catholicism

With Jesus, may we pay a little more attention to the inside.

Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth. Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing” (Mt 23:27-28).

How many of us spend an inordinate amount of time regarding physical externals? Washing, makeup, the right clothes, the correct scents, teeth whitening, plucking, nipping, and tucking. How about time spent exercising through gym memberships, home exercise equipment, physical trainers, sports, stretching, running, or cycling. How about time spent towards a career through education, updating, professional learning, seminars, webinars, and networking. There are other categories that I can add, and the point is that there is not anything necessarily wrong with any of the above when they are properly ordered and each is in a healthy balance.

Yet, if external activities and how we define ourselves externally are all we are investing our time and energy in, then Jesus has a point. We may “appear beautiful on the outside” with great looks, a body that doesn’t quit, and a career to die for, but what is going on inside? Are we empty, unfulfilled, achieving goal after goal, yet feeling adrift or hollowed out? Do we have all the right social skills and etiquette down, know the right things to say in public, we have friends in the hundreds or thousands on our social media accounts, yet we feel alone and not a part of anything meaningful?

Worse yet, do we go to Church, say the right prayers, are active in ministry, tithe, are members of boards, involved in the community, and doing some great works of charity, but when the door is closed, and no one is looking… what kind of “hypocrisy and evil doing” are we up to? It is easy to rest in a false sense of security while Jesus chews out the scribes and the Pharisees, right now, yet, do Jesus’ words have an effect on us if we allow his light to shine also on the imperfections and shadow sides of us as well.

We can spend our time whitewashing the outside, projecting a perfect image, while chasing finite and material pursuits alone, which will more than likely leave us still feeling anxious, restless, unsatisfied, and worn out. Maintaining and protecting a false image on any level is exhausting. Instead, we can take a good look at the time we invest, where we focus our energies, examine our conscience, and assess the health of our relationship with God, family,  significant friendships, our vocation instead of occupation, and our service to those within and beyond our intimate circle.

Instead of expending energy maintaining a perfect persona, we will do better to be in touch with our weaknesses, our faults, wounds, and poverty of spirit, so that we can resist defending or rationalizing and seek healing, reconciliation, and transformation. By doing so, we may be more accepting, patient, understanding, and forgiving of others because we will come to realize that we are not all that perfect, the world does not revolve around us, and we are in need of help.

The path lit by Jesus will reveal our imperfections and sins and also will help us to distinguish between apparent goods and what is authentic and truly good. When we can step off the treadmill of chronic stress, come to a stop… breathe… press pause, we will begin to experience our vulnerabilities, insecurities, and fears. When we allow Jesus into those places and ask him for strength, forgiveness and healing, we will experience the peace, love, and rest we have been made for. We can rest in just being, just being ourselves and loved by God as we are, imperfections and all – no whitewash necessary.

Photo: Sending some quiet time while the sun was setting to reflect on where I can improve and need God’s help and healing, and thanking him for what I did well with his help.

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, August 26, 2026

May we have the humility to allow Jesus to love us where we are in need of healing, confession, and change.

Today’s account in the Gospel is a ringing denouncement by Jesus regarding the abuse of the leadership and religious authority of his day. Those who were to shepherd, guide, care for, protect, and lead to God, were not doing so. And so Jesus gives voice to the prophets before him: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites:”

Woe may not be a word we use much these days. Jesus is waving the red flag of warning with these woes. He is holding them accountable with poetic language that emphasizes the absurdity of their apparent observance of the law and shows the level of their hypocrisy. Jesus reveals that although they are being faithful to their tithing “of mint, dill, and cumin”, a tithe is the giving of ten-percent right off the top of the harvest, these contributions are minuscule. They don’t even touch the heart of crops received in the harvest. They are just spices and seed. They are so scrupulous in these tithes while not addressing what matters most regarding their roles as scribes and Pharisees which is to meet out “judgment and mercy, and fidelity.”

