The Weekly Word, w/ Chris Mueller: Recent Episodes
Everyday Catholic
Each week Chris cracks open the word for the coming Sunday and gives a quick reflection. It's a primer for the Sunday Liturgy of the Word. Get into the Word, and prepare your heart to receive Him.
I had this conversation again recently with a friend. Pentecost is a big deal, and it deserves way more celebration than it typically gets.
What if every believer, no matter the denomination, looked upon each other with familial love and charity? What if we focused on what we shared and celebrated that together. What if, rather than assuming the worst of each other, we instead celebrated the faith we find in each other and moved forward in our discussion and argument with deep abiding respect and love, assuming the best intention at every turn? I have to tell you. I think it is worth a try.
Sometimes, in our desire to honor the Lord, we lose sight of him. We can get so focused on the paintings that we miss the person. Jesus was, is, and always will be, a real person with a personality. Yes, he is God, but that does not make him less alive. It makes him more alive. We are called to live in relationship with the person of Jesus Christ through the power of his Holy Spirit.
Are you living in the peace of Christ? Are you trying to walk this Christian life through your own power, or are you relying on his? Examine your life. Where is the anxiety? Where is the fear? What is eating at you? Acknowledge those things and then remember the word of, Christ. Peace be with you. Consciously choose to take those things and offer them to the Lord. "Jesus, I give this to you. I trust it to you. I know you are faithful."
The challenge of Palm Sunday is not who can make the best cross from a palm frond. No, the challenge is facing that we are the people who would cry our "Hosanna" on Palm Sunday, and "Crucify Him!" on Good Friday. We like to think that we would be better, but if we are honest about how we live our lives, we need to face that we are no different than the people who were there 2000 years ago. The good news is the Jesus knows that. And he chooses the cross for us.
Jesus jumps right into the problem. He confronts the woman with the truth, and she has a choice. Face it, or run from it. She runs. All too often, we do the same. Get more great stuff from Chris Mueller and Everyday Catholic! Check out Everyday Catholic's web series, The Everyday Catholic Show (everydaycatholic.com/show) Bring Chris Mueller (everydaycatholic.com/booking) to your next parish event. Become a donor (everydaycatholic.com/donate)and be a part of making the Everyday Catholic Show!
This week in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus touches a leper and heals him. But here is the thing, lepers were, well, kinda gross. So, Jesus touching this guy is a big deal.
Don't listen to demons, even when they speak the truth. Why? Because it teaches you to trust demons. We should remember that. Don't invite evil to form your conscience or that of your children because that teaches them that evil can be trusted. And it can not.
In Jesus' own words, His mission is not just about turning from something. It is not just about rejecting sin. No, it is also about accepting something. It is about accepting the good news.
Saying no to good is hard. God gave us good things to be enjoyed in their proper context, and God gives every good thing. But even good things can become terrible when instead of serving to point us towards the greatest, they become the ultimate objective.
Through baptism, God came to you. He brought his life to you. He adopted you. He made you part of his family. And more, he gave his life to you and wants to draw you into his. He has invited you to share in his life. He wants you to be like him.
It might be a leap, but you might say that these Magi were the scientists of their day. Scientists study what is happening in nature, they observe, and they deduce from their observations. That, it seems to me, is what the magi did as well.
This week in the Gospel of Luke, an angel writes the first part of the Hail Mary, and God not so subtly lets us know what he is all about.
Are there sins that keep coming back? Have you accepted that God can break the bonds of those sins? Next time you are confronted with a habitual sin, or even find yourself in the midst of it, stop, and out loud rebuke it. "Jesus blood has paid the price for my freedom. His blood has severed my chains. I am a slave to this no more." And then spend a moment are two in worship. I guarantee that if you cooperate with the Spirit in this way, sin you thought you might never overcome, will lose power in your life. Your baptism accomplished something. Live in that.
As much as I am over 2020, I still need AdventAdvent. I don't get to skip it. Jesus reminds us in Mark 13:33-37 that when he comes again, it will be unexpected. He literally says, "Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come."
This week in the Gospel of Mathew, Jesus teaches about his second coming and the final judgment. It is like one of those moments when the teacher stops mid-lecture and says, "listen up, this is important, and it will be on the test."
Most of us have a sense of God's presence. We have a sense of what pleases the Lord and what offends him. We know that we should pray and seek him. Most of us actually think of the Lord fairly often. Those are all little nudges. Maybe this week it is time to lean in and make a response.
