TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

13 SEPTEMBER 2026

 

          Peter asks Jesus, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive?  As many as seven times?”  Peter thinks he is being generous about offering forgiveness, because 7 is a biblical number meaning “a lot.”  But Jesus shocks him by saying that he needs to forgive him not seven times, but seventy-seven times.  There is no limit to the times we need to forgive.

            His parable explains the reason for unlimited forgiveness.  The king represents God.  The servant represents us.  The servant owes the king a huge amount.  The Old Testament has two primary metaphors for sin.  The first is that sin is a weight to be carried around.  The second is that it is a debt that needs to be paid.  The servant carries a heavy weight and has acquired a debt that needs to be repaid.  Because of the power of sin, we can never remove the weight of our sins or repay the debt we owe.  God, represented by the king, removes the weight from our shoulders and repays the debt through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

            The king treats the servant harshly when he refuses to forgive the much smaller debt of a fellow servant.  He hands him over to torturers not because the other servant deserved to be freed of the weight of his debt, but because the king himself had forgiven the servant’s debt.  Jesus says that we are expected to do the same – to forgive others by taking the weight from their shoulders and forgiving their debts.  We must treat others with mercy, because God has forgiven us by lifting the weight from our shoulders and erasing our debts.

            This message can be very difficult, especially for those who have suffered greatly from the sins of others.  Part of the problem is that we do not fully understand the essence of mercy, forgiveness, lifting weights from those who have hurt us, and letting go of their debts.  Forgiving another person does not mean that the evil done by that person is ok.  Nor does forgiveness mean that we have to like the person who hurt us so badly or even be part of their lives.  Especially for those who have been abused or who living in abusive relationships, it is critical to move away from the offender and try to begin life anew.  Jesus calls us to take this radical action, not because the offending person deserves it, but because of what God has done for us.

            Years ago, I encouraged a woman to join the RCIA process in our parish.  She had been away from the Church for many years and wanted to resume the practice of her faith.  As she participated in RCIA, she revealed the deep hurt that caused her to walk away from the faith in the first place.  When her five children were all under the age of 10, her husband abandoned the family.  She was devastated and nursed her anger for years.  Her children and grandchildren wanted her to come back to the church, because she was so angry and short with them all the time.  I encouraged her to use the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and she did.  Even though she confessed her anger and hatred often, that bitterness remained.  One day, as she was working on her job at the local hospital, she saw her husband for the first time in decades.  As he was being wheeled into the emergency room, she saw that he was in terrible health instead of having a good life after abandoning her and their children.  At last, she was able to let go of her anger and be at peace.  She finally realized that her hatred and anger had no effect on him.  Instead, she had become a bitter mother, grandmother, and friend.

            We forgive others only because God has forgiven us.  I’m also convinced that one of the graces of the Sacrament of Reconciliation is the courage to offer that mercy to others.  I have also learned that this kind of radical forgiveness cannot be accomplished by us alone.  At a certain  point, we need to humble ourselves and go through professional therapy to be healed.  We need the grace and mercy of God to forgive as Jesus has forgiven us.

 

TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

6 SEPTEMBER 2026

 

          When we say that we are going to church, we generally speak of going to a particular church building.  There are all kinds of church buildings.  Our church building is pretty small, like the church building across the street.  Other church buildings are much larger, with varying degrees of importance.  The bishop’s church building is called a Cathedral, because that is where his cathedra, or chair, is.  The church building at Notre Dame is called a Basilica, because it has a special connection with the Vatican.  Other church buildings are huge, like the buildings of mega churches.  But what all of these buildings have in common is that the building is a house for the ekklesia, which literally means “the called-out ones” – a group of people who have been called out to a meeting.  When go to church, we are actually saying that we are going to an assembly, a gathering, a meeting.

            A couple of weeks ago, Jesus spoke of establishing this ekklesia, this church.  He established it on the foundation of Simon Peter’s profession of faith.  With the rock that is Simon Peter and his successors, the gates of the netherworld will not prevail against it.  Today, he mentions this assembly again and promises that where two or three are gathered together in his name, there he will be in the midst of them.  Today, there are more than two or three of us here, and we trust his presence in this assembly.  In the midst of this assembly, he speaks to us in his Word and is truly present in bread and wine transformed into his Body and Blood.

