them and went away. Reflection When the people of Nazareth realized that Jesus had a gift, he spoke with authority and they recognized him as the young boy that grew up in their midst, and he was even by many, considered to be illegitimate. So they didn't have any way of accepting the uniqueness that he displayed. And their response was anger, because he simply said, You aren’t listening to me. It's interesting how anger can be a response to a criticism when we're afraid of what it’s demanding of us. Jesus demands we change. And when we are seeing in Scripture ourselves being examples of what we shouldn't be, we need to receive it generously, and open hearted desiring to change. Closing Prayer Father, our daily lives are often filled with situations where we are criticizing ourselves or being criticized by others, and let us always have an open heart to that. Make sure that we listen to see if there's any truth in that criticism and not be like the people of Nazareth who became angry and attacked the one who brought the criticism to light. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

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]