Finding God In Our Hearts with Msgr. Don Fischer

PRI Reflections on Scripture | Wednesday of the 3rd Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel Mark 4:1-20 On another occasion, Jesus began to teach by the sea. A very large crowd gathered around him so that he got into a boat on the sea and sat down. And the whole crowd was beside the sea on land. And he taught them at length in parables, and in the course of his instruction he said to them, "Hear this! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep. And when the sun rose, it was scorched and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it and it produced no grain. And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit. It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold." He added, "Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear." And when he was alone, those present along with the Twelve questioned him about the parables. He answered them, "The mystery of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you. But to those outside everything comes in parables, so that they may look and see but not perceive, and hear and listen but not understand, in order that they may not be converted and be forgiven." Jesus said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones on the path where the word is sown. As soon as they hear, Satan comes at once and takes away the word sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground who, when they hear the word, receive it at once with joy. But they have no roots; they last only for a time. Then when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Those sown among thorns are another sort. They are the people who hear the word, but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word, and it bears no fruit. But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” Reflection There's a theme that runs through all the parables, through all the teaching of Jesus. Something is offered and that which is offered must be received, longed for, and one should be open and ready to go through any transformation that is necessary for this truth to take root within them. But Jesus pointing out many people do not really want what it promises. They don't want to be changed. They don't want something new. He said, That's why I speak in parables, because I want them to have to look for and try to figure out what I'm saying. And if they're not interested in the depth of what's behind and hidden in these parables, they're not going to listen to anything that is explained to them perfectly. He longs for a quest inside of us all, to hunger for his message, for his truth, and to be willing to be radically changed by it. Closing Prayer Father, create in us a longing, an awareness perhaps of the emptiness that our life might have when we aren't really understanding the role that God has given us in this world. Give us a sense of the emptiness that might be there so that we can find that which fills us, that which gives us purpose and meaning and enthusiasm for all that we are called to be to the people around 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 | Tuesday of the 3rd Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel  Mark  3:31-35 The mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived at the house. Standing outside, they sent word to Jesus and called him. A crowd seated around him told him, "Your mother and your brothers and your sisters are outside asking for you." But he said to them in reply, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” Reflection Jesus is underscoring a frightening thought that what it takes for us to be able to receive what God is offering through Jesus. We need to know who He is and we need to accept all that He gives. He is our brother. He is the mother that gives us a life. He is the father who has created us. He sees so clearly in his work that his work is the most important thing in his life, more important than himself or his family or anything. He longs to do the work of God, and that is to awaken everyone to God's intimacy with them. Closing Prayer Father, your intention, your longing, is to transform us into being part of a family, a union, a communion that can never be broken. It is life. It is like a family's life to us as a child. So this teaching of Jesus is a life to us as we grow, evolve, and grow in our understanding. Bless us with receptivity. 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 Ordinary Time

Gospel Mark 3:22-30 The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and "By the prince of demons he drives out demons." Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables, "How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the end of him. But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.   Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin." For they had said, "He has an unclean spirit.” Reflection Power we have over evil is a gift. It is not within us. And the gift comes through a person. Through the words, the actions, the life of a man God named Jesus. If we separate ourselves from him, if we're divided against him, if we choose not to allow him to do anything for us, we cannot claim that we have the gift of freedom from sin. We’ll be caught in the sin. But when we deny the source of forgiveness and say we refuse to accept it, of course we are still then without forgiveness. To say no to this gift is insane, and evil is insane. Closing Prayer Father, all you ask is our openness to receive the gifts that you offer us, that you won at a great price. Help us never to resist these gifts, never to deny who you are in us, lest we fall into a place of darkness. 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 in Ordinary Time

THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Original Airdate: January 22, 2023 Isaiah 8:23—9:3 | 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17 | Matthew 4:12-23 Almighty, everliving God, direct our actions according to your good pleasure that, in the name of your Beloved Son, we might be found in good works.  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 2nd Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel Mark 3:20-21 Jesus came with his disciples into the house. Again the crowd gathered, making it impossible for them even to eat. When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” Reflection How did Jesus deal with his critics? I think it might have been easier for him to deal with the critics of the temple because they were seen in his mind as those who were very, very dangerous and needed to be silenced. But this opens up another way of understanding the tension that he lived in, and that is to lose his family's support, to be called crazy, out of your mind. It just reminds us that when we are taught to be the instrument of God's teaching, we need to have a commitment that isn't weakened by criticism. We expect to be criticized when we speak the truth by those who live in lies. Closing Prayer Father, give us the confidence in the commitment that you have given to us to manifest your teaching your truth to those around us. Help us to do it, not so much by telling them where they're wrong, but by awakening them to something they see within us. Help us to be the message, not just talk about it. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]