            Even though the Lord is always present in our church, in our assembly here, we know that conflicts will arise.  That is why Saint Paul insists that it is so important to love one another, a love that sums up all the commandments.  In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives some important steps on how to love when someone has offended us.  The first step involves taking the one who has offended us aside and confronting the person with the truth.  Authentic love is not about arguing or trying to prove a point.  Authentic love means that we approach the person as gently as possible to speak the truth.  The goal is not to win an argument.  The goal is to change the sinful behavior of that person, knowing that all of us have behaved in ways that involve committing sin and doing damage.  This is a difficult but important first step, because it is much easier to complain to others behind this person’s back.

            If that fails, Jesus tells us to take one or two other members of the assembly with us.  The goal is not to prove a point.  It is to allow the person to hear the story from other people who know the facts.  If that does not work, we need to tell the church.  Only after everything else has failed should we bring in other members of the assembly.  If that doesn’t work, then we need to treat the offending person as a Gentile or tax collector.  That means that the offense is out of our hands and cannot be resolved.  At this point, it is clear that there is no way to soften a hardened heart.  We can only begin the process of hearing the truth in today’s Responsorial Psalm so that we can soften our hearts and give the ultimate judgment over to the Lord.

            This type of expressing authentic love is very difficult, because it takes so much time and energy.  It is always easier to gossip about the offense, telling everyone who is willing to listen.  As a confessor, I find that the sin of gossip is prevalent so often.  Taking the issue to the church is a very rare occurrence.  Gossip involves the entire church.  Ironically, gossip does much more damage to the fabric of a parish and the presence of the Lord within that assembly.  Jesus Christ tells us to take the time to confront wrongdoing and forgive.  He gave the ultimate example when he spoke the truth to Pontius Pilate at his mock trial and then forgave those who brought him to a horrible death on the cross.  He expects the same of us, his Body, the Church.

 

TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

30 AUGUST 2026

 

          Last Sunday, Jesus gathered his disciples at Caesarea Philippi, at that massive rock dedicated to the Roman god Pan.  He asked what people were saying about him.  He listened to them and then asked who they thought he was.  Simon Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  Jesus affirmed that Peter’s correct answer was a revelation from God and said that he would be the rock of his Church.  The gate to the netherworld would not be the gate to Hades at the huge rock at Caesarea Philippi.  Simon Peter became the rock to keep the gates of the netherworld from prevailing against his church.

            Today, Jesus continues to teach his disciples.  As the Christ, the Son of the living God, he now reveals the mission he has received from his Father.  He will not be a warrior Messiah to drive the Romans away.  Instead, he is the Suffering Servant who will go to Jerusalem to suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and scribes.  He will be killed and on the third day be raised up.  Shocked to his core, Simon Peter takes Jesus aside to rebuke him: “God forbid, Lord!  No such thing shall ever happen to you!”  Simon Peter cannot imagine a crucified Messiah!  Jesus turns to Peter and yells, “Get behind me, Satan!”  Peter was tempting Jesus to turn his back on his Father’s will, just as Satan had done in the desert at the beginning of his public ministry.  He accuses Peter of being an obstacle to him.  In other words, in relying on his human instincts, the Rock of the Church has become a stumbling block.

            Instead of telling Peter to get away, Jesus tells him to get behind him.  He invites him to come after him and learn how to be a faithful disciple.  Coming after Jesus means that he must deny himself.  Jesus needs to be at the center of his life, teaching him the lesson of sacrificial love.  He must carry the cross that comes with behaving as Jesus Christ, willing to give himself in humble service to all.  Following behind Jesus Christ involves conducting himself as his Lord does.  He must think and speak words of love.  He will need to imitate the actions of Jesus Christ.  He must be willing to forgive others and make a commitment to performing works of mercy.  Simon Peter will learn all of these lessons.  After the Lord’s death and resurrection, the Holy Spirit will strengthen Peter in his role as the rock of the Church, even to the point of physically giving himself to be nailed to a cross to share in the Lord’s rising.

