This week’s memory verse: Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Luke 9:62
Pray the week: Lord Jesus, Grant me the grace of total commitment to You and Your gospel way of life. Strengthen me so that all I do may reflect Your life in me. Amen.
Nay rather, I have stilled and quieted my soul like a weaned child. Like a weaned child on its mother’s lap, so is my soul within me.
Welcome as we continue our journey of study and re-commit ourselves to the work of following, witnessing to, and sharing Jesus.
We have been spending our time these weeks focused on God’s great generosity. In each of those lessons we are reminded to be generous like our God. Indeed, that is our call as followers of our Lord and Savior, to be like Him in how we live and interact.
As we grow closer to the end of the Church year, it is a good time to reflect on how well we have followed Jesus and lived the life He laid out for us. Are we doing well, are we working diligently at that, or has our work been placed on hold, have other things gotten in the way?
It is so amazing – the amount of love our God pours out for us. If we even stopped to contemplate it for a few minutes we would be overcome by His tremendous love and care for us. So often I pray and desire that all of us could see it clearly, freed from all concern and throwing ourselves into His life completely.
The imagery in today’s psalm is so reassuring and comforting. At its start the psalmist reminds us to place our focus on the Lord, not on things that are passing, fleeting.
Isn’t that the point, to dedicate ourselves to the Lord, to leave fear behind. If we might do that, if we might just release our human minds and hearts and take up the heart and mind of God our lives would be truly reformed. Wow, that would be incredible. We would be all-in for Jesus and His Holy Church, the family that surrounds us.
I am too shy would become I am bold. I can’t make it would become I must be there. I am too tired would become I am filled with vigor.
If we unify ourselves with Jesus having stilled and quiet hearts, we will find ourselves enfolded in God’s arms, cared for in ways the world cannot offer.
Today’s first reading from Malachi and the gospel both set forth warnings. The example of the priests and Pharisees is used because they would not still and quiet themselves. They did not place their focus on God. Their agendas came first and for that they became contemptible and base in God’s eyes and in the eyes of others.
Let us hear and follow Jesus in humility and solely focus ourselves on living His way.
This week’s memory verse: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
John 14:15
Pray the week: Lord Jesus, Grant that I may walk in Your ways, following Your great commandment of love. May I see in all occasions, times, and places the opportunity to love fully. Amen.
He said to him, “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.”
Welcome as we continue our Ordinary Time journey of study and re-commit ourselves to the work of following, witnessing to, and sharing Jesus.
We have spent weeks focusing on God’s great generosity: unlimited forgiveness; full payment to all workers whether they are old school faithful or new followers; His offer of opportunities to change, turn and repent, and His invitation to all to put on the wedding garment of regeneration. Last week we even considered His generosity in making right choices for us.
We also considered the fact that regardless of our civic leaders, we are called to live as followers of Jesus and members of the
Kingdom. Our witness, justice, love, compassion, and forgiveness must surpass that of the unrighteous.
We see in last week’s gospel something that continues into this week’s teaching and for the weeks that follow as we start considering the last things, Jesus’ return in glory – and that is our response to God’s generosity. In simpler terms, are we ready for Jesus’ return?
Being ready is not a complex process. It does not require jumping through hoops, being extraordinary in what we do, or even being heroic in our actions. It simply means we must follow the gospel life Jesus provided us with, and care in real ways.
Core to that gospel life is our love of God and our neighbors. Jesus tells us that everything depends on this act of love. Indeed, love is an act, not just a warm fuzzy feeling.
To the world and the worldly, to the unsaved, our action of love, our purposeful work of love, our attendance at Sunday worship, our praise and thanksgiving toward God and our mutual charity within His family may indeed seem out-of-the ordinary. Some might even say we are extraordinary or even heroic. To others, we are just those oddball people who give up our Sunday morning and care for people who don’t really matter.
We have chosen to follow Jesus, to obey His teaching, to walk in His way. As such our every action in conformity with His gospel is the response we offer to the Father’s generosity and our readiness to meet Him.
This week’s memory verse: “By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice.”
Proverbs 8:15
Pray the week: Lord Jesus, Save me from reliance on earthy rules and from any allegiance to them. Help me to understand that my sole obligation is to trust in and live Your gospel life. Amen.
