February 26, 2019
February 22, 2019
What kind of soil do you give God - Mark 4 1-20 (Jan 30 homily)
- Are you giving God good soil in your heart? There's a lifetime worth of wisdom in this parable of the seed, the Word of God, yielding our response to the Word of God and the life of faith. The dispostion of our heart makes all the difference. Father Matthew elaborates on the four groups of people. There are those who have no soil at all, there are those who are open, and receive with joy and sprout quickly yet challenges arise and all is lost, those who are open, and also receive with joy (yet there are thorns and cares of the world which prevent them from continuing on), and those receive with good soil and yield good harvest. This parable helps us to understand the power of our free will, and how faith grows in some, yet not in others. We are responsible to receive the gift of faith and to grow (as we are responsible for our own soul), and also to help others.
February 17, 2019
Beatitudes as pep-talk for the disciples
- Father Matthew explains that it is important to not over spiritualize the beatitudes. Jesus chooses twelve of his followers to form his team of disciples. He instructs them about what it will be like today and in the future: poverty, persecution, and loss. Jesus explains to them that they will face hards times, but that there will be greater things in store for them later. It's really a pep talk. There will be sacrifice, tears, and ridicule, but it will all be worth it in the end. Families will be left behind to follow Him as one of His disciples. If we experience suffering on the account of being a disciple of Jesus, then it will all be worth it in the end. There is great hope in this, and we are to leap for joy in the midst of hardship while we are trying to spread the Gospel to others.
February 3, 2019
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you
- How well do you know your Bible? Most Catholics know the life of Jesus very well, but not so much when it comes to the Old Testament. Through today's reading from Jeremiah we can see how relevant the Old Testament can be for us. God tells us that before we were born, God consecrated us. He delcared that we are sacred, holy, and precious in His eyes. Think about the weeks leading up to the birth of your own child, and how exciting it was. Each one of us, like Jeremiah, has the role of being a prophet in our modern community. Father Matthew unpacks the meaning of this in more detail.
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