            Saint Augustine became a disciple of Jesus Christ when he was baptized, Confirmed, and given the Eucharist at the Easter Vigil in Milan.  Once he got behind Jesus, he denied himself and made him the central focus of his life.  He then accepted a number of crosses.  He turned aside from the Manichaean heresy that encouraged him to do whatever he wanted with his body and embraced the practice of celibacy.  It was not easy.  He was reported to pray, “Lord, make me chaste, but not yet!”  He faced the death of his mother, Monica, as they were preparing to get on a boat to return to Africa. After he was ordained a priest, he reluctantly submitted himself to become the Bishop of Hippo.  He wrote his famous Confessions to say to the people of Hippo: “With my history, do you really want me to be your bishop?”  He spent the rest of his life faithfully serving the Church of Hippo and refuting any number of heresies.  Like Jeremiah the Prophet, he was often tempted to refuse the speak the full truth of the faith.  But the truth became like a fire burning in his heart.  He carried the cross of making many enemies in becoming one of the most important theologians of the Catholic Church.

            We ask for his intercession today, as we continue to walk behind Jesus, as we learn how to deny ourselves, and as we learn to embrace the crosses that come from our decision to make Jesus Christ the center of our lives.

 

TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

23 AUGUST 2026

 

          If you want to connect with an important person, you have to go through a gate keeper.  When I was pastor of Saint Pius X Parish, I was not very important.  But, I was busy.  I had the good fortune of having an excellent gate keeper.  Anyone who wanted to see me or talk to me went through Sherie Wilcox.  She protected me from people with questionable agendas, but was very welcoming to everyone else.  In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah speaks for God and removes Shebna, the king’s gate keeper, from his post.  He had been serving himself, and not the king.  Isaiah removes the key of the house of David, the symbol of his power, and puts it on Eliakim, his replacement and the new gatekeeper.  It is a dramatic change of power.

            In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls his disciples to Caesarea Philippi and stages a dramatic change of power.  Herod Philip had marked this place, located at the foot of a dramatic rock, as a shrine to the pagan god Pan.  Many Romans believed that the gates of Hades lay just beneath this rock.  There is also a Jewish synagogue nearby.  Simon confesses that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God.  He identifies Jesus as the Son of David, the king, the one promised by the prophets for centuries.  To Simon’s profession of faith, Jesus announces three significant changes.  The dramatic rock at Caesarea Philippi is not the access to the underworld.  Nor is the temple in Jerusalem built on the rock of Mount Zion.  Jesus changes Simon’s name to Peter, or the Rock.  He becomes the rock or capstone on top of the gates of Hades.  On his foundation, the church will be built to prevent the underworld from attaching the world in the same way again.

            The second change relates to people.  Jesus creates an ekklesia, or our English word for church.  In the Greek world, an ekklesia was a group of people called out for a specific purpose to make decisions.  The ekklesia provided a way for people’s voices to be heard, responsibilities to be given, and decisions to be made.  No longer would decisions come from the Romans or the Temple leaders.  The people would be empowered with God’s Spirit.

            The third change affects Peter and the disciples.  Jesus gives to Peter the “keys to the kingdom of heaven.”  Just as God took the keys from Shebna and gave them to Eliakim, Jesus entrusts them to Peter.  He will train Peter and the other disciples how to give people access to God.  No longer are the Romans or the Temple in charge of access.  Peter and the disciples are now the gate keepers.  They would be responsible for opening and shutting doors to others.

            Saint Paul invites us to consider the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God.  Jesus does not entrust his power and authority to any political, military, or community leader.  He doesn’t set up a family member to be in charge.  The answer to the world’s understanding of God is through the Church.

            Simon Peter does not give the correct answer to Jesus’ question on his own.  He responds to a divine revelation.  As we know from the Gospels, Simon Peter is not perfect.  He has his flaws.  He often puts his foot in his mouth, and he denied knowing Jesus three times out of fear.  But Jesus trusts Peter to be a good gate keeper, a good steward of the Mysteries of the kingdom of God.  As Catholics, we recognize Pope Leo as the successor of Simon Peter.  With the bishops in union with him, he is responsible to be the good steward of the Church.

            Each of us knows the feeling of someone in power dangling keys of the kingdom in front of us, telling us that we have not done enough or paid enough to have an audience with someone who can help us.  Like Simon Peter, we believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.  If we believe that and allow it to permeate our lives, then we can participate in the work of the Church in giving anyone who comes to us access to our King and heavenly Father.

 

SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

26 JULY 2026

 

          Solomon is likely a teenager when God tells him to ask for anything he wants.  Having succeeded his father David as king, he seems overwhelmed.  He is young and inexperienced in reigning over a vast and diverse kingdom.  He could have asked for a long life for himself.  He could have asked for riches or for victory over his enemies.  Instead, he asks for an understanding heart.  He is not asking for academic knowledge.  He is asking for an understanding heart that will help him to be a good and gentle leader, one who can read his people’s hearts and minds for the good of all.  He seems to understand that money, power, and length of days are not the same things as happiness, success, or peace of mind.

