Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection for - Sunday, August 31, 2025

For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.

This weekend, both Sirach and the Gospel extol the importance of humility. Humility, which is a virtue, is the opposite of pride, which is a vice or sin. Someone once said that, “humility is not thinking less of ourselves, but, rather, thinking of ourselves less.” Humility drives us to focus on the accomplishments, hurts, or needs of others. We commit the sin of pride when we focus on ourselves or believe that we matter more than others.

Pride hurts relationships in every aspect of our lives. Whether it is our marriages, our business relationships, our parish relationships, or our sports teams, pride blocks our ability to enter fully into those relationships. When my son was playing baseball and football, I often told him that his personal success was not as important as the success of his team. In other words, being humble means that, “It’s not about YOU!” This is especially true in our relationship with God. The reading from the Book of Sirach reminds us that, the more we humble ourselves, “the greater [we] are, and [we] will find favor with God.”

Jesus challenged the religious leaders because they thought that their leadership positions were about them and their accomplishments. They were so proud of their positions that they forgot the needs of others and the importance of serving others. Jesus led in a very different way. Long before leadership experts coined the phrase, “servant leadership,” Jesus was the ultimate example of a servant leader. He said so Himself, “I came to serve, not to be served.” He acted humbly as a servant and put the needs of others first. His life and teachings show us how important it is to lead with love, compassion, and a servant's heart.

We are all called to follow Jesus’ example of humility and become servant leaders at home, at school, on our sports teams, in our offices, in our parish, and in our community. We do not need “official” leadership positions or titles. We can lead quietly, by inspiring others around us. We can become great leaders and great Catholics by showing compassion and creating a culture of respect and collaboration. Leading with love and humility makes a positive difference.

Fr. Mike

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection for - Sunday, August 24, 2025

This week’s passage from Hebrews speaks of “discipline.” The Greek work that is translated as discipline is “paideia,” which refers to the educational system in ancient Greece for the wealthiest and most promising children. The students in paideia were meant to be excellent, to become leaders of their society. If they slid into complacency or mediocrity, they were quickly and firmly corrected. The theory of “no pain, no gain,” reminds us that one cannot achieve success in life without personal discipline. To be excellent in sports or music or academics requires substantial discipline which is often physically, mentally, or emotionally painful. Discipline is part of life.

I was speaking recently with a newly commissioned Marine Second Lieutenant about his time in Marine Officer Candidate School where he was trained by a Marine Gunnery Sergeant. As he explained the grueling, painful process, I was reminded of a scene from An Officer and a Gentlemen in which the Gunnery Sergeant is pushing a Naval officer candidate to his limit. The painful discipline was either going to make the candidate a successful officer or it would cause him to drop from the program. The drill instructors knew the program. They didn’t do things randomly. Everything they did was intended to produce excellent officers.

This is also true in our Christian lives. If we want to achieve the great reward of eternal life, we need to submit ourselves to God’s discipline. In the letter to the Hebrews, we hear that, like a loving earthly father, or a drill instructor, our Heavenly Father must also “discipline” us from time to time so that we can achieve spiritual excellence. We also hear that, Jesus Christ, “although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.” God treats us in exactly the same way. The right way to look at the challenges that come along our way as Christians is to see behind them the loving hand of God.

God is an affectionate, yet firm, father who raises children to be the best they can be. “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage when you are punished by Him. For the Lord disciplines him whom He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives.” God knows the program. So, take heart! Don’t be discouraged!

Fr. Mike

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection for - Sunday, August 17, 2025

In this weekend’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that when we are on fire for Him, we will definitely rub others in our family the wrong way. He wants us to understand that He is the most divisive character in the history of the world. If we think that calling Jesus divisive is rude or blasphemous, we should remember that Jesus Himself said He was divisive. He says that His reason for coming to this earth was to bring division. In fact, He uses the word “against” 8 times and “division/divided” 3 times in this short passage!

Being divisive is not something that sits comfortably with us when we think about the Reign of God or Christianity. Even to ponder divisions in Christianity is sad. Trying to live Christian values in a society that celebrates secularization, entitlement, and the rejection of moral standard is very challenging. As we constantly see in the media, not everyone likes the truth to which Christians witness by word or action.

Jesus knew that His “fire” would drive wedges between family members both then and now. He realized that some family members would not be open to His message or His way of living. He wanted His fire to destroy the reigning religious practices. While the religious leaders thought that these practices “guaranteed” their salvation, those same leaders were actually the most distant from God.

Jesus was enthusiastic about the mission given him by the Father – to spread the Good News of a loving God. Jesus calls us to continue that mission. We pray for the gifts we need and for the transformation of desire that brings us more into harmony with him in living out our call. As we think about our lives and our call, we should anticipate that some aspects of our values or faith may cause others to feel uncomfortable or may even bring division.

We realize that following Jesus can bring us into confrontation with others. Yet, we must have the courage to continue teach them about the Good News of the Kingdom even when it causes division. When facing this division, we must invite the Lord to be with us and to give us wisdom and fortitude so that we can best deal with situations when our beliefs lead to differences with those around us.

Fr. Mike