He then addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity — greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and said, ‘O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Luke 18:9-14 (NABRE)

Jesus again reverses our expectations.

We are exalted when we allow God to lift us up, which requires us to recognize that we are in need of exaltation to begin with. This is the essence of humility. It enables us to be self-reflective and merciful observers of the people around us. We are able to meet each other in our shared, fallen humanity. We are more patient and more gentle. We are led away from an arrogance that closes us off to the help with which God sustains us, and come to a place of openness to the outpouring of grace that Our Lord is so willing to grant to us. Humility opens wide our palms to receive the grace of God. It is the invitation to God for His movement in our souls.

Thank your for reading. Peace.

Then he told them a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, “There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’ For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’ The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Luke 18:1-8 (NABRE)

One would hope so.

Jesus mentions prayer by day and by night. Nighttime is when the world sleeps and when we take our rest. It is often when we are spent and ready to collapse into a warm bed, or an occasion for going out and doing whatever mischief people do when they go out at night. Yet, this is precisely when Jesus wants us to pray. He sets an example for us by praying fervently to His Father, at night, in the Garden of Gethsemane before His arrest. He is obviously trying to convey to us the importance of nocturnal prayer.

In situating His prayer time during the night, when people are otherwise sleeping or carousing, Jesus demonstrates to us that in Him we find out rest and refreshment. In Him we find what will truly satisfy. Sleep is good for the body and is a worthy and rejuvenating endeavor. However, we have a destination where true rest and fulfillment will be enjoyed by us for life everlasting. The Way to this heavenly home is Jesus Himself (John 14:6). He gives us peace that transcends all understanding (Philippians 4:7). Sleep has its important place, as does enjoying a modest time with friends. The peace and rest we find in living in close companionship with Jesus as we venture towards Heaven, however, surpasses all else that we can experience on this earth.

When we feel tired as we say our prayers at night, let it be a reminder that we will have no complete rest until we meet Jesus in Heaven.

Thank you for reading. Peace.

As he continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met [him]. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”

Luke 17:11-19 (NABRE)

Jesus is not afraid of our wounds and illnesses. He braves the presence of leprosy and works yet another healing miracle, which saves the ten lepers from lives of exclusion and prejudice.

It is interesting to note here that Jesus tells the ten lepers to show themselves to the priests after healing them. This was to fulfill what is prescribed in Mosaic law and would serve to ritually purify the now-healed lepers. Jesus, who is fully God and fully man, obeys His own rules. Jesus Christ lived as a pious Jew and perfectly observed all that was taught by the law and the prophets, or put another way, practiced what He Himself commanded through the law and the prophets. Here we see a God who is not distant from the iciness of the human experience. He shows us the path to holiness and leads by perfect, divine example through having never committed a single sin throughout His lifetime. In this we observe the great humility of Jesus, which was expressed in resisting the temptations of Satan in the desert and later put on salvific display while He hung bloodied, suffering, and abused on the Holy Cross.

Jesus teaches us that humility is crucial in discipleship. He acts with humility in obeying the Mosaic law. The cleansed leper does so in returning to Jesus to give Him thanks for His merciful healing of such a pitiable condition. There is something about being humble that makes us better followers of Jesus as Catholics. One such act of humility is intellectual in nature and involves obedience to the teachings of Jesus and His Holy Catholic Church. As Jesus was obedient to the commands of the Jewish faith, so must we be obedient to what is instructed to us through the teachings of Holy Scripture and Tradition and the Magisterium of the Church. Jesus wants such humble obedience from us. With it comes the recognition that we have a God who knows better than us and teaches us for our own eternal benefit, which is everlasting union with Him. When we recognize that God loves us and knows what is best for us, then life becomes more bearable and we live in a manner that is conducive to human flourishing, for virtue holds us together and fortifies us.

Listen to God and obey. This is what Jesus did.

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And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to [this] mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending the sheep in the field, ‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’? Would he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished’? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obligated to do.'”

