The Better Part

Matthew 14.13-21 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection Over the past few weeks, we listened to Jesus teaching the people in parables so that we could think about what the Kingdom of God is like. In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus is finished with teaching. Now he shows us what the Kingdom of God is like. At the beginning of the Gospel, Jesus rows away in a boat by himself. He wants some quiet time alone. But the people in the town figure out where he is going. They know

Matthew 14.13-21 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection For four weeks now we have thought about parables. Parables cause us to do a lot of work! We have to think about what more Jesus means. In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus does not tell us a parable. He is finished talking. Now he acts. And still we have to think about what this all means. At the beginning of the Gospel, Jesus learns that his cousin, John the Baptist, has been killed. He wants some time alone, so he r

Matthew 14.13-21 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection Each Gospel reading for the last four weeks has been filled with parables. Our heads swim in parables! In fact last week, in considering the parable of the Kingdom of God like a net that was thrown into the sea...we thought, we swim in it, right now! How can this be? This week, Jesus is through with parables (for now). He is finished talking. Now he acts. Jesus performs a miracle. Miracles, we know, are signs of the Ki

Matthew 13.44-52 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus again tells three parables, just like last week! He must really like telling parables. He knows that listening to parables helps us to think about the Kingdom of God. Last week, when there were three parables, we thought about the middle parable—the Parable of the Mustard Seed, that teeny-tiny seed that somehow grows and changes into a tree! This week, let's again look at the middle

Matthew 13.44-52 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus still tells parables! He knows that people enjoy listening to parables, these stories that are both interesting and somewhat strange. They help us consider the Kingdom of God and what it could be like. Jesus says, “The kingdom of God is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” The Kingdom of

Matthew 13.44-52 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus again gives us three parables. Three parables and then an instruction that sounds like yet another parable. Perhaps he thinks we can handle all this! Let's think about what he can mean. Photo by Sebastian Pena Lambarri on Unsplash Jesus begins with two parables that sound very similar:, “The kingdom of God is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his

Matthew 13.31-32 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection (Adults, the Gospel this week is quite long and considers three of Jesus' parables. This reflection focuses on the parable that is sandwiched in the middle: the Parable of the Mustard Seed—an essential parable regarding the mystery of life.) In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus tells three parables. We know that parables make us think. They are stories that Jesus tells to help us understand something very important. Th

Matthew 13.24-43 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection (Adults, begin by reading the Gospel aloud to the child, unless the child is a very fluent reader. It is a long Gospel, and a little troubling. But there is Good News!) In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus tells three more parables by the Sea of Galilee: two short parables caught between a longer one and its explanation. The two short parables may satisfy us. He tells the parable of the Mustard Seed, that impossibly ti

Matthew 9.36 - 10.8 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection During Jesus' time on earth, he speaks often about the Kingdom of God. He shows people glimpses of the Kingdom of God, too, when he performs miracles. Always, always, he invites others to share in his work of bringing about the Kingdom of God here on earth. In the Gospel for this Sunday we see the beginning of this sharing of the work of the Kingdom. When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they wer

Acts 2.1-11 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection This Sunday is a new feast. We celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit. We call this feast Pentecost, and the colour of the feast is red. Last Sunday, we heard about Jesus returning to God in heaven. Before he goes, he asks his disciples to go and make new disciples in all countries of the earth. How can they do this, if they do not speak all the languages of the earth? This Sunday we find out what happens next. When the day of

Matthew 5:1-12 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n We know that in the Bible, Jesus walks from town to town teaching about the Kingdom of God . People follow him because they love to hear his voice. In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus takes a break from walking. He sits down. But Jesus does not stop teaching about the Kingdom of God . Oh no. The people still get to listen to his voice. When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his dis

Matthew 5:1-12 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n In the Bible, we often hear Jesus teaching people about the Kingdom of God. Jesus understands that we need to know about the Kingdom. He knows that when we set out to play a game with our friends, we first sit down to work out the rules. We want to know who can play. We want to know how to play well. Jesus understands that we need to know these things about the Kingdom of God. So he sits down and lets us look for a mo

Matthew 5:1-12 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n The most incredible thing about Jesus is that, by dying on the cross, he defeats death. God fills him with abundant, eternal life—he can never die again. God turns everything we know upside-down. Life is stronger than death. Does Jesus spend his whole life waiting to die and rise again? Of course not. He spends his adult life telling all he knows about the Kingdom of God. Now Jesus enjoys the fullness of the life of G

Matthew 11.2-11 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n (Adults, you could begin by reading the Gospel to your child.) Matthew 11.2-11 This Sunday is called Gaudete Sunday. We light the third candle of the Advent wreath, the pink one. Gaudete means rejoice and pink is the colour for rejoicing . We wonder, though, why do we rejoice ? Last Sunday, we heard about John the Baptist—the Preparation Person— preparing the people of Israel for Jesus who comes. John the Baptist

Luke 17.5-10 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n Sometimes, the things that Jesus says just seem wonky. In the Gospel for this...

Luke 10.1-12, 17-20 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n In the Gospel this week, Jesus and his disciples journey towards...

Luke 10.1-12, 17-20 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n One of the great things about Jesus is that there is no difference between...

Luke 9.11b-17 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection This Sunday, we celebrate the Feast of the Body and the Blood of Christ. On this...

Luke 9.11b-17 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection This Sunday, we celebrate the Feast of the Body and the Blood of Christ. A feast...

Acts 2.1-11 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection This Sunday is a new feast. We celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit . We call this...