One of the current religious issues is also an ancient one: what is the proper relationship between God and Caesar? Jesus cleverly avoided the trap of the Pharisees and Herodians. Giving to Caesar the things that is Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s is not a direct answer to the question asked,…

Food! Banquets! Rejoicing together! These are the themes of our readings today. For our Jewish ancestors, these themes meant so much because of the years of not having enough food, the years in which they felt they could not rejoice together and the years when they were actively persecuted. Those who had first been invited…

n today’s Gospel, Jesus once again speaks to the priests and elders with a parable. In this parable, the landowner leases his vineyard to tenants and sends his servants to collect the portion of the harvest that the tenants owe to him. Several times the servants are sent to collect payment, and each time they…

The context for today’s Gospel is the mounting tension between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders. Jesus has entered Jerusalem and overturned the money changers’ tables in the Temple. Jesus has caught the attention of the religious authorities; the chief priests and elders question Jesus about the source of his authority. Jesus refuses to name…

In today’s Gospel Jesus encounters a rich young man who is unable to accept Jesus’ demand that he leaves his possessions to follow him. Jesus’ response to the rich young man sounds very much like the conclusion we will find in today’s Gospel: the first will be last and the last will be first. On…

In today’s reading, Peter asks Jesus how many times we should forgive another person. Peter suggests what he considers a reasonable number: perhaps seven times.  Jesus responds by taking Peter’s proposal much further:    we are not to forgive only seven times, but seventy-seven times. The parable of the unforgiving servant explains Jesus’     response to Peter…

In today’s Gospel reading, Matthew 18:15-20, Jesus addresses a common occurrence in the Christian community: a dispute between two members of the Church. Jesus outlines a procedure for settling such matters fairly. The victim should privately address the offender and attempt to resolve the dispute without outside involvement. If that fails, then the victim should…

, Jesus confides in them the outcome of his ministry: he must suffer and die in Jerusalem to be raised on the third day. Peter rejects this prediction, and Jesus rebukes him severely, calling him “Satan.” In opposing this aspect of Jesus’ mission, Peter shows that he is no longer speaking based on the revelation…

In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks his disciples what people are saying about his identity. The disciples indicate that most people believe that Jesus is a prophet of Israel. Then Jesus asks his disciples who they believe that he is. Simon Peter answers, identifying Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus commends Simon Peter…

The Lord Reveals His Salvation to All                   If we were reading Matthew’s entire Gospel, we would have read about Jesus’ debate with the Pharisees about Jewish purity laws. Jesus argues that it is not what goes into us that makes us unclean; he is referring to the strict Jewish dietary rules. Instead our words…