Luke 17:5-10 (NABRE)

To increase in living faith is to also increase in hope and love, for one cannot have a living faith without works, and neither can one live Christian love without the motivation of hope in the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

Jesus here instructs His disciples to have great confidence in the power of God, which draws us in to love Him and appreciate His generosity and care for us. A component of this divine care is the commandments that God gives us, the instructions He delivers to us for living a righteous life. We find this is Holy Scripture and Tradition, as well as the Magisterium of the Church. To live in accordance with the prescriptions of God’s law is to have integrity, the peace of virtuous living through Jesus Christ, who is Mercy itself and is always ready to forgive us and to bring us healing and peace, especially through the Sacrament of Confession and Reconciliation. God is always near to us, nearer than air to a human or earth to a root. He constantly reaches out to us and invites us into friendship with Him. Never doubt the grace and friendship of Jesus Christ.

To practice virtue is to also be expressive in love. This lends itself to works of mercy for the needy, whether they are in need of material or spiritual help. In serving others in such a way, we serve God. We also serve God in the divine service of the Mass and in our personal devotional lives. To love as a Christian, to pursue a closer friendship with God, affects all aspects of our lives. All of this is centered on Jesus Christ, the living God, a God who reigns in Heaven as King of Kings and who also wants you to share your day and worries and joys and intentions with Him. Jesus will see to it that you get to Heaven. All that is needed is your trust that He will lead you there.

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“There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.

When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering in these flames.’ Abraham replied, ‘My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented. Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.’ He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’ He said, “Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead foes to them, they will repent.’ Then Abraham said, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.’

Luke 16:19-31 (NABRE)

Love is life-giving. For Lazarus, his life depended on the love of another. Sadly, he was failed. The stray dogs cared for him better than his fellow man.

Love is expressed. To love one’s neighbor is fundamental to what it means to love God. One cannot say that he loves God while he hates his brother (1 John 4:20). The rich man failed to recognize and act upon the inherent dignity of the poor Lazarus. His indifference was lethal. To many in society, Lazarus was another eyesore. This, however, was a son of the living God that they despised. Lazarus was great in the kingdom of God and now enjoys the rest and comfort of life eternal in Heaven.

We are called to defend those who are defenseless. Lazarus was defenseless against the elements. Jesus points our attention to the plight of those who need others in order to live. Even Jesus Himself needed the help of Simon of Cyrene in order to survive long enough to complete His Sacrifice upon the Cross. We need each other. In today’s culture, there is a growing need for us to be instructed by this passage. In many societies, the most defenseless among us, the unborn, fully human since conception, are not given the protection they need in order to live. If we cannot love them, how can we be expected to love and take care of anyone else?

Sometimes, it is us who plays the part of Lazarus in another’s life. We must be aware enough to acknowledge that it is a good thing to accept help from another. We are in need of it. It is just for us to be given it.

Each person is willed by God to exist in a very, very specific way. He had you specifically in mind when He deliberately created you with so much care and attention. Each person bears the image of God. Each person is loved by Him tremendously and is desired to have a place in Heaven eternally. Each person deserves to be justly treated. This pleases God.

If we see others as God sees them, then they no longer become competitors or obstacles. They become human in our eyes and deserving of our love. We are all members of the human family and are profoundly and eternally desired by God.

Think of the worth of a human being!

Thank you for reading. Peace.

“The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours? No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon”

Luke 16:10-13 (NABRE)

Which will you choose? Your eternal happiness depends upon it.

Jesus teaches us to not place our trust in our material possessions. This may sound overused or even conventional, akin to “money can’t buy happiness.” However, if we meditate upon this admonition from our Lord and focus on how it applies to our personal lives, we see more clearly the importance of living a life that is centered on God.

To serve mammon is to neglect the health of one’s soul in the pursuit of worldly gain. It is to compromise and to maneuver in a corrupt manner. It is to not give thanks to God and act as though we can pridefully control every aspect of the situation around us and the future. When we serve mammon, we tend to see the world in terms of mammon. We categorize people and pass judgement on them based on their financial status or their material possessions. We see the world as a competitive arena in which everyone else around us must be outperformed or shown up. When we serve mammon, we define ourselves based on what material things we have been able to gain or our accomplishments in our careers. In short, this is a short route to slavery to sin and misery. True satisfaction and rest will elude us so long as we serve mammon.