The next analogy Jesus gives flight to offers an even greater absurdity exposing their faults. He compares the meticulous detail of straining out the gnats from their drinks, while not expressing any concern for consuming the camel whole. Again, following the dietary laws outlined in Leviticus 11, straining the gnats kept their drinks ritually pure, but in the accusation of eating the whole camel, one of the most ritually unclean of animals exposes the level of degradation some of the leadership was engaged in.

The final one Jesus offered today: “You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence” (Mt 23:25). Again, ritual purity is being observed truly with the act of purifying the vessels, but with no attention to their inner thoughts and deeds, does the washing of the cups and dishes really matter?

Today, there continues to be challenges within sadly not only the political arena but also Church leadership. Though many improvements have been put in place, the abuse scandals, many happening before 2002, still have, and rightly so, shaken many of us. Abuse and cover-ups have left a gaping wound in the Body of Christ because of the devastation, first and foremost, to those who have been gravely wounded physically, emotionally, and spiritually, as well as for those families who have accompanied their loved ones through these years of trauma.

Jesus bestowed dignity on the vulnerable youth of his day when he chided his disciples for not allowing the children to be brought to him for a blessing (cf. Mt 19:13-15). Jesus modeled the proper treatment of children and at-risk adults time and again throughout his ministry, and as disciples of Christ, first and foremost, we too are to stand up for and protect the dignity of each person, but especially the most vulnerable among us. There is no defense for these horrific actions, nor the egregious coverups.

Since that time of the reporting, many dedicated people, both laity and clergy, have been diligently working together, to protect at-risk adults and children, to implement strategies and programs of awareness, to educate parents, children, and all who work with children and at-risk adults in our dioceses across the country.

We are the Body of Christ, and where one suffers, we all suffer. Jesus Christ promoted integrity over identity. The dignity of the person is to be placed before any institution. We need to pray for, while at the same time provide full access to those who have been abused. This means that they are to be heard, that their claims will be fully investigated, and they will have access to resources for healing, mentally, physically, spiritually, and socially. Part of that process is to allow them to share their stories that need to be told and heard. We also need to continue to be vigilant in protecting settings that provide access to children and at-risk adults from predators.

At the same time, we need not leave the Church because of those who sin. We place our faith in Jesus and seek his guidance and help. It is important we remain to bring about healing, reform, and justice. We need to be aware and clear to put boundaries and proven protective practices in place, be alert and vigilant to the warning signs regarding those who do not respect boundaries, as well as be fully open and cooperative with revealing the abuses enacted past, present, and future.

Along with protective practices being put in place and monitored, avenues opened for healing, we also need to continue to pray and come to know our healer and savior personally. Today and each day following may we take the woes of Jesus seriously and allow his light to reveal where we fall short of the glory of God. May we have the humility to receive the light and love of Christ, be willing to see where we are in need of healing, of confession, and growth. With vulnerability, honesty, and humility, by allowing ourselves to be loved and transformed by Jesus, we can work together to build a culture of life, that respects, protects, empowers, and stands up for the dignity of all.

Photo: “Woe to you Scribes and Pharisees” – James Tissot, late 19th century

Link for the Mass for Tuesday, August 25, 2026

“Come and see”…

But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see” (Jn 1:46).

Many biblical scholars believe that Nathanael is the same man as the Apostle Bartholomew, who is mentioned in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Acts. We see in today’s Gospel from John that his initial reaction to Philip’s invitation is doubt. Why? Because of where Jesus came from. Nazareth was a small peasant village with a population of about 1,600 people (Meier, 317). I don’t think its small size would be the main reason for Nathanael’s offering a demeaning jab at the expense of Jesus’ hometown, though he must have had some reason. The more important point is that Nathanael did not allow his preconceived notions of Nazareth to keep him from following Philip’s invitation to “Come and see” (John 1:46).

