Reflection: Matthew 5:1-12

10th Week in Ordinary Time – Matthew 5:1-12

Today Jesus is teaching his disciples. In his teaching, he gifts them with the Beatitudes. We all are familiar with the Beatitudes. However, do we take the time to sit with these eight beautiful teachings and ask ourselves: “How do I strive to be a living example of this beatitude?”

Today is Monday, the beginning of a new week. I invite you to read the whole Gospel and reflect on it. Then I invite you to simply reflect on the 1st “Be-attitude” for 5-10 minutes. Ask yourself: how do I live this beatitude in my daily life? What does it mean to you to be “poor in spirit?” Do I strive to be “poor in spirit” as I go about my day? Whom do I comfort? How do I strive to show my concern and comfort to others? Whom do I ignore when they need comfort?

If you have sufficient time, you may continue with the other six “Be-attitudes.” Another option is to take one “Be-attitude” a day for the next six days. This will enable you to reflect deeply on each of the beatitudes and also on how you strive to live this beatitude out in your daily life.

Jesus does not want us to simply “act.” Jesus wants us to act mindfully, deliberately and lovingly! Will we choose to do this today? We may not only give a great gift to another, we may receive a great gift as we share the little that we have!

Reflection: Mark 14:12-16, 22-26

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ – Mark 14:12-16, 22-26

Today we hear a passage that hearkens back to Holy Thursday. It is Mark’s version of the Last Supper and the institution of the Body and Blood of Christ. What a wonderful gift Christ has given us! He not only gave his life for us, he remains alive and present to us in the celebration of the Eucharist! Jesus has not left us; He remains among us “alive and well.” He continues to love us, nourish us and grace us!

Jesus also calls us to live as he did. Jesus works among us in many and varied ways. And Jesus works through you and me. He calls us to pour out our lives and love to the people and the world around us!! We all have gifts to give. They may not be extraordinary, unusual or astonishing. Most likely the greatest gifts we have to give are our love, care, attention, time, listening, support and hope.

Today may be a good day to ask: what are the gifts that God/Jesus has given me? How do I share them with the people around me and with our world? Do I share them freely and spontaneously? Or do I only share them when I am asked to?

Each day we are called to follow in Jesus’ footsteps. He calls us to freely share what we have, even though it may seem insignificant to us. What we think is insignificant or small may be a great gift to someone we encounter today! Truly, we are the Body and Blood of Christ in our world today! We are to “pour ourselves out” as Jesus did! The question is: will we?

Reflection: Mark 12:38-44

9th Week in Ordinary Time – Mark 12:38-44

Today Jesus warns his listeners to beware of the scribes. This is a very strong term. If we have to “beware,” there typically is some danger involved. Jesus describes these men as individuals who liked to wear long robes and sit in the best seats at banquets. True, they did recite lengthy prayers. However, they did not help the poor, the lost or the sinner! They primarily were concerned with their positions of honor and power. They were pleased that many people deferred to them and held them in esteem.

As we all know, power often corrupts. And being held in high esteem also may corrupt. If people look up to us, we may come to believe that we are better than we truly are. In this Gospel, Jesus is an advocate for humility. He does not use that specific word but most humble people work in a quiet manner. They do not need or want the limelight. They are content to give of themselves in an unobtrusive way and simply go about their business.

Jesus then praises the poor widow who quietly gave from her “wont.” She put two small coins into the treasury. For this widow, two coins most likely were a significant part of the amount of money she had to spend within a week’s time. Yet, this reality did not stop her from sharing the little she had. She gave freely and unselfishly. She wanted to do her part.

How generous are we, not only with our money but also with our time, talent and attention? It may be easier to give a donation rather than spend an afternoon with someone who is lonely or ill. Many of us would rather give money than to give our time. Time often is the most precious commodity we have. Yet, we are surrounded by people who are in need and who would be extremely grateful for a few minutes of our precious time and attention.

On some days, we may be the person who yearns for someone’s attention and care. Perhaps if we share our “two cents” with others, it will return to us! Who knows? The individual we spend our time with may be our gift for the day!

