Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection for - Sunday, September 28, 2025

The prophet Amos writes: “Woe to the complacent in Zion” where the people were living the good life without concern for anyone except themselves and having no relationship with God. Paul reminds Timothy to pursue righteousness and faith and keep the commandments so that he can “lay hold” of eternal life. To “lay hold” of eternal life means to take proper steps to actively pursue and obtain it. There is nothing complacent about “laying hold” of a relationship with God or doing everything possible to achieve eternal life.

In the Gospel, the rich man was complacent about his situation. He saw Lazarus every day in front of his home. Yet, he never did anything to care for him. Lazarus receives his eternal reward, the rich man does not. His wealth did not cause his demise. It was caused by his complacency and selfishness. When he pleads for mercy, Abraham tells him that it is too late.

But how can it be too late? After all, Jesus “welcomes sinners and eats with them.” He doesn’t dwell on our past, but on our future. Eternal life is available to anyone who overcomes his complacency and seeks to follow God’s commandments. However, we must actively change our lives and become the people that Jesus inspires us to be.

The good news is that being prepared for eternal life is actually quite easy. It’s like taking a test that has one question and a single five-word answer: Q: What do we need to do to gain eternal life? A: Love God, Love one another. That’s it. We know the question and the answer. We simply have to do those two things. However, like the rich man, we can let our complacency prevent us from living the answer.

God has given us all that we have and all that we are. Our success, wealth, and health are all gifts from God. If we serve God and use our gifts for God’s purposes, we will enjoy the blessings of eternal life with God. The story of Lazarus reminds us that our relationships matter. A solid relationship with God will guide us toward right relationships with one another. That means that, unlike the rich man in the parable, we will do the right things in this life so that we can enjoy eternal life with God.

Fr. Mike

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection for - Sunday, September 21, 2025

In this week’s Gospel, Jesus is quite clear that we “cannot serve both God and mammon (wealth).” He does NOT say that we cannot love God and have wealth. They can certainly co-exist, but we will fail if we not try to serve them equally.

To illustrate His point, Jesus tells the story of the dishonest (or perhaps simply incompetent) steward who has been “mismanaging” the owner’s affairs and is losing his job as a result. Initially, the steward is accused of “squandering” the master’s property, not stealing it. When his incompetence leads to losing his job, the steward decides to lie to and steal from his master. The lying occurs when he signs fraudulent promissory notes supporting reduced amounts payable to the master. The stealing occurs when the debtors follow the advice of the steward and cheat the master out of what they properly owe to him. Interestingly, when the master discovers the scheme, the master commends him! What point could Jesus possibly be making?

The master recognizes that the while the steward is certainly dishonest, he is also clever. The master appreciates his cleverness. The parable illustrates that this world is a free-for-all when it comes to business ethics. Both the master and the steward are “children of this world” who are experts at double-dealing each other. Because there is “honor among thieves,” the master had to recognize a clever strategy when he saw one. If the dishonest “children of this world” can work together for earthly goals, it is vital that “children of light” be “trustworthy” in their pursuit of the heavenly kingdom.

Both the steward and the master are completely absorbed in having or losing temporal wealth. However, as we heard several weeks ago, all things of this world are “vanity” that will go to others when we die. Therefore, they are ultimately unimportant. Jesus is trying to teach His disciples (and all of us) to be as focused on preserving eternal wealth as the steward and master are with regard to earthly wealth. It’s time to set our sights and hearts on the higher gifts.

Are we trustworthy in our desire to serve God and to push aside earthly “masters” or distractions? Are we trustworthy in our desire and our efforts to achieve the “true wealth” of the Kingdom of God?

Fr. Mike

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection for - Sunday, September 14, 2025

This weekend we celebrate The Feast of The Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This Feast was established in the 7th Century to commemorate the discovery of the True Cross in 326 by St. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine. More recently, this Feast is an opportunity to celebrate the victory of the Cross over the sin and darkness of the world. Today portions of the True Cross may be found in various churches, particularly at St. Peter’s Basilica and the Basilica Church of The Holy Cross in Rome.

In the 1st Century, crosses were used to cruelly punish the worst criminals. Imagine if we “exalted” other methods that we have used and continue to use to punish criminals or even put them to death. Yet, the Cross of Jesus Christ is today the universal image of Christian belief and of the love of Jesus, “Who, though in the form of God, emptied himself, taking the form of a slave. This is the glory of the Cross of Jesus!” (Pope Francis).

The Priests are often asked, “Father, can you bless this cross?” as people pull a cross from around their necks or from their purse or pocket. Often, the cross is attached to a chain or a rosary. Among Catholics, most of the “crosses” are actually “crucifixes” because they bear the crucified image of our Lord Jesus Christ. Artists and jewelry designers have turned the cross into a thing of both beauty and great value. Crosses, both large and small, are made of gold and decorated with precious gems. However, for the first Christians, crosses had no beauty. They stood outside many city walls, decorated only with decaying corpses, as a threat to anyone who defied Rome’s authority by following Christ.

As we celebrate this Feast, our primary focus is God’s infinite love and boundless mercy shown to us through the perfect Sacrifice of His Son on the Cross. From Good Friday to Easter Sunday, God transformed the greatest act of cruelty ever known into the greatest act of mercy ever bestowed upon the world. The fact that the Cross is now the symbol of God’s perfect love magnifies His love, showcases His infinite power, and reminds us that “for those who love God all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28). Lift high the Cross!

Fr. Mike