            Saint Paul writes to the Romans to remind them of the wisdom they have received when they were baptized.  He argues that God knew them from the beginning of time.  The living Word of God spoke, and they were created.  He predestined them and said that they were very good.  He called them and implanted within their souls a “homing beacon” drawing them into communion with him and their brothers and sisters in Christ.  God justified them, assuring them that he will always be faithful to his Covenant with them.  He will glorify them, returning them to the Source of life.  In giving this message, Saint Paul is telling the Romans to keep this Wisdom as a first priority, especially if they are undergoing difficulty or persecution. 

            Jesus delivered this same message to his first disciples.  They were like the person who sells everything to purchase the field containing a buried treasure.  Others were like the merchant who has been searching for a valuable pearl and found it in Jesus Christ.  The earliest disciples realized that the kingdom of heaven was so valuable that they abandoned everything to follow him.  In living out the wisdom they received in embracing the kingdom of heaven, they trusted that they would be sorted out as the good fish in the judgment at the end of time.

            Jesus is inviting us to make the wisdom we received at our baptism central in our lives and put our relationship with him and our brothers and sisters in Christ as the first priority in our lives.  We may be working hard to provide an income to sustain us.  We may value the positive opinion others may have of us.  We may also enjoy the legitimate pleasures which come along in our lives.  But at some point, we need to embrace the wisdom we hear proclaimed every Sunday as the Lord speaks to us.  The kingdom of heaven is not a place.  Rather, it is a movement that allows us to embrace sacrificial love, mercy, and all those qualities which invite us to experience the peace of Jesus Christ that the world cannot give.

            Not too long ago, I watched a two-part interview on PBS Newshour with Warren Buffet.  He is over 90 years old and has made a fortune across his lifetime.  But he has already donated and pledged all of it to charity – healthcare, education, and poverty across the globe.  And he has convinced a few fellow billionaires and millionaires to do the same.  He seems to believe what Jesus says: “from him who has been given much, much is expected.”  Most people would think that Warren Buffett has found his pearl of great price in money.  When asked why he is happy, he says that he found something he likes to do.  He primarily seeks love, compassion, and good will in life.  It struck me that Warren Buffet has found true wisdom.

            In telling his parables, Jesus invites us to reflect on what is most important in our lives.  He is inviting us to put the wisdom we received at our baptism to make sure that our relationship with him comes above everything else.  When we realize this treasure, then we can know the peace of the kingdom of heaven which the world cannot give.

 

SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

19 JULY 2026

 

          Last Sunday, Jesus told a parable about the power of God’s Word.  He used the image of a sower sowing seed generously and abundantly.  Unlike most farmers who would be careful about where they would sow such expensive seed, this sower sows seed everywhere.  He sows the seed on rocky ground, on soil with little depth for growth, and in the midst of thorn bushes that would choke off the growth.  In this parable, Jesus encourages us to provide rich soil by opening our hearts to the word sown in us.  He promises an abundant harvest for those whose hearts are broken open, like soil broken open by plowing to welcome the seed that is sown.

            Today, he continues his agricultural setting with another parable.  As promised, the seeds sown have produced fruit.  The wheat is growing.  But, the enemy has sown weeds in the midst of the kingdom.  Even if we have been open to the word of God sown into our hearts, we know the painful reality of evil in our world.  We see evil more clearly in other people and everywhere in our world.  With this image of weeds sown in our midst, we are tempted to divide the world in terms of good and bad.  In this world view, there are good people who do many good things and bad people who do bad things.

            However, life is not that simple.  Lots of “good people” can be arrogant and prideful.  “Bad people” can surprise us and do something good.  That is why Jesus tells us to allow God to make the judgment in the end.  In the meantime, we must live with the good and the bad. Unlike plants, people can change.  That is why the sower wasted so much good seed.  The Lord gives people a chance to repent.  Instead of judging people and avoiding them, he wants us to separate what they do from who they are – human beings made in the image and likeness of God.  We must do whatever is possible to allow them to turn toward the Lord and seek his mercy.  Most importantly, we need to be honest about the weeds that are part of each one of us.  All of us have weeds that impair the growth of good fruit in our lives.  If we have the courage to see those weeds in ourselves rather than focusing on the weeds of others, we can receive the Lord’s mercy, especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and turn more completely to the Lord.  