At that he said to them, “Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”
Welcome as we continue our Ordinary Time journey of study and re-commit ourselves to the work of following, witnessing to, and sharing Jesus.
We have spent weeks focusing on God’s great generosity: unlimited forgiveness; full payment to all workers whether they are old school faithful or new followers; His offer of opportunities to change, turn and repent, and His invitation to all to put on the wedding garment of regeneration.
Today we encounter a challenge cooked up by the religious authorities of Jesus’ time on earth. What should a faithful person do about government and rulers?
Jesus gives a classic answer we all remember: “repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”
A brief thought crossed my mind in preparing for this week. If we are so focused on God’s generosity, why would we ever consider government, rulers, and taxes?
We start by turning back to our first reading where Isaiah recounts God’s words for the ruler Cyrus made in advance of Cyrus’ birth. This prophesied Cyrus would rule all ancient Babylon and would free the people of Israel. Not only would he free them, but he would make their return to Israel smooth.
Throughout the Old and New Testament, the prophets and Apostles point to God’s selection of rulers and government that were ostensibly pagan and did not know God. Yet they were working for God. We are told to honor them, be subject to them, to be obedient, and even pay our taxes without complaint.
This seems odd doesn’t it, especially in our day. Some so-called Christians fight awfully hard for certain candidates for office. Some people channel their anger and louder than life voices behind others. This is why we are called today to consider God’s way of doing things.
In the end, it comes down to whether we trust God’s generosity or not. We heard: there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
So, what should a faithful Christian do about government and rulers? As followers of Christ, we must let God make the choices for us, and not invest in following politicians. God will establish them even if they are pagans. What is key is how we live as followers of Jesus and members of the Kingdom. Jesus has many more instructions about that.
The United Young Men’s Society of Resurrection is conducting its annual clothing drive.
Let us be Christ to our community!
Needed: Articles of clothing to help dull the winter chill.
Your Reward: A good deed that reflects the love of Jesus.
Please help out by using either the pdf form or Excel file below to record items you are donating and take them to a charity of your choice. Use the Excel file to optionally automatically tally your donations. Turn in the forms at church. If you need help in delivering items, please let us know and someone will assist you.
This week’s memory verse: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1 John 1:8
Pray the week: Lord Jesus, Grant that my heart, actions, and attitudes may be constantly reformed. Help me in fully accepting Your invitation and preparing myself to be Your guest. Amen.
‘Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.’ The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests.
Welcome as we continue our journey of study and re-commit ourselves to the work of following, witnessing to, and sharing Jesus.
Today we will welcome Travis and Christopher into the Body of Christ, the Holy Church, through the waters of regeneration.
Travis and Christopher, like every other person coming into the Church have been gathered in, have been issued Jesus’ new invitation. Along with us they will join in the work of following, witnessing to, and sharing Jesus.
I would like to take a moment to help us recall the gospel messages we have received over the past three Ordinary Time weeks. Jesus calls us to embrace and live out the Father’s model of generosity. Today, we consider this generosity again.
Now, going back, we have seen God’s generosity in His unlimited forgiveness; His full payment to all workers whether they are old school faithful or new followers; and His offer of opportunities to change and soften our hearts toward His will for us. We are invited to turn and repent.
Today we heard about the invited guests. Jesus uses the illustration to show the listeners of His time that being the “chosen people” was not enough. Being part of the select does not allow one to slack off or to take God’s invitation for granted.
In stark terns Jesus shows how their disobedience, terror, dishonesty, and neglect of the Father’s invitation will lead to new invitations being issued. Those are given to us, the Gentiles.
Within this telling is a warning to us, one we need to take very seriously. While the Father’s generosity invites us in, while it invites people of every background regardless of the past, we must enter faithful to the invitation.
The guest who showed up unchanged, trusting in generosity, but neglecting his obligation to change in light of that generosity is thrown out.
For Travis and Christopher today is a start as it is for each of us as we confess and approach. May they, like us, continually put on the white garment of regeneration and live faithful to the Father’s generosity.
This week’s memory verse: For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
Ephesians 3:14-15
Pray the week: Lord Jesus, Grant that I may strengthen my brothers and sisters. Guide and guard my particular family and protect and encourage Your Body on earth, the Holy Church. Amen.