This week in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells a story about maidens, lamps, and a bridegroom. The meaning of some parables just seems obvious. I don't think this is one of them.
This week in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches the beatitudes. It is the "blessed are they . . ." part of the Sermon on the Mount. Basically, he takes everything people thought they knew about what it means to be blessed and turns it on its head.
This week in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus lays out exactly what it means to be a Christian, and it is super simple. But simple seldom means easy
This week in Matthew 22:15-22, we hear Jesus say the famous line, "repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God." Sounds awesome. But what does it mean?
This week in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells another parable. This time about a wedding feast. Make sure to Break out your fancy duds because at this wedding, if you don't come dressed for the event, you leave in chains.
In this week's reading from Matthew, Jesus tells the parable of a landowner and his tenets. And let's just say, these tenets were about the worst tenants you could get. Spoiler Alert. Sometimes we are the terrible tenants.
This week in the Gospel of Matthew, we learn that if you say you will do something God asks you too, you had better do it. We also learn that if you refuse to do it. . . yeah, it is still a good idea to do it anyway.
The Cross was not justice. Jesus was crucified for our sins. He died for crimes he never committed. There is no justice in that—only mercy. If we, who claim to be his followers, miss that incredibly important point, we are in some pretty serious trouble. And here is the thing about mercy. If you deserve it, it isn't mercy. If you earned it, it was not mercy. Mercy is not fair. And thank goodness it is not.
Christians are called to be like Christ in all that we do. We are called to be a forgiven people who are forgiving. Take some time this week and consider where you are holding on to hurt and unwilling to forgive. Ask the Lord to come in, and bring healing.
This week in Matthew's Gospel, Jesus tells us that it is never OK to put someone on blast on social media... .without ever really talking about social media.
Last Week in the Gospel of Matthew, we heard Jesus call Simon the Fisherman, Peter. The Rock on which he would build his Church. And this week, just four verses later, Jesus calls Peter Satan.
This week in the Gospel of Matthew, we see Jesus demonstrate some solid small group leadership skills, we hear an echo of Isaiah 22:19-23, and we witness inception on a scale that only God could pull off
Jesus says, "It is not right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs." So, yeah, it sounds like he just called her a dog. But the woman does not become indignant. She does not freak out. She does not demand that he do what she wants. No, her reply is humble but persistent. "Even the dogs eat the scraps from their master's tables." And at that, Jesus declares, "Oh woman, great is your faith! Let it be done as you wish!"
Sometimes life can feel like walking on water, in the middle of a storm. You may be in one right now. And the thing that is going to bog you down the most is questions like "what comes next" or "what are we going to do if" or statements like "I can't" "I am too tired" "I am so over this." The only way to move forward, without sinking, is to stay focused on where you are going. Who are you going to.
I think the context of this week's Gospel is so important. Here is the first line, "When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself." Maybe I am reading in to this too much, but it seems to me that Jesus was feeling a little like some of us have been feeling. Weary. Tired. Sad. He needed some time and space to mourn the death of his cousin. If you are like me, you never put that together with the rest of this story.
In this week's Gospel Jesus continues teaching through a series of "the Kingdom of heaven is like. . ." parables. For the most part, these parables express something simple about the Christan life, and God's Kingdom. But don't be fooled, just because the lesson is simple, it does not mean that it is easy. Often it is the simplest truths that are the hardest to apply.
This week's Gospel ends with the line "First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn." The implication is clear. There are some people, even in the Church, who are not going into the barn. They are going into the fire. It is something we need to take very seriously.
Jesus famously tells that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. And most people think that means life as a Christian should be easy. They miss something else very important that Jesus says about huility. Without humility, the burden will never feel light.
The apostles worship Jesus, they doubt, he sees their doubts, and instead of condemning them for it, he gets closer, answers their doubts, AND THEN, because of who he has just confirmed himself to be, he sends them to make disciples.
The only way we are to be able to see Jesus and experience his life and indeed be alive ourselves is through the action of the Spirit.
John 10:9-10 contains one of the most coffee mug-able, Christian bookstore art-able, quotes in the entire Gospel I came that they might have life and have it more abundantly. This is a verse I think of often. Christ came that we might have full, abundant lives in him. But what does that mean?
Then Jesus does the impossible. He brings Lazarus back from the dead. The man who was beyond hope comes back to life. In an instant, He is called by him. Jesus can do the same for the people we love who seems lost. He can call them to life in an instant as well, too.
Can you imagine being angry that a man was healed of his blindness? It sounds crazy. And yet, there are those in the Church today who would not celebrate a miracle if it happened in a Charismatic prayer group, or it was given without anointing, or if it happened at a Latin Mass, or at a protestant gathering. Somehow, Phariseeism still exists in the Church today.
When you think about it, Most of us are saying to the Lord, "I love you. You are my God. You are my savior. But I don't have any time to spend with you, and I don't plan on changing that. Also, those letters you wrote to me so that I could know you, yeah, I'm not interested. But, we're cool, right?" It doesn't make any sense. Get more great stuff from Chris Mueller and Everyday Catholic! * Check out Everyday Catholic's web series, The Everyday Catholic Show (everydaycatholic.com/show) * Bring Chris Mueller to your next parish event. (everydaycatholic.com/booking) * Become a donor and be a part of making the Everyday Catholic Show! (everydaycatholic.com/donate)
Catechism 409: This dramatic situation of "the whole world [which] is in the power of the evil one"makes man's life a battle: The whole of man's history has been the story of dour combat with the powers of evil, stretching, so our Lord tells us, from the very dawn of history until the last day. Finding himself in the midst of the battlefield man has to struggle to do what is right, and it is at great cost to himself, and aided by God's grace, that he succeeds in achieving his own inner integrity.
Too often, my heart has been hardened against people who Jesus loves. Today, I want to let the words of Christ permeate me completely. Lord, help me to love those people you love. Even the ones who are hard to love.
Hi everyone, I just wanted to take a moment to update everyone on our four-year-old, Ben's, cancer fight. We are moving through it and just finished a very intense phase of treatment. Praise God. More on the podcast.
A Baptism of repentance is something people do, but A baptism of the Holy Spirit, that is not about what people are doing, but instead it is about what God is doing. It is a baptism of renewal. It is more than a person repenting. It is the Lord saying, I am recreating you in my Spirit. That is the baptism we Christians receive. That is the baptism that Jesus sent his disciples to give.
Jesus came from Galilea, and asked John to baptize him as well. Jesus was, is, and always will be God. He is perfect. Jesus asking John to baptize him is backwards. The baptist’s own words made it clear that John fully understood this, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?” (Matthew 3:14) It is all wrong, or at least it seems wrong. Jesus has no need of John’s baptism. And yet, this is his first recorded act in all four Gospels. There is obviously something important happening here. We, as readers and followers of Christ, must ask the question, “Why does he do it?” Why does he travel from Galilea to Judea to be baptized by John when he has nothing, personally, to repent for? Everyday Catholic is a 501c3 and we depend of the support of our listeners. You can help us continue to make great Catholic content for families aby going to EverdayCatholic.com/donate and making a monthly pledge.
There is a reason the St. Joseph is held up as such an example. It was not an accident that God chose this man to be his earthly role model. And we should not miss the opportunity to take St. Joseph as our role model either.
This week it seems like we need to reflect on who Christ says he is, and who he says we are. Are we allowing him to be who He is? Can we believe who that we are who he has made us to be?
John the Baptist, in the Spirit of Elijah, announced that the Messiah was coming and that he would separate the wheat from the chaff. Read that as, “the real followers from those who just said they were his followers.” We need to ask the Holy Spirit to lead and guide our thoughts, and our actions, so that when the Lord comes again we will be counted amongst those who were actually following him. . The Everyday Catholic Show goes up on EWTN THIS WEEK! If you have not seen the show yet, check out the clip here - http://everydaycatholic.com/donate If you like what you see, make a tax deductible donation and help us continue to reach millions with great Catholic family TV.
