The people were hungry for food and for the words that would give them life and hope.
The miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and the fishes was a prototype or a foreshadowing of the miracle of the Eucharist.
Jesus continued to feed His people with His teachings, His love, and His giving of self as He does now with us.
The Eucharist is a great miracle, in that we receive the actual body and blood of Christ – it is the greatest gift Jesus gave us.
How do we connect our hunger for life and Jesus with the Eucharist?
Do we see the real potential it has for us?
Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/072521.cfm
The people were distracted and leaderless.
Jesus understood their dilemma and sought to help them cope.
He knew that they needed a new vision and a new sense of hope.
He had them settle down so that He could teach them about the hope they needed.
Business and distraction can also affect our lives. Can we settle down long enough to hear again what Jesus has to teach us about our lives?
Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071821.cfm
The Apostles were to preach repentance, drive out demons and heal the sick.
What a daunting task!
Jesus prepared them to be rejected.
We also are sent to spread the gospel in whatever way we can, in whatever time, place, or group that we find ourselves in. We, too, at times will be rejected.
We need to trust in God’s plan for us. Can we balance this trust with our own fear of rejection?
Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071121.cfm
Jesus was rejected by many in His own synagogue in Nazareth.
Their expectation of a Messiah did not permit them to accept a different plan from God, that is Jesus.
How hard it can sometimes be, to get out of our own way and see the brilliance of God’s plan.
Jesus stresses the importance of faith to open one’s self to recognize something really different to be open to his healing and message.
Have we too placed limits on Jesus because of our perceptions of who He is and what He can do?
With Jesus all things are possible.
He even has power over life and death. He can also help with the trials and sicknesses of life.
Jesus’ ministry on Earth was to bring healing and a new trust in God as a beacon of hope.
He is always so very close to us that he can detect our reaching out to Him in need.
Can you trust in Jesus enough to open up your heart to Him and ask Him for what you need?
Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/062721.cfm
Jesus calmed the sea and assured the disciples that they were safe.
He challenged them to have faith because they had seen what He did and could do.
Now they saw that even the wind and the sea obeyed His commands.
Do you not believe that Jesus can calm our reaction to the sometimes violent storms in our lives.
Are we prepared to also remember who He is and what He promised us?
Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/062021.cfm
This is a mysterious metaphor of how God acts on Earth now and in the future.
It seems to start small like a mustard seed but it will eventually grow to overshadow all else.
The kingdom of God will yield fruit according to God’s plan.
The kingdom is not only in the future but is also unfolding now.
We are included in the kingdom. We are, indeed, challenged to support its spread.
Are we watching and praying for guidance?
Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/061321.cfm
Jesus healed the leper out of compassion.
He will treat us accordingly.
There is much healing and forgiveness in this world.
We must do what we can in our interaction with those around us.
We can imitate Christ by responding as we can.
Will you do this?
He constantly healed the bodies and souls of those who asked.
He healed physical ailments and domination of the spirit by demons.
He saw the need for healing and spiritual nourishment in the world around him in His time.
Jesus is still with us and invites us to a closeness with Him and healing of our bodies and souls.
Pray that His spirit comes to us and heals us and those for whom we pray.
He frequently said, “your faith has healed you”. Will we place our trust in Him?
Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/020721.cfm
What has been prophesied has been fulfilled.
The Good News is at hand.
Jesus preached the Gospel of redemption and salvation.
The Kingdom is close for all. Repent and believe.
Are you ready?
Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/012421.cfm
The Prophet Samuel listened.
The disciples also listened to the Lord Jesus.
We begin a new liturgical year with the stories of our origin.
We will hear the teaching of Jesus and see the example of the disciples and can respond as Samuel did.
Are we listening?
The Lord rules the earth yet He comes to us through the least among us.
He shows us that His kingdom is a reality; not just an idea.
We are offered entrance to the realm through our care of those in need: the hungry, the sick, the naked, the impoverished, the imprisoned, and the unborn.
Such care and outreach is work toward the gift of paradise.
Is your focus aligned with the Lord’s?
Can you recognize His brothers among you?
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/112220.cfm
The Lord God has created us to do His will in this life and to join Him in eternal life.
We have been given a rich faith and it affords us spiritual wealth.
We are expected to live that faith and to bear fruit by sharing it with others.
Our riches will be beyond imagination if we do this.
If we do nothing, neither we nor our world will be enriched.
Are you up to the task? Will you fulfill the mission Jesus asks of you?
Our future depends upon our present attitude and actions.
Jesus’ teachings turn traditional thinking upside down.
We are to choose paths of lowliness, not self-aggrandizement.