Reflection: Mark 12:35-37

9th Week in Ordinary Time – Mark 12:35-37

Today Jesus once again is teaching in the temple. Jesus continues his sparring with the Pharisees. This Gospel is very brief, just 3 short verses. Jesus asks the Pharisees: “How do the scribes claim that the Christ is the son of David?” He put this question to them as a challenge. The Pharisees looked at the coming of the Messiah in mere human terms. They did not have the Old Testament understanding of the Messiah.

The Pharisees believed that the Messiah would come as a conquering hero. They also believed that the ceremonial rites such as the shedding of the blood of a bull or a ram somehow set the captives free or gave hope to the downcast and the oppressed. For many of the Pharisees, their relationship with God seemed to consist of these “rites.” True, they were doing what was required. However, did they truly know God? Or did they simply know “about” God? Or did they have a personal and loving relationship with God?

Today may be a good day for us to ask ourselves: Do I truly know God? Do I love God? Do I go to church to worship God and to celebrate my relationship with God? Or do I simply attend Eucharist because it is something I am supposed to do?

I invite you to take a few moments today to reflect on the quality of relationship you have with God, Jesus or the Spirit. Is this relationship loving, intimate and healthy? Or is it simply a habit or pattern? Do you desire a deep, loving and personal relationship with God, Jesus or the Spirit? Today may be the day to take one more step and deepen into relationship with God, Jesus or the Spirit! They are waiting for us!

Reflection: Mark 12:28-34

9th Week in Ordinary Time – Mark 12:28-34

Today a Scribe approaches Jesus and asks him: “What is the first of all the commandments?” Naturally Jesus replied what he had learned as a small child: “The Lord our God is Lord alone.” And we are to “love the Lord our God with our whole heart, soul and mind.”

I assume these words are very familiar to you. For most of us, these words were etched on our minds and hearts at a very young age. Hopefully, this continues to be true today. However, these words are so very familiar to us that we may not even “hear” them! In essence, Jesus asks only 2 things of us: to love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbor as ourselves! Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

The challenge in this statement may be our ability to love ourselves as well as we love our neighbor! Most often I find it easier to love and accept another person as they are. However, I often struggle to “love myself as I am.” Perhaps I am alone in that. However, I believe that many, if not most of us, struggle to love and accept ourselves as we are. It often becomes automatic to criticize ourselves. Take a moment and list how you criticize yourself. What do you criticize yourself about: looks, choices, abilities, intelligence or (you fill in the blank)?

Today I invite you to examine the many ways you strive to “love your neighbor.” Then examine the ways you “love yourself.” Are you as loving and understanding with yourself as you are with your neighbor? If not, I invite you to consciously be loving, accepting and gentle with yourself today. You may find out that you will have a much better day when you maintain a loving stance toward yourself. Try it! You may find out not only that you like it, you also may realize that “loving yourself” makes life more grace-filled and peaceful. What a wonderful gift to give yourself as well as others!

Reflection: Mark 12:18-27

9th Week in Ordinary Time – Mark 12:18-27

Today the Sadducees come to Jesus and question him. They begin by quoting Moses, who wrote: “if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the brother must marry the widow who then is to bear his children and raise up descendants for his brother.” Then the Sadducees give Jesus a specific scenario they wanted him to respond to.

This is the scenario they proposed: There was a family that had seven brothers. The oldest brother married and after a few months of their marriage, he died. Now, the custom at that time was that if a brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the second oldest brother was to marry his brother’s widow. This was the custom as the Sadducees only believed in what they could see. Thus, they could not conceive of heaven. Nor did they believe in an afterlife. They simply were trying to trap Jesus!

However Jesus does not fall into their trap. He realizes that they are testing him. Ask yourself: do you ever try to trap Jesus by asking him a trick question? Or perhaps we ask for a “sign” so that we truly will know that Jesus is at work in us?

Do we trust Jesus? Do we truly believe that He only desires the best for us? Do we trust that He always is with us, regardless of how difficult life is at times? Or do we only believe that Jesus is with us when something good or wonderful happens to us? Do we need a sign of his presence? Or do we truly trust that Jesus is with us always and He will grace us with all we need?

The next time you are tempted to “test” Jesus, stop and remember how He has been with you in the past. This will help you (and me) trust that He truly is with us now. Jesus is trustworthy! He will not let us down! May we wholeheartedly believe and trust this reality!

Reflection: Mark 12:13-17

9th Week in Ordinary Time – Mark 12:13-17

Today the Pharisees try another tactic to trap Jesus. Some of the Herodians and Pharisees come to Jesus and try to soften him up. They tell Jesus that they know that he is a truthful man. They also know that Jesus is not concerned about what other people say about him. Nor does he judge people by their status in society.

However, after all of this praise, they finally ask Jesus their trick question. They ask him if it is lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar. Their hope is to trap Jesus with this question. However, Jesus realizes what they are doing. Recognizing them for the hypocrites they are, Jesus asks them why they are testing him.

Then Jesus asks a bystander for a denarius. When he has the coin in his hand, Jesus asks the Pharisees: “Whose image is on this coin?” Naturally they reply: “Caesar’s.” Jesus then tells them to “pay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” He does not argue with them. Nor could they argue with his answer! Mark says: “They were utterly amazed.” However, I wonder if the Pharisees were angry with Jesus “turning the tables” on them?

Do you ever try to trick God or Jesus by asking a trick question? I have a feeling that we all do this at some point or another. However, do we give to God, Jesus and the Spirit what belongs to them? Ask yourself: what do you give to God, Jesus or the Spirit? What do you believe belongs to them? Is it your money, time or the gift of yourself? Truly all that God, Jesus and the Spirit desires is us: you and me! Do we wholeheartedly give ourselves to God? Or do we do what is easier and give money or a ‘bit’ of our time? Or do we do give what is more challenging as well as satisfying and give of ourselves to God, Jesus and the people around us?

Be mindful today: give of yourselves to the people you meet and interact with. It may be a hello, a listening ear or a helpful hand. What a simple, yet loving and generous gift!

Reflection: Mark 12:1-12

9th Week in Ordinary Time – Mark 12:1-12

Today’s Gospel reading is the story of a man who planted a vineyard and planted a hedge around it. He also dug a wine press and built a tower. This man must have lived in an area that was not safe! Why else would he plant a hedge around his vines and then build a tower? You only need a tower if you need protection or you desire a view of your surroundings.

Thinking that all was safe, this man leased his fields to tenant farmers and left on a journey. After several months, the owner sent a servant back to his vineyard. This servant was to obtain the owner’s share of the vineyard’s profits. However, the tenants severely beat the servant and sent him back to the owner, empty-handed! The owner decided to send a different servant to deal with his tenants. However, the tenants treated this man in the same manner. The owner was extremely frustrated and angry. The master sent several other servants but they all were killed by the tenants.

At this point, the owner did not know what to do. Eventually he decided to send his own son to deal with his tenants. His reasoning was that the tenants surely would respect his son. However, they did not. The tenants were thrilled that the owner had sent his son. They believed that if the son was dead, his inheritance would be theirs. So the tenants killed the owner’s son! In response to the loss of his beloved son, the father had all of the servants put to death!

Jesus then speaks of what will happen to “the Father’s Son,” the One who is “the stone that the builders rejected.” Jesus tells his listeners that the very same thing will happen to this Son. Jesus’ listeners were the scribes, the chief priests and the elders. Through this parable, Jesus is telling them that he realizes the path that is before him. He knows what his future holds! However, Jesus also tells the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees that His Father (the owner) will come and put the “tenants” to death for what they have done to his son!

I wonder how his listeners reacted to this parable? How do we respond to all the violence in our world? No matter where we live, we hear of horrific acts that are perpetrated on innocent people. Humankind has not advanced in the past centuries. Daily we hear stories of murder and abuse!

Do we contribute to the violence in our world in major or minor ways? Or do we consciously strive to create peace in our lives and in the lives of the people around us? I assume that most of us would never think of killing another person! However, do we periodically “abuse” another person by our words, actions or indifference? Today may we consciously open our hearts to God’s peace and love! And may we share this love and peace with every person we encounter today! Today and every day may we be women and men of love and peace. What a great gift to give to our world!