            It takes a lot of patience to refrain from judging others and leaving judgment to the Lord.  But patient waiting helps us to face the time of harvest – not only the harvest that will end our own personal lives, but also the harvest of God’s judgment at the end of time.  Notice that God’s judgment ultimately ends in fire – burning those who have stubbornly turned away from the love of God, but allowing the just to be so transparent that the ultimate fire of God’s love brilliantly shines through them as saints.  In Catholic theology, we have another image for God’s love.  When we speak of Purgatory, we remember the Latin roots of the word:  the fire of God’s love burning away what separates us from God and all the saints, even after our death.

            Jesus knows that patient waiting is not easy.  For that reason, he gives us two more images from daily life.  The first is the mustard seed.  Just as the proclamation of the Kingdom of Heaven began with only twelve apostles, so do the “mustard seeds” of our acts of kindness shine the light of the Kingdom in our world.  The Kingdom depends on God, and not on us.  But our willingness to forgive and move past hurts and rejections sheds light in a world darkened by revenge and hatred.  The second example is yeast.  When a woman mixes a little bit of yeast with three measures of flour, she can feed over a hundred people.  Living our Baptismal Promises opens the flour of our lives to the yeast of the Holy Spirit, giving hope in the midst of despair and life in the midst of death.  Waiting for God’s judgment may be difficult.  But our mustard seed actions and loving yeast help us to wait in joyful hope for the coming of the Lord.

 

FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

12 JULY 2026

 

          The seed sowing valuable seed everywhere, even in those places least hospitable to plants growing.  Echoing the Prophet Isaiah, Jesus says that God’s word is like rain and snow coming down on everyone, no matter who they are or what they are doing.  The Lord sows his word on rocky ground, where the hardness offers little chance for survival.  The Word falls on shallow soil, where the seed has difficulty putting down deep roots for continued growth.  The Word falls among thorns, threatening its growth by choking it out.  But the Word also falls on rich soil and produces fruit at an astounding amount of growth – up to a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. 

            All farmers and gardeners know that good soil is broken soil.  Before planting, soil needs to be tilled and turned to break through the cold winter hardness.  Soil needs to be cracked open to absorb the spring rain.  Broken soil allows seeds to take root and blossom in the rich nutrients of the dark, wet earth.

            We know from that seeds of grace and hope grow in us if we allow our soil to be broken.  Our soil is broken when we open our hearts to the love of God and the needs of our brothers and sisters.  Opening our hearts will always lead to being broken soil.  Our hearts are broken when we experience tragedy and loss.  They are broken when we open our hearts to others and suffer rejection.  High school students who suffer ridicule because of religion or culture or race know the reality of broken hearts.  But they can share those broken hearts with younger students who suffer similar rejections and offer a harvest of justice that is planted.  Couples who live together in matrimony find that their sharp differences in personality will cause pain and division.  But they also learn that loving one another and growing together in their differences can create a bond that is unbreakable.  Out of their broken soil, they produce much fruit in their sons and daughters and all who know them.

            Today, the Lord invites us to reflect on how our hearts, open to love of God and neighbor, have been broken soil to produce much fruit.  But the Lord also challenges us to offer the Word of God to others.  It is easy to share our faith and our broken soil people who will appreciate them.  But, we also need to share in the Lord’s sowing, even to people who seem to have stony hearts, or shallow lives that seem to be shallow, or those people who surround themselves with all kinds of thorny issues that might quickly choke off any faith.

            Deacon Mel and I have been talking about our religious education programs at Saint Augustine.  The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd bears much fruit, thanks to the broken soil of the teachers.  Our high school program is growing, thanks to Deacon Mel and Annie opening their hearts to the young people.  We will offer other programs in the future.

            Now we need a robust effort to draw more people into our community.  We need to develop the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA).  Many area parishes welcomed lots of people at this year’s Easter Vigil.  These parishes have been developing their programs for many years.  We can begin now by sowing the seeds of faith from our broken soil to others.  Those who have never been baptized will be known as Catechumens.  OCIA will prepare them to receive the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil:  Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist.  Those baptized in other Christian religions can be prepared to be received into full communion with us and receive Confirmation and Eucharist.  Now is the time for us to join the sower of the Word of God by sharing our broken soil widely and openly.  Now is the time to invite others to join us and go through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults.