Month: August 2014

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HOMILIES

RISKY BUSINESS

This reflection is based on Matthew 16:21-27.

image

In today’s Gospel, our Lord tells us what following him entails: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”

These words were scandalous and shocking when they were first spoken, but today we tend to just nod in vague agreement whenever we hear them. These words have simply grown too familiar, and we’ve probably heard every sort of reflection and preaching on it that we feel we’ve heard it all.

It is a pretty radical call, but how literally are we supposed to take it?

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Categories
HOMILIES

HEARSAY

imageThis reflection is based on Matthew 16:13-20.

In our Gospel reading, our Lord conducts an informal two-item survey of sorts among his disciples. The survey has two similar-sounding but significantly different questions.

The first question is: “Who do people say that I am?” And the second: “Who do you say that I am?”

While the first question immediately elicits responses, the second one leaves the disciples stumped and speechless–until Simon Peter blurts out his answer.

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HOMILIES

SUBSISTING ON CRUMBS

This reflection is based on Matthew 15:21-28.

crumbsToday’s Gospel story offers us an untypical portrait of Jesus–and for most of us, an unwelcome one as well. A distressed Canaanite woman approaches the Lord and requests His healing for her sick daughter. “Have pity on me!” she cried out. “My daughter is tormented by a demon.”

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Categories
HOMILIES

HALF-FULL &/OR HALF-EMPTY

This reflection is based on Matthew 14:13-21.

Jack-Spade-Good-Grief-GlassesI couldn’t help but laugh out loud when a good friend shared this picture with me.

At first glance, they look like laboratory beakers–the type that come imprinted with measurement lines, those that you probably last laid your hands on way back in High School Chemistry–unless of course, you went on to train as a Chemist.

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