Yes, joy is in the air. You’d expect the Sunday Gospel to be John the Baptist announcing the coming of the Lord, or maybe even the Angel appearing to Mary. Those are readings I think of when I think of Christmas. But remember, we are not in Christmas. We are in advent and Advent is a little different. It’s more like pregnancy. Expecting a baby is super joyful. But, it is also a time of preparation. And, to be quite frank, I am told it can be more than a little uncomfortable at times. Did you know that the Everyday Catholic Show is premiering on EWTN, Dec 2nd 2019! You can find the show on EWTN.com and through out the day on the global EWTN Network. Everyday Catholic is a 501c3 and we we depend on the support of listeners like you. Please consider joining the mission through a monthly pledge at EverydayCatholic.com/donate
Christ died on the cross for our sin. He didn’t have to do it. He chose to do it out of love for you and for me. Remembering what he has done, we need to look at the witness of the two criminals and ask, how are we responding to the crucified Lord? Do we revile him? Do we ungratefully come to the Lord, and accuse him of not doing what we want? Do we question who he is because of the hardships we encounter? Or, like the second criminal, do we acknowledge his righteousness, confess our own sin, and ask for mercy? It’s a gut check. Do I treat God like he is Lord, or do I call him Lord, and ask him to do what I want, as if I was the master? Everyday Catholic is a 501c3 Nonprofit and we depend on the support of listeners like you. If this podcast is serving you go to EverydayCatholic.com/donate and make a monthly pledge.
Are you ready to give your testimony? If called upon, can you tell a person why you are a follower of Christ or why you live so differently than those who are not following Christ? If you say no, that’s ok. Remember, Jesus actually tells the apostles not to prepare what they will say. They are supposed to trust that he will provide the words. So, we are not supposed to have prepared answers. No, instead we are supposed to enter into conversation, debates, and even persecution with an openness to the Lord, asking him to open our ears, and to provide the right words. Everyday Catholilc is a 501c3 nonprofit and we depend on listener support. If this podcast is serving you, go to EverydayCatholic.com/donate and make a monthly pledge.
Death is part of life. It’s part of being a creature. Everything dies. Every creature gets a certain allotment of time, and then it’s over. When a dog dies, that’s it. The end. When Cats die so ends the story. Slugs, lizards, bacteria, etc. There is this life, and that’s it. There are, however, two exceptions this rule. The first are the Angels. They are creatures. They are created beings. God made them. They do not die because they are purely spiritual, so they don’t die, don’t have kids, don’t eat, and so on. The other exception is us. People. People are a little more complicated. We are physical and spiritual. Yes, our physical bodies will die, but that isn’t the end of the story. Everyday Catholic is a 501c3 and we depend on listener support. If this podcast is serving you go to EverydayCatholic.com/donate and make a monthly pledge.
In the case of Zacchaeus, Jesus sees the curiosity. Far from being annoyed at the attention Zacchaeus gives him, Jesus want’s more. He breaks through Zacchaeus curiosity and makes himself present to Zaccheaus in a way that he could have not anticipated. Jesus goes to his house. Jesus knows that he is a sinner. He knows that to Zacchaeus he is just a spectacle, but Jesus also knows that he is the thing that Zacchaeus has been looking for. Everyday Catholic is a 501c3 Nonprofit and we depend on listener support. If the Weekly Word is serving you, please go to EverydayCatholic.com/donate and make a monthly pledge.
I am a Christian. You know how that makes me different than other people? It means I am admitting my need for a savior. It means I stand before God and man and say, I am a sinner in need of a savior. That is central to the Good News. Jesus came to save sinners, and as St. Paul reminds us in Romans 3, “all have sinned. . .” Even the Christians. Especially us. That’s why we needed a savior. Donate: EverydayCathoilc.com/donate
We need to take a look at our prayer and ask, are we praying the way Jesus is describing? Or are we sending the occasional email to God, as if he is a celebrity or distant deity. Donate: EverydayCatholic.com/donate
Gratitude to the Lord is all too often missing from our prayer. Really, truly, if we appreciated everything that God has done and is doing for us, we would not be able to stop thanking him. But life is busy. The pace of modern life has sped up so much that it seems like the moment we overcome one challenge, another presents itself. I know in our life the has been true. With our son’s caner, each week seems to present a new obstacle. In one week we are panicked and in the hospital with a fever, and then just days later Ben is fine and wrestling with his little brother. The relief of having made it to the other side can be so great that we can forget all of the prayer and petition that was offered just a week ago. It’s not that we are not grateful, its just that if we are not intentional about that gratitude, life happens.