To serve God, on the other hand, is so freeing. He heals us and strengthens us to be able to break off the yoke of sin and accept the light yoke of Jesus. He leads us down a path of peace and stability. God does not demand riches our status in order to be great in His Kingdom. All He wants is for us to be close to Him. Consider Mary, the Mother of God. She is seated above the angels as Queen of Heaven, but she did not have any earthly power or wealth of which to speak. She lived a quiet life as a commoner woman from rural Galilee. She was the wife of a carpenter and lived a lifestyle devoid of material impressiveness and did not have career accomplishments of which to boast. And yet, she is the greatest woman of all time. Spiritually, Mary was the wealthiest among us mere humans. She was profoundly and beautifully holy as she lived her day-to-day life as a wife to St. Joseph and a mother to Jesus. She had immense trust in God to be able to say “yes” to His plan for her and to stand before Jesus on the Cross and have confidence in God’s providential care. She had such a love for God. She was conceived without sin an never once sinned during her entire life. This is ineffable beauty. This is what it means to serve God and trust in His care.

Mammon does not love you. God loves you. Place your trust in Him. The eternity which God wants for us is so much greater than anything mammon could ever provide for us.

Fall in love with Love itself and you will be truly free.

Thank you for reading. Peace.

The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to him, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So to them he addressed this parable. “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.

“Or what woman having ten coins and losing one would not light a lamp and sweet the house, searching carefully until she finds it? And when she does find it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’ In just the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Luke 15:1-10 (NABRE)

These parables reveal the profound mercy of Jesus and are a consolation to us sinners here on earth.

The mercy with which Jesus treats us is so deeply personal. It is an act of love bestowed from him onto us out of His profound desire to be engaged in a deep, intimate relationship with us that lasts for an eternity. Jesus wants to fill us with His grace and to sanctify us and bring us to a place of holiness, a place of peaceful stability in spirit with Him as the rock on which we build. However, it us not us who have to climb our way to God, for He comes to meet us and heal us. Jesus goes out and searches for the lost sheep. He sweeps the house looking for the missing coin. You are valuable in His eyes. Once He finds the sheep or spots the coin, He is overjoyed, as is the rest of Heaven. All of Heaven — the Holy Trinity, Mary, the angels, and the saints — rejoice at the repentance of a sinner, over your repentance and mine.

Jesus never stops seeking us. He aches that we repent and that He may forgive our sins and console us with His healing and strengthening grace. In John 20, Jesus gives us the Sacrament of Confession. Here He presents us with a tangible means to experience a complete washing of our souls and an overwhelming outpouring of His grace to strengthen us beyond where we were before we sinned. In the confessional we encounter Jesus in the priest, who sits and waits to forgive us, as Jesus described to St. Faustina. He invites you to come to this sacrament and to be overwhelmed by His grace. Jesus is so merciful. The content of the Gospels is dripping with the mercy of Jesus. He desires to pour His mercy into your soul. As a lover longs for his beloved, so He longs for you.

He thirsts; give Him a drink.

Thank you for reading. Peace.

Great crowds were traveling with him, and he turned and addressed them, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’ Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:25-33 (NABRE)

These are stark words from Jesus.

At first glance, it seems as though the two mini parables of the construction manager and the king are out of place and do not quite fit the overall message that connects Jesus’ saying on carrying our crosses with the closing statement about renouncing possessions for His sake. But as is usually the case with Holy Scripture, we need to pay more attention to what is being said in these more obscure sayings. We must remember that the Holy Spirit is the divine author of all of Scripture. Each part was deliberately placed there for a grand, amazing purpose.

Jesus tells us that total attachment to Him is the upmost important thing we can do. We cannot let the hatred of others or worldly ambition to lead us away from friendship with Jesus. The construction manager and the king going to war both had to come to terms with the fact that they would be better off not following through on their initial plans. A choice that seemed to not be advantageous at first ended up being the best option. In a similar way, we may not like the idea of being dependent on Jesus. Why do this when it is so unpopular? Why do this when it does not feel as though Jesus is present with us? And yet, even Jesus experienced what it is like to feel as though God is so far away when he cried “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” from the Cross (Matthew 27:46). The point is that we walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). To be in love with God and His Church is to be a fool in the eyes of the world. So what? Be God’s fool then. It might be troubling to go against what is popular in the world, but it is what is for the better.

Give everything to Jesus.

