The Better Part

Matthew 11.25-30 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus speaks of carrying burdens. He knows people work hard. He knows they tire. At first, it seems Jesus offers a trade, one burden for another: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is

Matthew 10.37-42 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection Last Sunday, when we heard Jesus preparing his disciples to go out to teach, we thought about the fortitude needed to build the Kingdom of God. In the Gospel this week, Jesus continues with his instructions, and as he does so, he repeats one word over and over. “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s

Matthew 10.26-33 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection This Sunday, we hear Jesus preparing his disciples to go out into the world to spread the Good News about the Kingdom of God. It seems like a kind of pep talk, to get them pumped up before they go out. Why do the disciples need such encouragement? Three times Jesus tells the disciples not to be afraid: So have no fear of them... Do not fear those... So do not be afraid... Let's face it, those disciples are afraid. They are

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

John 6.51-59 and the first reading: Deuteronomy 8.2-3, 14-16 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection This Sunday is the SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST. Jesus helps us to understand who he is and what he does. In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus begins with something that every one of the people who gather about him recognize: I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Every person gathered knows about the bread that came down from heaven. They all kn

Matthew 28.16-20 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection We know that after Jesus dies and rises to new life, never to die again, he spends forty days appearing to his disciples. They talk with him, eat with him, and spend time rejoicing with him that his Risen life will never end. After forty days, Jesus returns to his Father in heaven. We call this the Ascension into heaven. "Ascend" means to rise from a lower level to a higher level. Jesus has already risen from ordinary life

Matthew 28.16-20 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection On Ascension Sunday, or the Feast of the Ascension, we celebrate the moment in Jesus' Risen life—forty days after the Resurrection to the full life of God—when he returns to his Father in heaven. "Ascend" means to rise from a lower level to a higher level. It can also mean to take the throne. We often call Jesus the King—the King of kings—and we celebrate the day that he takes his place on the heavenly throne. Once, when a

Matthew 28.16-20 Listen to the Gospel and Reflection On Ascension Sunday, or the Feast of the Ascension, we celebrate the moment in Jesus' Risen life that we speak of in the Creed: "He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty." Forty days after the Resurrection to the full life of God, Jesus returns to his Father in heaven. Frankly, this does not seem like the best of feasts. Imagine the disciples standing there on the mountain as Jesus

Matthew 4:12-23 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n This Sunday is called the Sunday of the Word of God. Sometimes Jesus is called the Word of God made flesh. God gives the Word a body and a voice, something we can see and hear. We can see the Word of God in our imagination, and we hear it speak to us in our heart. In the Gospel, we hear Jesus, the Word Made Flesh, calling four people to come follow him. There are two pairs of brothers: Andrew and Simon (who is also

Matthew 4:12-23 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n This Sunday is the Sunday of the Word of God. The Word of God is a great gift to us. We enjoy our gifts. We play with them. So, each week, and in particular this week, we enjoy the Word. We play with it, turning it over and over, noticing how it touches our deepest needs, and delighting in the new aspects we discover. The Gospel begins with disturbing news. John the Baptist has been arrested. In the midst of reading

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 10.25-37 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n Often, when we listen to stories about Jesus in the Bible, we hear people...

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 23:26-56 (full reading: Luke 22.14 - 23.56 ) Click here to listen to the Gospel and Reflection This Sunday marks the beginning...

Luke 6:17, 20-26 Click here to listen to the Gospel and Reflection The Gospel for this Sunday begins with Jesus coming down from a...

Luke 6:17, 20-26 Click here to listen to the Gospel and Reflection The Gospel for this Sunday begins with Jesus coming down from a...

Luke 5.1-11 Click here to listen to the Gospel and Reflection So often when we listen to the Gospel, we hear about Jesus and his...

Mark 9.30-37 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n In the Gospel for this Sunday, the disciples have a hard time. They cannot...

Mark 9.30-37 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflectio n In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus and his disciples travel alone. Usually,...