You know what? in my own life, when I focus on how much I am doing or how much I have to do, I am miserable. When I stand around waiting for someone to notice all the hard work I am putting in, rather than taking pride in the work itself, I feel unappreciated. It is a surefire recipe for depression. I’ve walked down that road. It’s not a good one. It is interesting that in Luke 17: 7-10, Jesus talks a little bit about this. He says, “When you have done all you have been commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do. Everyday Catholic is a 501 c3 non profit, and we depend on the support of listeners like you. If this podcast is serving you go to EverydayCatholic.com/donate and make a monthly pledge
Here on the west coast, homelessness is reaching epidemic proportions. This is not really the forum to figure out how to solve the problem of homelessness. But, I think we do need to consider spiritual callousness. Do I even see the people suffering around me? Listen, I get it. I know that a lot of these folks are suffering from some self inflicted wounds. I know that handing money out to a person with a drug addiction is not helping them. I get it. It’s a tough situation. But you know what? You know the one thing I, as a Christian am not allowed to do? I am not allowed to stop seeing them. I am not allowed to not care. Please consider a monthly pledge to Everyday Catholic: EveryCatholic.com/donate
This guys is already in trouble for not taking good care of the masters finances, and his solution appear to be robbing the master. When the master finds out, you would imagine he is going to be very upset, but no. He is not. He actually praises the servant for acting prudently. Am I missing something, because that doesn’t make sense. The answer is, yes. Yes, we are missing some information.
If you are a friend f the Lords, and I hope we all are, then you should be ready to celebrate with him when a sinner returns. We are not called to stand as judges and decide who get to come to the Lord. Everyone is precious to God. Every sinners return is a cause for celebration in heaven.
Can Jesus honestly be telling us to hate our parents? Can he be telling us to hate ourselves? Yes. . .and no. How does this make sense?
Sadly, many people have the same approach to Christianity that they have towards fire insurance. In the day-to-day of life they don’t really think about it. It doesn’t affect them. But, just in case there is a fire, it’s nice to know it’s there. Well, sorry, that’s not the way it works. Just saying you are a Christian is not enough to protect you from the fire you really should be most concerned about.
Hi, this is Chris from Everyday Catholic. This is a special episode of the Weekly Word. Don’t worry, our normal reflection on the Sunday Gospel is still coming. But I wanted to share a little about how God has been working in my family's Everyday Catholic life. Many of you know my son Ben was diagnosed with T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma, Cancer, in May. We believe in a God of miracles.
In this modern age where more and more basic biological and moral truths are being denied, and where tolerance has somehow come to mean just accepting whatever nonsense a person chooses to believe, love can be very hard. Any disagreement, in our modern discourse, is too often characterized as hate. In this light, Jesus teaching in Luke 12:49-53 begins to make sense. Jesus says some hard things,
It is hard to stay at a constant readiness. The military knows this. The fire department knows this. Life Guards even know this. The Church knows this too. What the military and first responders do to stay ready is they drill. They practice readiness so that when an event happens, they don’t have to think about what they need to do.
The reality is, God is God. Not just of our prayer life, but of our whole life. And our money is part of that.
Our prayer isn’t the prayer of slaves before an angry master. We are children talking to our father. We shouldn’t be afraid to come to him, even to pester him with what is one our hearts. The Lord wants to give us good things. It changes everything when we see God this way.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of being a “perfect Christian" who does all the things, and forget that sometimes, most of the time, God just wants us to be with him. Yes there are things to do. There is work to be done in the Kingdom. But if we are so focused on our work for God, then we will miss being with him, and we will miss the work he is actually calling us to do.
Luke 10:25-28 is one of those passages that is just so blatantly clear that it is hard to avoid it. A scholar of the law asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, and Jesus asks him, well “What is written in the law? How do you read it? The man replies with an excerpt from what is known as the Shema Isreal. It is taken from Deuteronomy, and he then adds a bit from Leviticus.
No amount of preparation is going to fully equip you for the work God has called you to. No amount or preparation is going to make you immune to struggle. No perfect website is going to accomplish the work of the Kingdom. I am not saying that preparation, or planning are bad, but too often we spend massive amounts of energy planning, “discerneing” and preparing, and what God is asking us to do is just get on with it.
If you're going to follow Jesus don’t look for the world's approval. Don’t expect to be welcomed every where. Know that some people are going to be hostile to the work of the Kingdom. But, knowing all that, we believers do not have permission to get defensive or aggressive. We do not have permission to get angry. We just keep going letting the witness of our faithfulness accomplish what our anger never could.
I am tired this week. I am not enough. I can’t hope to be able to do everything I have to do alone. You might be just like me. In this week’s Gospel I hear Jesus asking me to bring him everything I have, and trust that he will make up the difference and then some. I think he is probably asking you to do the same.