This is a lesson for us as well, “in our relationship with Jesus we must not be satisfied with words alone… we ourselves must then be personally involved in a close and deep relationship with Jesus” (Pope Benedict XVI, 108). Nathanael felt a deeper invitation than the one offered by Philip. He followed and experienced Jesus in such a way that his life was transformed forever.

Nathanael would not only “come and see”, but after Jesus shared how he first saw Nathanael under the fig tree, Nathanael claimed that Jesus was “the Son of God… the King of Israel” (Jn 1:49). What he was able to see in Jesus, Jesus’ own townsfolk of Nazareth were not able or willing to see. Nathanael was willing to see not only beyond his initial and limited perspective of prejudice, but his human and finite limitations. He received the same revelation as we heard Peter proclaim in yesterday’s gospel. The reality that Jesus is not only the messiah, he is the Son of God.

Jesus would not be a powerful political leader nor military leader, but the suffering servant of Isaiah. Jesus also told Nathanael that he would “see greater things than this” (Jn 1:50). Francis Moloney articulated that: “Faith based on miracles will not suffice; something more is needed. This greater faith will enable all disciples to see the revelation of the heavenly in Jesus, the Son of Man” (Harrington, 57).

Though we do not know a lot about Nathanael, we know that he was willing to set aside his initial doubt and prejudice of Jesus’ hometown. He was willing to encounter, then follow, and remain with Jesus and become one of the Twelve. He experienced in Jesus the wedding of humanity and divinity. He was willing to accept the proposal of the Groom, the Lamb of God, and become the bride of Christ that is richly presented in our first reading from Revelation.

There is speculation that he traveled to India to spread the Gospel he received. Most likely he encountered those who also doubted that anything good could come from the One from Nazareth. There would be those who not only refused to believe his message but killed him. Yet, before and after his martyrdom, some, though initially doubtful, some like Nathanael himself, came, saw, and believed.

St. Bartholomew, “son of Talmay”; Nathanael, “God has given” (Benedict, 107), pray for us that we may resist the temptations of our own biases, doubts, and prejudices, and open our hearts and minds to “come and see” Jesus in the Scriptures, in the Eucharist, in our prayer, in creation, our life situations, and in those we meet today, especially in the distressing disguise of the poor. Help us not only to resist judging and being constricted by our prejudices, but please help us to come and see Jesus as you did, so we can be healed, expand, and made whole again as we breath, receive, rest, and abide in the love of Jesus that he so much thirsts to share with us.

Painting: The Apostle Bartholomew by Rembrandt 1657

Benedict XVI, Pope. The Apostles. Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, 2007.

Meier, John P. A Marginal Jew, vol. 1 : The Roots of the Problem and the Person. New York: Yale University Press, 1991.

Moloney, S.D.B., Francis J. “The Gospel of John, vol. 4.” In Sacra Pagina, edited by Daniel J. Harrington, S.J. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1998

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, August 24, 2026

Have we prayed with and answered Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?”

“But who do you say that I am” (Mt 16:15)?

This question is just as important to us today as it was when Jesus asked his disciples the same question some two thousand years ago. The answer is wide and varied as attested to in the many books written about Jesus and the many people within and without of denominations who claim to follow him. There is also a vast array of pictures, paintings, documentaries, and movies.

Through each medium, we are given a view of the Jesus of history or the Christ of faith, some emphasizing more the humanity of Jesus and others more the divinity of Jesus, and some a balance of both the human and the divine. Debate has continued around whether Jesus was or is God, was/is he only human, only divine, or both, and even more recently, did he ever really exist at all?

When I taught fifth and sixth-grade students at Rosarian Academy, each Easter Season, I assigned my students the task of drawing a picture of the Resurrected Jesus. I quickly noticed a common characteristic of those first artistic renditions: Jesus consistently did not have a beard. At first, I started to hand back the pictures to say they needed to add a mustache and beard but I quickly stopped myself. I realized I had made a mistake. This is how they saw Jesus from their perspective at their age.

