HOMILY • The 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

PRI Reflections on Scripture | Tuesday of the 14th Week of Ordinary Time

Original Post Date: July 9, 2024 === Gospel  Matthew 9:32-38 A demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus, and when the demon was driven out the mute man spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the prince of demons.” Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” Reflection The Pharisees took almost no time to deal with what Jesus was really saying, and just wrote him off as a demon. But the beauty of who Jesus is in this passage is so important, because it's revealing the God whose heart is filled with compassion and understanding and a desire to free us from pain and suffering. That God had been hidden by the Pharisees and now revealed by Jesus himself. He looked at these people and saw them troubled and abandoned, and his heart was moved with love for them, and desired so deeply to change them. And all he's saying is, the father longs for people like me, like the Christ, to continue the work that I'm establishing and he wants these people to be able to do the work of dealing with people's struggles, their sense of abandonment and shame. When each of us does that, we are creating the kingdom of God. Closing Prayer Father, we often don't realize the power we have through our intention. We're quick to judge, quick to criticize, quick to not understand someone's pain. Bless us with this gift of mercy that is the inheritance that we have your death and resurrection. Make us merciful friends and kind to people that know and understand and feel the suffering of our brothers and sisters. 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 14th Week in Ordinary Time

Original Post Date: July 8, 2024 === Gospel Matthew 9:18-26 While Jesus was speaking, an official came forward, knelt down before him, and said, “My daughter has just died. But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live.” Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples. A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the tassel on his cloak. She said to herself, “If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.” Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, “Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.” And from that hour the woman was cured. When Jesus arrived at the official’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion, he said, “Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they ridiculed him. When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand, and the little girl arose. And news of this spread throughout all that land. Reflection We see in this gospel the reaction that people have to who God is in Jesus Christ, who he is in us. Radically different than the Old Testament, God in the form of Jesus comes into the world to work individually, personally, with each one of us and longs for us to go through a process much more complicated than following rules and regulations flowing from the temple. But engaging in the work of being transformed into who we have been created to be. We see two reactions to this gift of God in Christ. The woman who is absolutely convinced that he is who he says he is, and he's promised healing to her, and she just needs to touch him, and she's healed. And then there's those who resist, those who are mourning the death of someone. When Jesus comes, they are told he's there to heal, to transform, to bring somebody out of a place of death. They mock him and make fun of him. It sets the tone for the way in which the gospel will find root in the people of God. Closing Prayer Father, it's difficult for us to embrace the fullness of the way in which the New Testament teaches, you will be working in us, with us, for us, and giving us everything that we need. And that is in the form of healing those weaknesses that we've inherited. And we need that gift, keep us strong in our faith and trust that it is never earned, but only generously shared through your love for 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 | Saturday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time

Original Post Date: July 6, 2024 === Gospel Matthew 9:14-17 The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth, for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”  Reflection The practice of fasting was a way of preparing for something that was coming, to make you more aware of it, more attentive to what it really meant. And so, in a sense, the Old Testament was an evolution of understanding of religion that was leading to the fullness that came in Jesus. And it's so radically different. And the radical difference is the way in which God deals with us, in our weaknesses. He is not demanding sacrifices any longer. He demands only that we accept mercy. And you can't put mercy into the same category as you can, rules and regulations and punishment. What Jesus is trying to teach the disciples of John, is how radical a change is about to take place. Please ponder this reflection and I will close with the prayer. Closing Prayer Father, it's difficult for us to fathom the fullness of your message. It goes against so much that's in our own broken human nature, where we feel revenge and we feel that it's difficult to forgive people. But open us to the fullness of who you are, so that it would be a way of being in the world that'll be so different that the old will seem absolutely useless, and the new will bring us 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 | Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle

Original Post Date: July 3, 2024 === Gospel John 20:24-29 Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But Thomas said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” Reflection When Jesus was working with his disciples, he gave them a sign, after a sign of who he was. And he wanted them to believe in him. And so when he did the most amazing thing, died and rose to save us from our sins, he appeared to the 11 without Thomas, and they saw him. And that was enough. But Thomas wasn't there, and he was incredulous. He couldn't believe the witness of the others. So Jesus came to him, with the disciples, and let him touch the wounds. Jesus will reach those he longs to reach through whatever means they need. That's his intention to create in us that kind of conviction and faith. Please ponder this reflection and I will close with the prayer. Closing Prayer Father, it's clear that you long for us to believe. Because when we believe in the things that are beyond our imagining, we're entering more and more into the kingdom of God. Give us patience with our imperfection of faith. And know that God will work with it and deepen it. And give us sign after sign. Help us to be aware and convinced of all that he teaches. 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 13th Week in Ordinary Time

Original Post Date: July 4, 2024 === Gospel Matthew 9:1-8 After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town. And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Courage, child, your sins are forgiven." At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming." Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, "Why do you harbor evil thoughts? Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"– he then said to the paralytic, "Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home." He rose and went home. When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to men. Reflection The fascinating thing about this story is how it equates being in the sense of sin. Feeling sin in you, paralyzes something in us, keeps us from becoming who we need to be. It's called shame and a lack of self-worth. Nothing is more essential to Jesus than we know his love, and his acceptance is always greater than any of our sins. Please ponder this reflection and I'll close with the prayer. Closing Prayer Father, you have created us in your own image. You are always seeing us as you created us in the beauty that you created. And sin, when we feel it inside of us, will rob us of that awareness of our goodness and keep us from becoming your servants. So bless us with a conviction that if we’re not believing in our own goodness, we cannot move around and create the kingdom of God. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]