Could Jesus be any more explicit. If you are a follower of Christ, then the expectation is that you will hear, and follow the voice of the Lord. And, not just in some sort of abstract way, but in a literal way.
As we read the story of Jesus appearance to the Apostles, and specifically to Thomas, we have to ask our selves, “Do I believe that Jesus is with me now? Do I believe that he hears me, know my doubts, knows my struggle? Do I believe that he loves me enough to show me what I need to believe?”
This Easter we need to invite God to remove all of our ideas of who he is, and to come into our lives anew. We need to invite him reveal to us, not who we think he is, or what we think he is supposed to do, but who he truly desires to be in our lives, and the plan he has for our lives.
This week's episode is getting out a little late due to a very full week filming the Everyday Catholic show. It's Palm/Passion Sunday this week, and I thought it would be a good idea to take a closer look at the Apostles performance on the night of Christ passion. He is faithful. We, well, we need Him.
When we go to confession God will always be waiting to forgive us and receive us there, but the plan is not that we just keep sining and coming back. We should be cooperating with the Holy Spirit and allowing sin to be eradicated from our lives.
The prodigal son is familiar, but we need to hear it. We need to place ourselves in the story. We are the lost son, wandering off. We are the one the father kisses on the cheek. We are the ones he wraps in fine clothes and throws a feast to celebrate. We are also the older brother. We are called to do the work of the kingdom. We are called to live and walk in holiness, but we can never forget that we don’t do it as servants or slaves, but instead we do it as the lost who have been found seeking out the lost who still need to be found.
Jesus life had purpose. Our salvation. Our lives in him also have purpose, the salvation of others. Just like Jesus laid down his life that we might be saved, we should be laying down our lives so that other people can come to know Christ and be saved.
This week go away with the Lord to a time of prayer. Ask him to be revealed. Stay with the prayer longer than you think you have stamina for, even if that means falling asleep, and ask the Lord to wake you to the reality of who He is. He is Jesus. He is Lord. He is the one we should follow. EverydayCatholic.com/donate
Lent is not supposed to be easy. It is a time of growing. It is a time to be uncomfortable. Maybe this week we need to face the devils offers, and we need to ask, am I on Christ side of these?
If people really, truly, believed that Christ had something to teach them, they would probably make it a priority to seek out what it is he has to say. They would devote time daily to studying the word, and to prayer. And, well, most Christians just don’t do that. Instead they sort of operate our of the assumption that they know all the important stuff, and the rest is just superfluous.
Want to be miserable? Then spend your life keeping score. Go ahead and pay close attention to how much you do for people and how much they do in return. Make sure it is always even. Or, better yet, keep track of how often somebody does something to offend you. It is a guaranteed formula for misery. It is diabolical in its effectiveness. The crazy thing is, a lot of people live this way. They hold on to hurts and carry grudges for years. Their minds carry a ledger of how much they gave that person, and how little appreciation was showed for it. In this, saddly, Christian’s are just as good at being miserable as pagan.
In Luke 21:34 Jesus warns that we need to be careful and guard against three things that can make our hearts drowsy. EverydayCatholic.com (everydaycatholic.com)
This season is not about waiting to see what is under the tree. We are not celebrating Christmas yet, even if we are decorating and listening to Christmas music. We Catholics are focused on something much greater. We are focused on preparing for the coming of the Lord. We are preparing for the end of time. EverydayCatholic.com (EverydayCatholic.com)
Pope Pius XI believed the world of his time needed to be reminded of the primacy and Lordship of Jesus Christ, and that the faithful needed to be inspired to go out into the world in Christ’s name, under his kingly banner.
The end will come. I know, it’s not the most cheery thought to start with, but it is an ultimate truth. There is not, has never been and never will be someone born who will not die. . . physically. (Ok, there are a few exceptions, ie. Jesus, Elijah, and Enoch) It is an odd circumstance of humanity that while, yes, our physical bodies will die, our souls are immortal. They have no end. That truth can be the most significant source of peace in our lives or the most significant source of anxiety.
In Mark 12:28-34, a scribe comes to Jesus and asks, “which is first of all the commandments?” In a sense, he is asking, “which commandment is the critical one? You know, the thing I should be focused on.” Jesus’ answer is crystal clear. First, love God. Second, love your neighbor. There is no wiggle room in it. He doesn’t just say love God. He says to love God with your heart, your soul and your mind. That is your body, your spirit, and your intellect. Everything that you are is called to love and serve the Lord.