The way we talk about and express Jesus may actually say a lot more about us than Jesus. The painting I posted is very similar to the more famous head image Warner Sallman painting he titled, “Head of Christ” that came out later. The Sallman image was one I grew up with. Neither representation is of the historical Jesus. Yet, it was a picture that touched me in my youth. Many artistic representations of Jesus are not historical. What draws people to continue to share them is such a vast variety of ways, is that their representations provide a connection and relevance, which then touches others.

Presently, there has been no picture or representation of Jesus that captures my imagination and I have looked at many. Finding the new painting by L’hemitte (posted) was fun and I will enjoy praying with it, although I find myself less moved by artistic representations these days. Even when I meditate and pray with the Gospel accounts, Jesus feels closer at times than others. When I attempt to focus too tightly on his appearance, that becomes a distraction and diversion. What has become more consoling has been, not what he looks like, but instead the experience of his presence, his peace, and his love.

Debates regarding who Jesus is will continue, even though the Church has given the definitive answer in the Apostle’s and Nicene Creed. It echoes Peter’s, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Jesus is fully God and fully man. He is God, the second Person of the Trinity, who has become one with us in our humanity so that we can become one with him in his divinity. This is not just a wonderful truth to proclaim each Sunday together.

Answering Jesus’ question, “But who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15) is an important question to meditate upon and pray with daily, in our times of uncertainty and unrest, as well as during our times of peace and rest and everywhere in between. Speaking, even believing this truth, is not enough. Jesus invites us to experience the truth of his reality and presence, to trust him with everything and in every situation. Doing so, will help us to experience his love and he will become real and relevant in our lives.

Painting: Above: Leon-Augustin L’hermitte “Friend of the Humble” (Supper eat Emmaus)”, 1892. Warner Sallman’s “Head of Christ” came out in 1940 and bears a striking resemblance to L’hermitte’s.

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, August 23, 2026

As we give of ourselves in service, we experience humility and love.

“The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Mt 23:11-12).

Jesus warns us to resist the sin of pride, and hubris, where we place ourselves as the focal point instead of God. This happens when we seek to be the center of the gravitational pull within our realm of influence. Through our subtle and not so subtle actions, we can embrace this temptation to live a life of, “Look at me, look at me!” Desiring to be affirmed is not a bad thing but that ought not to be our primary motivation for our actions. Ultimately, we will be better served when we seek our affirmation from God.

Choosing our own self-determination free of God’s guidance is the height of pride. God does not seek to limit us but to inspire us so that we may actualize the fullness of who he has created us to be. St Mother Teresa often guided her sisters not to seek to do great things but to do little things with great love. I came across a cassette tape of one of her talks during my freshman year of college. Her words, such as, “Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.”, started to plant a seed in my soul that urged me to look out beyond myself toward others.

Growing up with an introverted and shy nature, I spent much of my youth in my own world and spent more time with myself than others. The invitation to change that perspective would happen during my second semester of that same year. I took a psychology course and thought it would be interesting to work in a hospital. A close friend of mine, Steve, shared with me that his mother was a nurse in a nursing home in our hometown. That summer, when the semester ended, I applied for the job as a certified nursing assistant and was hired.

The first resident I assisted was named Margaret, age somewhere in her 90’s. She rolled passed me in her wheelchair and a particular odor followed. The aide I was training with caught my eye and I realized this would be my first solo attempt of service. I redirected and guided her to the toilet, which was in a small closet-sized area in between two adjoining bedrooms. It was a particularly hot day, and as I removed Margaret’s depends, I found quite the surprise. For the next fifteen minutes as I cleaned her up, I sweat, teared up, and repeatedly fought back the urge to gag, all the while Margaret – sang. Once finished and in a fresh nightgown, I helped her into her bed, tucked her in, and then Margaret said, “Give me a kiss lover.”