Thank you for reading. Peace.

On a sabbath he went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully. He told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place. Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, ‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’ Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.’

Then he said to the host who invited him, ‘When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.

Luke 14:1, 7-14 (NABRE)

Such great a great reward is surely possible for us.

Jesus finishes His two monologues of instruction with sayings related to eternal reward: exaltation of the humble and resurrection of the righteous. These rewards are open to all, but as Jesus reminds us in last week’s Gospel reading, to gate is narrow. Jesus points out two important aspects of the Christian life: humility and care for the poor. Both lead us to receive the everlasting crown of glory at the exaltation of the righteous on the last day. They also help us to build a world in which Christ can rest His head.

Humility is powerful, for a life lived with an attitude of humility leads us to recognize and act upon two important and related truths: 1) we are sinners and 2) we are dependent on God’s grace. In humility, we recognize our poverty and the pain of deprivation that comes from slavery to sin. In humility, we appreciate what it feels like to go hungry or to experience separation or loss or imprisonment, whether physical or spiritual. Beautiful Humility’s daughters are named Empathy and Courage. When we are humble, we reflect upon the provision of God and how willing He is to give to us in and even surprise us with amazing generosity in all of our needs and desires for what is good, no matter how trivial we may think they are. With this in mind, we see our fellow man or woman and recognize our shared experience of sin, suffering, and misery as we ponder our own. This compels us to seek the courage we need to boldly ask and trust in God for His provision for our needs and the needs to others and the grace to do what we can to help. If we all lived with this attitude, the world would be a much more livable place!

This fits nicely with the second part of this passage. Our humility, empathy, and courage help us to do something as radical as welcoming the stranger, which is a work of mercy prized by Jesus (Matthew 28:31-46). This allows us to get outside ourselves and to recognize the dignity of each person as a beloved child, a masterpiece deliberately created by God Most High and loved by the self-sacrificing Jesus and sanctified by the Holy Spirit and called to share in the blessed peace, joy, and beauty of Heaven. With this in mind, we act to help them.

Humility will lead to exaltation and resurrection among the righteous.

God thinks in such an awesome way, doesn’t He?

Thank you for reading. Peace.

He passed through the towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” He answered them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough. After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ And you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’ Then he will say to you, ‘I do not know where [you] are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!’ And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out. And the people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

Luke 13:22-30 (NABRE)

Which way, O man?

Jesus tells us this parable as He travels to Jerusalem, where at the Last Supper He will celebrate the first Mass with His disciples and institute the Eucharist before He endures His Passion, death, and Resurrection. In it He presents to us a reminder of the everlasting consequences of our choices — entry into Heaven or hell. Perhaps this might frighten us. Perhaps this might scare us into living a timid life in which we might be afraid of God and distrustful of Him. Well, this is exactly what God does not want for us.

Jesus offers us a warm invitation to live in our Father’s house in Heaven and has a deep and amazing desire for us to come to Him. Even more, He promises to personally take us to Himself, so that where He is we also may be (John 14:3). On top of that, He goes to Jerusalem to offer Himself as sacrifice as the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world and to open up the gates of Heaven for us. Out from His side poured blood and water that symbolizes the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist, which help, in their own special ways, to build us up in overabundant grace and truth as we are drawn into Heaven by the help of God that we freely accept. To be adopted by God as His own son or daughter in Baptism and to be nourished by the very Son of God, fully and entirely present in the Eucharist, gives us a tremendous opportunity to enjoy a life of grace and to live in love, joy, and peace as we journey to the embrace of God.

Also in Jerusalem, after His Resurrection, Jesus gives the Church the sacrament of Confession and Reconciliation (John 20:19-23). In this sacrament we have a meeting with the overwhelming mercy of Jesus Christ, who personally awaits us in the priest (who acts in persona Christi) in the confessional and is eager to forgive us and console us with grace to help us to be free from sin and alive in Him. Never doubt the amazing mercy of Jesus. He aches to pour out His mercy upon you and for you to give Him a chance at a life of grace and closeness and personal intimacy with Him.

With this blessed and divine help that comes from our God who loves us as His own adopted children and who desires our presence in Heaven, we will be able to pass through that narrow gate with joy.

Thank you for reading. Peace.