Somedays it’s hard to get out of bed. I’m not talking about the tired sort of hard to get out of bed. I am talking about the weary, hard to get out of bed. There is a difference. Tired is physical. Weary is more about the soul.
On weary mornings the alarm can’t be loud enough or the coffee strong enough. The shower can’t be hot enough or long enough. On weary mornings you stand in front of the mirror, and all you can see looking back is a mask. Sometimes it’s pain over loss, frustration over things that seem out of your control, failure where you feel like you should have been better or any number of other things. On weary mornings it is hard to hear God say, “you are my beloved” and all too easy to hear the devil’s whispers of “you will never be enough.”
Read the Gospels, and you will see that the relationship the disciples had with Jesus was special. It is clear that Jesus was the master, and they were his students. But, to imagine that their relationship was cold and mechanical would be a significant error. Jesus loved the Apostles, and the Apostles loved Jesus. That is demonstrated in Mark 10:35 when James and John, whom Jesus called the “sons of thunder,” come to Jesus and say “Teacher, we want you to do for us anything that we ask of you.” The question almost seems scandalous. Two creatures approach the creator and ask him to “do whatever we ask of you.” Perhaps the original Greek conveys it better, but in reading the English translation, it doesn’t come off so much as a question as it does a demand.
Jesus’ response might surprise you. He doesn’t retort “How dare you!” There is no admonishment at all. Instead, he just replies, “what do you wish me to do for you?”
In this Sunday's Gospel Jesus is approached by a wealthy young man. The young man begins by asking Jesus a question that a lot of modern-day Christians are asking as well, “What must I do?” Do you see the problem? The position he is taking with the Lord is “how do I earn this inheritance? What can I do? Me, me, me.” That is not how this works.
In this week's Weekly Word podcast and blog, we unpack Mark 10:17-30.
In the book of Revelation, it is revealed that Christ is the groom, and the Church is his bride. When we see this, it completely changes the way we look at marriage. His example shows us that marriage is more than what you are getting out of the relationship and it is about more than “feeling alive.”
As a modern Christian, I think we have become a little desensitized to the majesty of our Lord. We are familiar with Jesus, sure. If you ask most Catholics, they would tell you they know all about him. But really, the Jesus that most of us conceive of, well, he isn’t actually Jesus. Not the one who we read about in scripture. The popular conception of Jesus lacks the vitality and power of the real person. If we are honest, he is kind of wimpy.
Jesus knew the importance of speaking to large crowds. He knew the importance of miracles and prophecy. But, he also invested in relationships with an intimate group of followers. Maybe its time we added that to our Everyday Catholic lives as well.
If I am honest, most of the time I am just like Peter. I am good at declaring who God is, “Jesus is Lord!” But, when it comes down to it, I want my plan for my salvation, not his. When God begins to speak hard truths into my life, when he calls me to pick up the cross and follow, more often than not, I pull him aside and rebuke him. “Lord, it isn’t supposed to be like this. You're letting me down. Pull it together.”
Over the last weeks, as scandal has once again embroiled the Church, I have reflected on this passage quite often. If I am honest, I have to admit there have been times over the last weeks where I I have wanted to leave. There have been moments where I have been so angry, that I have considered just walking away. I know there are many reading this who have felt the same. But, I can't leave. I keep coming back to Peter’s words, “Master, to whom shall we go?”
Perhaps you have read a blog or heard a homily in which you knew the voice of the Lord was calling you. That was a moment of conversion. It was a seed thrown into your life. Perhaps as a youth, you attended a conference, and that weekend God may have shown you his face in the Eucharist. A seed of conversion was planted. The thing is, if you were operating under the assumption that those moments of encounter were somehow going to "make you a saint”, then it is possible that, instead of moving you forward on the road of sanctification, they may have left you feeling disillusioned. You might not have known that every incredible moment of encounter is followed by an ordinary moment faith.
In a state of demonic possession, a person has come entirely under the influence of this evil. The strong man, the devil, has made the person his home. Jesus does not deny that the devil has this power. He does not deny the devil’s ability to dominate those who have come under his influence. But, the devil is far seeing the devil as all-powerful, Jesus then gives insight into how he deals with the demonic. In short, he binds them. You cannot plunder a strong man’s house unless you first tie him up. So, while Jesus does refer to the devil as the strong man, it is clear that he is the much
When we encounter the Eucharist, the Church teaches that we encounter Christ. When we receive it, we receive Him. The form of the bread and wine may not have changed, but the substance, the “what it is” has. Yes, that is a little confusing. That’s ok. This Sunday, invite Jesus to supply the faith needed to see him where your senses may fail to do so.