Others may have run for the door and never looked back. I stayed, and for the next four or five years, I experienced the wonderful gift of building relationships with the many residents and coworkers who drew me out of myself. What started out as a job became an extended family, and I served them with great joy.

God presents us with opportunities daily. We can choose to curve in upon ourselves or we can risk being present for and give of ourselves to others. Let us resist the urge to be led by anxiety or fear and instead pray for the courage to be open to the opportunities to extend the grace God offers us to serve in little ways with great love, one person, one encounter at a time. I pray that you may encounter your Margaret! For Margaret helped me to live what St Mother Teresa taught me: “Love only can become our light and joy in cheerful service of each other” (Teresa 2010, 355).

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Photo: The model of humility! Mary our queen and mother, please pray for us!

Mother Teresa. Where There Is Love, There is God. Edited by Brian Kolodiejchuck, M.C. NY: Doubleday, 2010.

Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, August 22, 2026

Let us open our hearts and minds to receive and enter into the dance of God’s love!

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law, tested him by asking, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” (Mt 22:34-40).

Jesus, in response, was not just throwing up a cloud of theological dust into the eyes of the Pharisees. His answer to, “which commandment in the law is the greatest?” was drawn directly from the Torah. Showing again his knowledge of the Torah. Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18 and merged the two verses together as one unit. His purpose was to emphasize the point that what is to be the greatest aspiration for humanity is to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves, not either/or. Jesus again was showing that he did not come to abolish the law and the prophets, but that he came to fulfill them (cf. Mt 5:17).

In this statement, Jesus also revealed the foundation of reality, the Trinitarian communion of love. For the immanence of God – God within himself – has always been, always is, and always will be a communion of love. God the Father loves the Son, God the Son receives the Father’s love and in return loves God the Father holding nothing back, and God the Holy Spirit is the love expressed and shared between God the Father and God the Son. The overflow and abundance of this perichoresis, or divine dance of trinitarian communion, has been the loving of creation into existence.

This means that we as God’s created beings, his children, have been loved into existence too! We are willed into existence and loved by God our Father and so capable of loving God and one another in return. This love mirrors on earth the love that is shared in Heaven. It is through our participation in the life of Jesus that we can live up to his command to love our enemies, wonderfully expressed in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:29-37).

This is why prayer is so important. If we don’t get our relationship with God right, if we don’t spend time with and allow ourselves to rest, receive, and abide in his love, we will not be able to return the love we have received, and then how can we truly love ourselves and each other? When we do get the love of God right, we and our realm of influence changes. We can experience that peace that surpasses all understanding, and we can find the rest, that rest within the depths of our souls that we all seek. This peace, love, and rest we can then share with God and one another.

We can do so in simple but powerful ways. When we catch the eye of another – smile. This small gift can make such difference in another’s life. If someone says, “How are you today?” say, “Better that you asked.” When you are with someone be there as if they were the only person in the world. Go out of your way to do some random acts of kindness, especially for that someone who ordinarily and regularly gets under your skin.

Picture: Today – Perichoresis! Let us breathe, rest, receive, and abide in and participate in the dance of God’s trinitarian love, and let his love reign free in our lives to overflowing.

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, August 21, 2026

The feast is ready, we are invited, will we attend?

“The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son” (Mt 22:2).

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus not only talked about feasts but he is recorded as often celebrating table fellowship with others. Those he ate with ranged from people who were considered sinners to the religious elite among the Pharisees.

In the parable from today’s Gospel, Jesus presented a range of reactions to the invitation already supposed to have been accepted to a great, wedding banquet offered by the king for his son. The custom of the time for a wedding feast, which often was a celebration that would not last just a day but often a week, was that a first invitation would be sent out, and when accepted, at the time to begin the banquet, a second invitation would be sent for those to now come to enjoy the festivities.

