Today’s Gospel presents another of Jesus’ parables which Matthew locates during the final week of his life. It is found only in Matthew, and perhaps his own composition. The basic theme is clearly announced in the Gospel acclamation: “Stay awake and stand ready, because you do not know the hour when the Son of Man…

On this Solemnity of All Saints, Matthew’s gospel brings us to a key moment in the Christian understanding of how to be human: Jesus teaching the beatitudes in what will become known as the sermon on the mount. As he entered more deeply into his public ministry, the gospel relays, Jesus “saw the crowds, he…

In today’s reading is the mounting tension between Jesus and the religious leaders in Jerusalem. The Herodians and the Pharisees asked the first question, which was about taxes. The Sadducees asked the second question, which was about the Resurrection. The third question, considered in today’s Gospel, is asked by a Pharisee who asks Jesus about…

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…