Did you know the feast of Pentecost predates the coming of the Holy Spirit? It’s true. The disciples were gathered to celebrate a Jewish feast. In the Old Covenant, God had established this celebration as a remembrance of the giving of the law to Moses, and it was celebrated every year, seventy days after the Passover. It is interesting that God chose this day to pour the Holy Spirit into humanity. Think about it. Out of the three hundred sixty-five days the Lord could have selected, God decided to come on this particular feast. Could it be a coincidence? I do not think so.
Just like Christmas celebrates the coming of Christ, Pentecost marks the coming of the Spirit. In Christmas, we celebrate that God has come for us. In Pentecost, we rejoice that God has come to dwell within us. Christmas, Easter and Pentecost are the three great feasts of the Church. Without the last of these, we would still be distant from the Lord. Through the coming of the Spirit we are made members of Christ's family, and in the Spirit we are enabled to "cry out, "Abba! Father."" Don't miss it. Pentecost is important.
Do we believe Jesus words? I think most practicing Catholics would say “yes, of course we do.” Then they may cite Jesus’ words to Peter in Matthew 16:18, “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” Or, they might cite Jesus’ words about the Eucharist in John chapter 6:53, “unless you eat the flesh of the son of man, and drink his blood you have no life within you.” While we may struggle at times, for the most part we get Jesus teachings about the Church and the sacraments. That is where most of our minds jump when asked, “Do you believe Jesus words?” But what about the things Jesus said about you? What about Jesus words about the life we are called to in him? What about the things Jesus said about the Holy Spirit? Do you believe those words? I’ll give you and example. At the end of Mark’s Gospel Jesus says to the disciples,
These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover (Mark 16:17-18)
Do you believe Jesus words there?
In John 15:9-17, Jesus tells the disciples that he loves them like the father loves him. What does that mean? It means Jesus loves us a lot. Shouldn’t we get that Jesus loves us? He lives for us, dies for us, and rises from the dead for us. He does all of that out of love. Hear that. Jesus really loves us. But, here is the thing, that doesn’t mean we always feel that love. In fact, there are many people, both inside the Church and out, who Jesus loves. The reality is that every human being ever created is loved by God. That is a truth. Jesus came to save all mankind. Also true and terrible, is that not every man will accept that salvation. Many of those whom Jesus loves choose to live outside of his love.
If we are going to grow, and stay alive in our faith we need to allow God permission to prune us. Yes, I love the harvest seasons of life. I love when I can see God moving in and through me. And no, I do not look forward to, or seek out, times of trial or pruning. I do not seek them out, but I do know that I need them. When trial comes, rather then rebelling, we need to submit our lives more deeply to Christ. It is during those seasons that God is working, preparing for the next harvest. We need to be pruned. We need to have the sick, sinful parts of our lives cut back so that a new season of harvest can come.
Jesus calls us to imitate him. He tells us that we to are called to lay down our lives. It is not an incidental offering, but an intentional one. Most often, the place you will be called to imitate the shepherd is in your vocation. It is only in giving up our lives that we truly live
Our Gospel for this Sunday ends with the verse, "But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well." Let that sink in.
God knows us and knows us well. When we look at the Ten Commandments or the teachings of the Church, we have to remember that God didn't make a mistake. He gave us these teachings because he loves us and knows what we need.
Do you trust the Lord? Abraham must have trusted the Lord. He trusted Him even in circumstances that did not make sense. Abraham's faith was tested in the most terrible way I can imagine. The life of his son. He responded in faith. I imagine there was sorrow, but sorrow did not become despair. Sorrow did not become anger. Sorrow was tempered by faith. A faith that trusted in God, even though his call did not make sense.
Do I have that kind of faith?
How Can I have that kind of faith?
St Paul tells us to imitate the way that he imitates Christ. I think he meant it. Christians are supposed to be more than just followers of Jesus. We are supposed to be like Him.
In this week's Gospel, we hear that Jesus was busy doing the work of the Kingdom. Busy is a word most of us can relate to. The thing is, even in his busyness, Jesus found time to pray.