Choose paths of mercy, peace, and righteousness.
Rejoice and be glad!
“You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102520.cfm
We may have to make difficult choices.
Turning to God, seeking His will can help us.
His laws are written on our hearts.
The Holy Spirit is His voice within us.
Can we find the key to settle our inner unrest?
Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101820.cfm
We are invited to be in God’s kingdom.
The invitation requires a response.
Rejection has consequences.
Even when we come into our faith by tradition or family inheritance we are expected to adhere to the guidance of the faith!
How did we come into our faith and how prepared are we for full participation?
The Vineyard is the life we have been entrusted with.
Jesus came to teach us how to live that life and to save us from the sin that can destroy it.
Many have rejected Jesus’ teaching and his gift of life to them.
The Gospel challenges us to rethink the life we have been given.
What does this mean for you?
The Vineyard is our life lived in fidelity to the will of God.
It is also attention to our specific mission in life, be it family, work, or worship.
Some say yes, but really don’t live it according to what they are supposed to do.
Yet others, after initial resistance, come around to doing as they should.
Did you go and work in the vineyard today?
God’s generosity is infinite.
When we open ourselves to him we are always welcome….. no matter when.
He asked us to be diligent in doing his will no matter how long it takes. Keep working in the vineyard.
Our reward in heaven is based on the goodness toward us, not on our work.
Listen and ask if he is calling you to participate in a new way.
Are you ready?
The message is clear. God’s mercy is infinite.
As followers of Jesus, our forgiveness of others must also be near infinite.
And our repentance must also be honest.
We do not have a God who treats measure for measure. He is not transactional.
Our common way of thinking about forgiveness must sometimes change.
Who do we need to forgive?
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091320.cfm
Prayer is not a meaningless exercise.
Jesus promises His presence among us and His awareness of our prayers.
He asks us to be a community of believers who bring our decisions about life to Him.
The authority of the community, the church, is significant.
Are we connected to that community?
Are our prayers joined with others and offered up in expectant faith?
Jesus offered His life for our salvation.
We must similarly live our lives according to God’s will for us. It will require sacrifice.
It may not always be what we want but it is what we must do.
It will bring peace to us in this world because we know we are doing what is right.
It will bring peace in the next world because of Jesus’ promise.
Peter replied:
“You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
For Peter and for us it is only through the Father that we can know this. It is through faith.
Peter was commissioned to lead Jesus’ mission and to form His Church. We are now heirs to the mission and the Church.
Think about it: “Who do you say who I am?”
Our leader, now, is our Holy Father, Pope Francis. He invites us to experience a renewed encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ by praying this prayer:
“Lord, I have let myself be deceived; in a thousand ways I have shunned your love, yet here I am once more, to renew my covenant with You.”
Much of Jesus’ ministry was the healing of bodies and souls.
He dealt with all He encountered with compassion and mercy.
Even those estranged from Him in some way were included.
The suffering of the entire world throughout history lay at His feet.
His purpose is always to heal, to free, and to save. Are not our needs also before Him?
Ask Him to heal us and to free us.
Jesus always cared for God’s people by feeding body and soul.
He healed and blessed.
The feeding of the five thousand prefigured the institution of the Eucharist; His continuing care of our bodies and our souls.
Our bodies to be His disciples in action; our souls to provide strength for our mission.
Do you thank God for your sustenance?
What else do you need? Ask Him.
Calls us to an awareness of the reign of God in all things.
It is more important to our lives than anything else. It is like a pearl of great worth.
Calls us to an awareness of the reign of God in all things.
It is more important to our lives than anything else. It is like a pearl of great worth.
What are we searching for in our lives?
Is seeking the kingdom foremost in our plans?
… is not a faraway place. It is here when man accepts God’s rule over His affairs.
… is apparent when God’s word inspires the right conduct.
… Is apparent when faith in God grows and spreads even from simple beginnings.
… is apparent and grows when the faith is nourished and lived.
Do you have a part in bringing about the kingdom?
Jesus speaks about the parable of the sower and the seed that falls on rocks, thorns, and good soil.
How does God’s word, the seed, affect listeners?
Can they focus long enough to let the word influence their lives and behavior?
Or, are they so distracted that the word is choked or dried up by life’s cares?
The reward of following Jesus is a great harvest in the next life. Are we listening and absorbing?
Jesus’ mission was and is all-powerful.
He came and comes to save the world.
He asks us to learn from Him so that we, too, can engage in His mission.
We will find peace in our lives as we turn them over to Jesus.
Our burden will be light because it will be clear and fitted to our abilities.
Are we ready to shoulder our burden?
