Walking With The Father: October 2018

October 28, 2018

The power of warm hospitality-Bartimaeus (Mark 10 46-52)


  • The health care industry indcates that the new epidemic is social isolation and loneliness. People are in need of human contact and real relationships. There is a darkness and isolation, much like Bartimaeus in the Gospel today. People would ignore him and tried to silence him. He lived in physical darkness as he was blind, and he was a social outcast being rejected by the people around him. Once Jesus learns that Jesus is walking by, he shouts out hoping to get his attention. Father Matthew explains what Jesus does in response to Bartimaeus, transforming the quality of his life and his direction. You and I can have this same impact on each other. We can help to transform someone's life by how we greet and listen to one another. Father Matthew then reflects on our own behaviour before and after Mass. He asks if we are afraid or isolated as well. He invites us to mingle, and to get to know one another. His dream is that we all know each other by name. This is how Bartimaeus was able to be healed.

October 25, 2018

Jesus brings division (Luke 12 49-53)


  • Father Matthew discusses what can happen in a family when not all members practice the faith. It causes great pain, often to those who are practicing the faith. There is division - arguments and silence, and we wish that our loved ones could experience the same relationship with Jesus that we do. However, Jesus told us that he came, not to bring peace, but division. We are faced with these two questions: who do you say that I am, and will you come and follow me? We are free to choose.

October 18, 2018

Saint Luke the Evangelist


  • Luke was one of the four gospel writers, a gentile, a medical doctor, and very educated for that time. He was also disciple of St. Paul and the author of the Acts of the Apostles (the Gospel of the Holy Spirit). Luke's gospel is where where we get the Hail Mary prayer, and most of what we know about Mary. Only in Luke do we hear about Jesus' childhood. The Gloria at Mass also comes from Luke's Gospel, along with parables such as The Good Samaritan and The Prodigal Son. Luke also recognizes women many times, and was the first to give women a central role, which would have been different at that time in history. We are encouraged to read Luke's gospel and the Acts, so that we can discover the treasures contained within.

October 14, 2018

I have come to fulfill the law (Matthew 5 17-19)


  • Jesus comes to fulfill the law (not to abolish or replace it, but to fulfill it), and he starts to give the people his message. He wants us to go deeper than to just follow the rules. We need to let the rules soak into our hearts, so that they become natural to us. Our mind, heart, and soul needs to live the law to fulfill it. It shouldn't just be on the surface. We need to let God lead us along the path we are intended to go. Keeping and doing the law (and teaching others) will make one great in the kingdom of heaven. We must teach others to follow the law, through our words, and how we live our lives. Let's do our best to let the law come alive in our lives.

October 7, 2018

Marriage and divorce - Thanksgiving homily (Mark 10 2-16)


  • There are challenging issues that we have to face, such as marriage and divorce. Fr. Matthew is not afraid to discuss these kinds of topics head on. He says that the Church is where we go to learn about and to apply our faith. In the book of Genesis we learn about the ideal model and conditions for married life: (1) man and woman are equal, (2) they are to help each other in everything, and (3) they are to love one another.

    In the gospel, Jesus clearly says that marriage is permanent. God knows that we are not perfect, but we are to be generous with forgiveness and mercy. However, there are some instances when the Church applies exceptions to the permanence of marriage, such as when one of the three criteria just mentioned are violated. If that happens, then the two parties should part ways, such as when there is violence, abuse, and if the relationship becomes a master and slave relationship rather than one of equal partners. Also, if one of the parties does not agree to be a helper, or if there are faithfulness issues, then the Church can legitimately dissolve a marriage.

    There are many legitimate reasons why a marraige could be dissovled, and not all can be covered in a short homily. We must not be too quick to judge others who have separated or divorced. It is not as black and white as we may think, and it is not fair to judge because we really don't know the whole story in any relationship. This message comes at the right time this Thanksgiving. For some it is a joyful time, and for others it could be a time of relief when the abuse and suffering are over.