In Jesus’ parable, the first group are so caught up in their own lives, that they are not willing to break away from their daily activities. The second group rejects the invitation outright and does so violently, by mistreating and even killing the servants of the king. The retribution of the king is swift and punitive. Then he sent his servants out into the streets, “and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,” and they not only welcomed the invitation, they said yes to the invitation, “and the hall was filled with guests” (Matthew 22:10).

God invites us into a relationship with him, but we must be willing to repent, to change our hearts and minds to see the invitation for what it is, an eternal gift. Those who refused were unwilling to change their plans, as well as others who, with hearts of stone, were outright hostile, willing to abuse and even kill the servants. Are we willing to choose our busyness over time with God each day or will we stubbornly hold on to our own self-reliance and pride and refuse God’s gift?

Near the end of the parable, Jesus presents a curious fellow that the king found present without the proper attire. This is not a literal indictment of not having the proper clothes, but the wedding garment imagery may be a recognition of a willingness to receive the benefits of the invitation without a yes to the responsibility involved. A desiring to reap the gift without accepting the responsibility. We need to be willing to take off the clothes of our old ways of life, our ways of sin, self-indulgence and reliance, and receive the wedding garments offered to us by the king who seeks to clothe us “with the garments of salvation;” and cover us “with the robe of righteousness” (see Isaiah 61:10).

We are invited to participate in the banquet of eternal life with God. The invitation is freely given, yet it requires that we dress for the occasion. Again, this dress is no material garment of fine linen and gold embroidery, but our willingness to repent, to turn away from those idols, that which we have placed or put before God, to have our hearts and spirits renewed. We are invited to be a part of God’s new creation by participating in the life of his Son, the firstborn of the new creation.

We see this played out in salvation history as well. God the Father offered this invitation of the eternal banquet to the patriarchs, judges, prophets, and the people of Israel, to be one with him that they might shine brightly before all so to make his will and glory known to the world. In God’s timing, he sent his Son to fulfill that mission of invitation and to be with us in our present moment and in our present condition in life. Jesus meets us where we are right now in our everyday experiences and tells us that “the feast is ready.”

We are invited each day to begin again, to pray, to turn away from our selfish ways, to receive a new heart and a renewed spirit. God invites us. Are we willing to let go of our idols, our disordered affections, and attachments. We are called to be transformed and perfected through our participation in the life of Jesus and through the purifying fire and love of the Holy Spirit.

Our yes demands accountability. We can’t just show up dressed for the part and take up space. Our ultimate attire is the transformation from within, in which our posture changes from a curving in upon ourselves to an opening and willingness to praying with and being guided by God, to devote our time, discipline, talent, and treasure to serving at the banquet and inviting others to attend.

“Many are invited, but few are chosen” (Mt 22:14). The first step is saying yes to the invitation. The second step is to be prepared for and be ready to come when the time for the wedding feast is announced. We need to be willing to allow the Holy Spirit to renew our hearts and minds, to take up our cross, to know and follow the Father’s will, serve and sacrifice by the giving up of ourselves in love. The way to the banquet is no easy path, but we can take comfort in the truth that we do not walk alone. Jesus guides and empowers us when we are willing to follow.

Painting: May we refuse the temptation of callousness, indignation, and indifference, be willing to repent, and join the great feast!

Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, August 20, 2026

Are we envious with God’s generosity or grateful?

Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard…” (Mt 20:1).

At dawn, nine, noon, three, and five o’clock the landowner hired day laborers to go into the field to bring in the harvest. Many, familiar with this parable, and especially those maybe reading for the first time, find themselves a bit bemused, bewildered, or even angry at the ending when they read or hear that the landowner had his foreman pay everyone the same pay. The immediate cry is, “That is not fair!” Those, more often than not, who respond this way are focused on the hired hands who started at dawn, worked all day, and were paid the same as the laborers who started at five o’clock.

