Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection for - Sunday, February 15, 2026

The readings this weekend challenge us to decide whether we will observe the laws given by our loving God which He revealed through Moses and the prophets in the Old Testament and through Jesus in the New Testament.

For the Israelites, Mosaic Law was contained in a part of Hebrew scripture called the “Torah.” The Torah was both a set of laws as well as instruction intended to promote the holiness of believers. The Jews believed that the Torah was the revealed will of God for the people with whom He had made His covenant. In Jesus’ time, the Law included: 1) The Ten Commandments, 2) The Law and the Prophets, and 3) The oral and the written law of the Scribes and Pharisees. Jesus says that, as the word of God, the Old Testament has Divine authority and it deserves total respect. Its moral precepts specifically reflect Divine natural law. Jesus did not come to abolish that Law, but to fulfill it. On the other hand, He considered the oral and written law of the Scribes and Pharisees to be a heavy (and unnecessary) burden on the people.

The Scribes and the Pharisees approached the Law with a “check the box” mentality which ignored the divine and human foundation of the law. They believed that the mere external fulfillment of the precepts of the Mosaic Law was a guarantee of a person’s salvation. To be certain, they also added over 600 rules to Mosaic Law which made compliance quite complicated. Jesus rejects this view and explained that all of God’s law is fundamentally based on two principles: reverence and respect. The first, second and third Commandments are focused on our relationship with God. They instruct us to reverence God, His holy name and His holy day. The remaining Commandments are focused on our relationships with others. They instruct us to respect our parents, life, marriage, another’s spouse, another’s property, and personal reputation.

As the ultimate Word of God, Jesus establishes new moral standards which fulfill God’s purpose for giving us His law. Jesus says that He did not come to destroy the Law but to bring it to perfection by bringing out its inner meaning. As Catholics, I pray that we choose to obey God’s law because we love God and desire to reflect that love to those around us.

Fr. Mike

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection for - Sunday, February 8, 2026

You are the light of the world…your light must shine before others.

In 1988, President George H. W. Bush described his vision for an engaged and generous society: “For we are a nation of communities…all of them varied, voluntary and unique…a brilliant diversity spread like stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and peaceful sky.”  He hoped that a spirit of volunteerism would replace the expensive and often ineffective efforts of Federal, State and local governments.  I often think of his words whenever I hear this week’s Gospel about being the light of the world; about having to put my light upon a lampstand so that it will shine to all who come near; about having to let others see my good deeds so that they will glorify the heavenly Father.

The word “light” is found over 200 times in the Bible. From its first appearance in Genesis when God says, “Let there be light” through the closing verses of Revelation where we read, “for the Lord God will be their light, and they shall reign for ever and ever.”  Throughout the Bible, light is always good.  As in today’s reading from Isaiah and in the Responsorial Psalm, light stands in stark contrast to darkness that is generally evil, foreboding, or gloomy.  In John’s Gospel, Jesus calls himself the “light of the world.”  In a prior chapter of his Gospel, Matthew uses Isaiah’s words, “the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light.”   

Today, in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples that they (and, by extension, we) are the “light of the world.”  How can both Jesus and we be lights to the world?  An analogy is that both the sun and the moon are lights to the world.  The difference is that the sun is the source of light, the moon merely reflects the sun’s light.  So it is with Jesus, who is light itself – the source of all light.  Jesus emphasizes that being His follower is an active, intentional commitment: “your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” As His followers, He asks us to reflect His light to all whom we encounter. Wherever we go, people will be attracted to our light.  We must let it shine!

Fr. Mike

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection for - Sunday, February 1, 2026

What do we live for?  Maybe, the better question is, “who do we live for?”  Do we live for our spouses, children, our parents?  Do we live for God?  If we did live for God, what would that even look like?  Today, the readings give us some idea of what it would be like to live for God. Living for God means to be “blessed.”  In Jewish tradition, to be blessed means to increase (in joy, in peacefulness, in gratitude, etc.). Their concept of blessing was twofold: God blesses us and we bless Him. 

When God blesses us, he is increasing in us all that is good and beautiful.  The first reading tells us that the Lord invites (blesses) the humble and lowly to take refuge in Him.  Paul reminds us that God intentionally chose (blessed) those who were viewed by the world to be “foolish,” “weak,” and “lowly” to shame the wise, the strong, and the powerful.  Both passages make it clear that all that we have and all that accomplish are blessings from God and for God.  Therefore, we should never boast about ourselves or our successes.

When we “bless” God, we are both thanking and praising Him.  When the popular contemporary hymn says, “Bless the Lord, oh my soul,” it points us to the source of all good gifts around us.  As the priest receives the gifts of bread and wine at the offertory of each mass, he recites an ancient Jewish prayer over the gifts of Bread and Wine, “Blessed are you Lord God of all creation, through your goodness we have…” 

Jesus turns everything upside down in the Gospel and puts a strange twist on the idea of being blessed.  He reminds us that God blesses us even when things are not going as we had hoped or planned. Jesus says that the poor, hungry, weeping, and hated people are blessed.  How can that possibly be?  Perhaps, because those are the people that are most likely to invite God into their lives.  Those are the people that are most likely to look beyond this life toward eternal life with God. 

To bless and be blessed is a fundamental part of our relationships with God and others. Blessings, whether given or received, help us recognize God in our lives and draw closer to Him.

Fr. Mike