The Mercy of God Elevates JusticeToday’s parable speaks of the mercy of God that does not negate justice, but elevates it. St. Paul invites us today to “conduct ourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.” This alone is the way worthy of the gospel of Christ: to delight in the blessings of…
Forgive One Another as God has Forgiven UsIn today’s reading Peter asks Jesus how many times one ought to extend forgiveness to another. Theparable of the unforgiving servant is Jesus’ elaboration of his initial reply to Peter. Through the parable wecome to understand the depths of God’s mercy toward us and the results of our…
Fraternal CorrectionIn today’s Gospel, God demands that a sinner not be tried, convicted, or sentenced in absentia, becauseit’s the sinner’s welfare that is at stake as much as the welfare of the one who is sinned against. In ourmodern throw-away culture, we may not wish to love the criminal, but only the victim. Jesus is…
HumblyLike in the first reading, the focus in today’s gospel is on humility. To be humble, according to Jesus, is tonot exalt oneself, thinking of oneself more highly than one ought. Rather, the humble person chooses the lowest place at the table. That person chooses not to pursue status but to let other people be…
Who do I say that Christ is in my life?In the Gospel of Matthew, we encounter a profound moment where Jesus asks his disciples a criticalquestion: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (Matthew 16:13). The disciples share various opinions circulating among the people: “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still…
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 and our…
Jesus Walks on Water, and the Disciples Acknowledge Him as the Son of GodToday’s Gospel directly follows last week’s account of Jesus feeding a crowd of more than 5,000people with just five loaves of bread and two fish. For the sake of the crowds, Jesus had postponed his time of solitude. Now, at last, Jesus…
Jesus is Transfigured on the Mountain in the Presence of Peter, James, and JohnToday’s liturgy invites us to celebrate the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. The Transfigurationoccurs after Peter confesses his belief that Jesus is the Messiah and after Jesus predicts his Passion. Jesus takes three of his disciples—Peter, James, and John—to a…
Jesus Teaches About the Kingdom of HeavenToday’s Gospel concludes three weeks of readings from the 13th Chapter of Matthew’s Gospel.Throughout these three weeks we have heard Jesus teaching crowds about the kingdom of heaven, and we have heard Jesus interpret some of his teachings for the disciples. In this week’s Gospel, concludeswith a curious statement…
Jesus Teaches in ParablesIn today’s Gospel, Jesus offers three parables to describe the Kingdom of Heaven. He also explains why he speaks to the crowds in parables and interprets the parable of the sower for the disciples. This reading is a continuation of Jesus’ discourse that we began reading last Sunday. All three parables use…