The workers who started at dawn agreed to a certain wage and the owner paid that agreed amount. The landowner explained, “to one of them in reply, ‘My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage” (Mt 20:13)? What is missed, if someone is feeling as perplexed as were some of the dawn laborers, is the generosity of the landowner.

We see this similar scene of generosity given and played out in some of Jesus’ other parables. The older son who refused to listen to his father’s invitation to come in to share in the celebration of the feast when his wayward brother had been lost but now was found (Lk 15:11-32); the man who was forgiven his entire debt from the king and then when he had the same opportunity to forgive the one who owed him, did not (Mt. 23-35), and in the parable of the Good Samaritan the priest and Pharisee left the man on the side of the road yet the Samaritan, the despised one, was the one to provide aid (Lk 10:25-37). Each of these parables represents the generosity and mercy of God.

There is a reason Jesus shared the parable of the workers in the vineyard after warning about the dangers of riches. Jesus is inviting the disciples and us to be generous with our time, talent, and treasure just as his Father is more than willing to do with us. He is also calling us out of our group think or tribal mentality. He is showing us that God’s invitation is for all and he is free to bestow his mercy, grace, and forgiveness on those for whom he chooses, whether we approve or not. Ideally, he seeks to bestow his mercy on others through us. We too are to collaborate and be agents of his grace.

Are we aware of how generous and merciful God has been with us? If not, instead of focusing on what we do not have, may we give some daily thought to the blessings we do have in our life, otherwise, we will fall prey to the temptation of envy with the generosity that God shows to others. Envy arises when we don’t only seek what another has but begrudge what another has received. This attitude can even grow into wishing harm to befall them. And for what? Because they have been blessed by God’s generosity?…

The parables of Jesus are great to pray with and it is important to be honest with our answers. Do we relate to: the laborers who worked all day for their fair share and begrudged those who received the same pay for an hour’s work, the older brother unwilling to be grateful for the return of his brother, the servant unwilling to show mercy to a debtor, and/or the priest and Pharisee that took the long way around the wounded man on the Jericho Road? If we answer yes, to any or all of the above, allowing the light of Jesus’ mercy and forgiveness can lead us to repent, experience forgiveness, and be grateful for God’s love, which is unmerited. Resting in gratefulness, we can rejoice in the generosity that God bestows upon others, even at the eleventh hour.

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Photo: Grateful for blessed moments like these to witness the wonder and beauty of God’s creation and new beginnings!

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, August 19, 2026

God offers his saving grace to all who are willing to accept his love.

“Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible” (Mt 19:25-26).

The disciples are “greatly astonished” about Jesus’ comments about how difficult it would be for the rich to enter heaven. Their astonishment came from the belief system that those who had wealth did so because they had been blessed by God for following his commandments. Just remember the rich young man’s attitude from yesterday. He had followed God’s commands and was blessed with riches and had many possessions, but Jesus turned his world upside down when he asked the man to give up all he had, give it to the poor, to follow him.

Jesus attempted to help the man and his disciples to understand that what we have, all that we have, is a gift from God, starting with our very existence. He is the ground, the source, and sustenance of our life as well as our ultimate fulfillment. A problem arises when we place our security in material things and that is our possessions can possess us. We instead to place our focus on God who provides for our needs.

When we place our security in and become dependent upon that which is finite, we are always going to be left unfulfilled, attached, and/or at worst addicted, and so like the rich man, unwilling to give of ourselves to those in need, because we are afraid that we won’t have enough. Also, when we look to our own effort and work ethic, we can build an unhealthy self-reliance on our self alone. We can place ourselves as the supplier of our security instead of God. Pride then becomes a dangerous and corruptive idol. We think and start to believe that we don’t need God because we can do well enough on our own, thank you very much.

There is another side of self-reliance. Because of past wounds, because we may have been hurt by those we trust, we may have trouble not only trusting people but also trusting God. We may even believe in God and seek to follow him, but unconsciously keep him at a safe distance because we don’t want to be hurt. The enemy preys on our wounds and attempts to sew untrusting thoughts in our minds and hearts because he seeks to keep us isolated. We can always trust God no matter what and he will not let us down. We may not understand at times and we can even let him know when we are angry at him, because that is honest prayer. Once we give him an earful, though, let us take a few deep breaths, and trust him.

“Who then can be saved?” The disciple’s question appeared to be agreed upon by all, since Matthew infers that all of them were asking the same question. This can be our question as well. If we can’t buy, earn, or achieve our way into heaven, how will we get in? Jesus is clear. For men, this is impossible because there is no means for us to get there on our own merit. But for God, all things are possible because our salvation is a gift freely given by him.

As with any gift though, we need to be willing to receive, accept, and open it. One way is to be grateful for what we have and recognize that the source of all we have comes to us from God. In this way, we can share freely from what we have, because God, who is our source, is unlimited. As we give from what God has given, God will continue to supply. What is primary then is allowing ourselves to receive, rest, and abide in the greatest gift we can receive, God’s love. We hunger and thirst for intimacy with God and only he can satisfy our deepest yearning.

What is essential in our life is not the material things, not even the gift of God’s blessings and consolations. What is essential is to experience the love and intimacy of the gift giver. Time goes fast. Even when life is a bumpy or downright challenging, when we rest in the truth that we are God’s beloved daughter or son, not in the things that he gives us, we will know God, his love, and experience his peace which is beyond price. Let us not take time, nor each other, for granted. Let us place our trust in Jesus who is our true foundation and with him we will experience that “all things are possible.“

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Photo: Resting in and receiving a moment of quiet to be with and thank God.

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, August 18, 2026

“Teacher, what good must I do to inherit eternal life?”

A young man approached Jesus seeking to know what he must do to attain eternal life. Jesus shared that the key was to keep the commandments. The man asked which ones he was to follow, a reasonable request as there were 613 commandments to choose from! Jesus gave him six: do not kill, commit adultery, steal or bear false witness; do honor his father and mother, and love his neighbor as himself (cf. Mt19:18-19). The man affirmed that he had followed them all. Then he asked that next question, “What do I still lack” (Mt 19:20)?

I can feel the disciples wince, see the mouth of Jesus curl into a smile while his left eyebrow raises. Mark is more eloquent than me: “Jesus looked at him, and loved him…” (Mk 10:17).

Matthew, in his Gospel account, did not engage in such subtleties. Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions (Mt 19:21-22). The young man was so close!

Jesus saw that which was keeping the young man from following him and becoming one of his disciples. Jesus gave him the opportunity to renounce what he had, give to the poor, and receive eternal life – his original request. It is what we have all been created for, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you” (St Augustine, Confessions). The young man received his answer, he now knew what he needed to do, but he was too attached to his possessions to let go. He then walked away sad, the question is, did he ever return?

I invite you to find a quiet space today, enter the stillness, read the passages over a few times and then play it out again in your mind. When you come to the ending, of the disciples and Jesus watching the rich man walk away sad, continue your observation. Watch the young man walk away, shoulders slumped, see the backs of the disciples and Jesus watching him go. Then, as they ever so slowly turn their heads and gaze at you, ask Jesus, “What good must I do to inherit eternal life?” Or, “What do I still lack?” Listen to the answer.

These are good questions for us to ask often. What are we holding onto that is keeping us from giving ourselves to the One who is truly good? What are the apparent goods that we hold onto that are preventing us from receiving the true good that God wants to share? “Jesus presents himself as the way to salvation; he is the ultimate good for which the young man” (Mitch and Sri, 247) was searching and we are searching. Jesus looks at each of us, loves us, and says, “If you wish to be perfect…” What does he ask us to let go of, to renounce, to confess, so that we can follow him?
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Painting: “Christ and the Rich Young Ruler” Heinrich Hoffman, 1889

Mitch, Curtis and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010.

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, August 17, 2026