Finding God In Our Hearts with Msgr. Don Fischer

Gospel Luke 14:12-14 On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees. He said to the host who invited him, "When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." Reflection There's a comparison here between something that we all know and have experienced, people taking care of each other, doing nice things for each other, and always receiving nice things back. And we feel that that's a really good thing, and it is not necessarily a bad thing, but what about those people who are the outcasts, those that we don't really naturally drawn to? What's our responsibility there? Should we be offering things to them? The Kingdom of God is made up of not just a a meal image, but a banquet image. Everyone is welcome. Everyone is fed. Everyone is given something that of value without the person who gives doing it only because of what they get, but doing it because it's the right thing to do. Closing Prayer Father, we all have people in our lives that are easy to be with. And there are those in our life that are difficult. And we have to be very generous with those people, especially if we're going to be living out the kingdom of God. To care not just for those who care for us, but to care for those who need care. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel John 6:37-40 Jesus said to the crowds: “Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.” Reflection This passage flies in the face of all the ways in which we might believe or think that salvation is something that we accomplish, that we earn by doing something. God has chosen to save everyone who turns to him and believes in him. It's not something that we need to worry about. Whether or not we are good enough. It's not about performance. It's about a presence that is connected to God, believing in everything he teaches. But most especially that we will be with him one day, forever in heaven. Closing Prayer Heavenly father, so often I hear people worried about whether or not they're good enough to make it to heaven, whether they've earned your love or earned your respect. But the real question is not whether or not we are good enough to receive this place of greatness with God, but the question is whether or not God can do what he promises, that he can save us. No matter how far we've drifted from him, he is the source of salvation. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 5:1-12a When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven." Reflection The interesting thing about this passage is that we see Jesus going up the mountain, and rather than waiting for him to come back, the disciples go to him and he gives them an insight, an awareness of the fullness of what it's like to be a follower of his. The complexity, the paradoxes. And then he makes it clear. Just realize. Accept all of this and then rejoice. If you live this way, you are in the kingdom, and you will draw others to the kingdom. Closing Prayer Father, you've promised the kingdom of God to us. And what you keep saying over and over again, it's not something that we ourselves create, it's not something that we can achieve on our own. But it's constantly reminding us to surrender to everything that is happening to us. So we continue to never lose hope, always to be fervent in belief that the kingdom is coming. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 13:31-35 Some Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you.” He replied, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I accomplish my purpose. Yet I must continue on my way today, tomorrow, and the following day, for it is impossible that a prophet should die outside of Jerusalem.’ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were unwilling! Behold, your house will be abandoned. But I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Reflection The Pharisees come to warn Jesus that the work he is engaged in might be destroyed by Herod. But Jesus makes clear that his work is being accomplished. The purpose he came for will be accomplished. But then he reminds the Pharisees of their greatest weakness, their greatest sin. How many times they had rejected the work of God, trying to open their hearts to his love and his care. This is the greatest sin of the Pharisees, because it kept them always from the kingdom of God. Closing Prayer Father, always, it's clear that your greatest gift to us is something that we have to not work for, but have to receive generously. Allow the work that he has done for us to take root in us, that we can build his kingdom. Keep us free from the pride. Keep us free from this sin of the Pharisees, who simply would not allow God to be God. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 13:22-30 Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, "Lord, will only a few people be saved?" He answered them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough. After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, 'Lord, open the door for us.' He will say to you in reply, 'I do not know where you are from.' And you will say, 'We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.' Then he will say to you, 'I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!' And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out. And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the Kingdom of God. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last." Reflection The audience that Jesus spoke to had a very clear idea as to how they would be entering the Kingdom of God. They would follow all the rigid rules and regulations of the temple, do everything that was required, and that would gain them salvation. And what Jesus is saying, no, no, that's not the way it is, you've missed the point. The point is that I want you to allow me to enter into you, and we will together work for the kingdom of God. And your participation in that work is your salvation. So the idea that when they show up and God doesn't know who they are is a perfect example of the fact that the way in which we are saved is not by rules and regulations, but by an intimate relationship with the divine. Closing Prayer Father, you remind us over and over again that what we are here for is not to grow and change out of our own strength and power, but to surrender to the beauty of your intimacy with each of us. We're not here to earn salvation. We're here to joyfully receive it. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 13:18-21 Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.” Again he said, “To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened. Reflection Jesus came to establish the kingdom of God. But what is it like? And it's clear in this passage that what Jesus said, it's very organic. It's very natural. It begins small and continues to grow and enlarge and become more real. That's the challenge, each of us to take our part seriously, in how we evolve more toward this kingdom of God. Each of us have our part. Each of our gifts moves the kingdom closer and closer to fulfillment. Closing Prayer Father, it's easy for us to not to feel that we're that important, or that we don't matter that much, but we do. Every one of us, as we continue to grow toward the kingdom, are lifting each other up. And the kingdom becomes more and more a reality. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 6:12-16 Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. Reflection There's a mystery that surrounds the divinity of God. There's a mystery that surrounds the identity of Jesus. Is he a man or is he God? Well, we know he's both. So what we see in so many situations, he is the model of who we are to be, we’re to be like him. And the beautiful image here is that whenever he has a decision to make, he turns to God, turns to the father. It's like God is praying to God, and the point is well taken, because it means that we should always be focused on turning to God first. What is it I need to do? Help me to see what is really important. Closing Prayer Father, you know everything, yet you still invite us to turn to you over and over again, and seek your guidance. Seek your direction. Help us never to feel that we can do this work alone. It's our greatest weakness. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 13:1-9 Some people told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of’ their sacrifices. He said to them in reply, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them– do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!” And he told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’ He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.’” Reflection The people that asked the question of Jesus reveal a sense that God's response to sinners is that he wants to destroy them. And Jesus corrects their misunderstanding saying, God is not will to destroy a sinner, but they change that they repent, they face what they've done. And then he promises them that they will be given time and a way to nurture, to increase their capacity for goodness. For fruitfulness. Closing Prayer Father, the condition of failing is part of the process of growing and changing. We are called over and over again to face the things that we've done that are wrong, and to find ways in which to nurture within ourselves the qualities that our sins have kept us from. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 12:54-59 Jesus said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west you say immediately that it is going to rain–and so it does; and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south you say that it is going to be hot–and so it is. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time? “Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate, make an effort to settle the matter on the way; otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the constable, and the constable throw you into prison. I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.” Reflection Jesus is giving some very important advice to the crowds about conflict and division between us. He's saying that you have a choice, you can turn it over to the law, which is a binary world of right and wrong. Or you could open yourselves in this conflict to the Kingdom of God, which is a kingdom of understanding and patience and compassion. By far one brings about unity, the other can only divide. Closing Prayer Father, there's a thing in each of us that can want revenge, or want to punish those that have harmed us. But your kingdom is calling us to something radically different. Keep us from our judgmental righteousness and open us to the beauty of your forgiveness and your mercy. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 12:49-53 Jesus said to his disciples: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” Reflection Jesus chooses a a radical image of fire to describe his work, and fire is seemingly something that we would say destroys things, but he's saying no, it's also a thing that purifies. It burns out all impurities. We cling to our impurities, our half truths, our lies. So what he's saying is that if you're going to engage in this work of the Kingdom, you're going to be engaged in a transformative work that feels like death. And those who refuse to die hate those that are calling them to new life. Closing Prayer Father, the work of the kingdom is truly a work of transformation. Help us to be patient with one another as we, each of us, struggle with the transformation that is required of us not to judge those who resist, but just long for their transformation. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 12:39-48 Jesus said to his disciples: “Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” Then Peter said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?” And the Lord replied, “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then that servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish the servant severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” Reflection Jesus is speaking about responsibility, particularly responsibility to care for those around us. When Peter hears it, he wonders, is this about us, the disciples? Or about everyone? And I think Jesus makes it clear it's about the disciples. They have a great responsibility to be held to a very high standard. What perhaps is not yet clear to Peter is that responsibility that he carries will be able to be fulfilled, not through his effort, but through the gift of God dwelling within him. Closing Prayer Father, fill us with an awareness of confidence in whatever responsibilities you've given to us, that your grace will be there to care for us. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 12:13-21 Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” Then he told them a parable. “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.” Reflection The rich man had a decision to make. What do I do with all that I have? Jesus’ great concern is what we do with who we are, not so much what we have. And this is a clear indication that what Jesus wants us to do is to use what we have, meaning our gifts, our talents, and give them to people, not to use it for our own gain. Closing Prayer Father, we often identify our words with what we have. But the gift of who we are is the greatest gift we can share with one another. Help us to be generous in that work. Help us not to be focused too much on self, but on one another. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 12:8-12 Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. “Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.” Reflection If you peel back all the layers and look to what is it that Jesus is longing to establish within each of us, it is awareness of His Father. Jesus came to awaken us to divinity, living within us, infecting everything around us. So we have in this message a beautiful image of saying, one cannot do the work of the kingdom, one will not know how to live in the kingdom of heaven without a reliance upon the God who dwells within us. He is there to guide us, to enable us to succeed at what we are seeking, that brings about the Kingdom of God. Closing Prayer Father, it's clear that if we are to be engaged in establishing the kingdom of God, if we're here to bring life and peace to one another, we have to be connected to you, God. Who dwell within us, awakening us, teaching us, empowering us. That's at the heart of the entire gospel. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 10:1-9 The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this household.' If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, 'The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.'" Reflection We know how Jesus felt about the temple and its corruption, and we see in this passage the beginning of what he longs to instill within us. It's a form of the church, individuals being called to have a deep, profound impact on one another by coming into each other's lives with peace, not judgment, not condemnation, but peace, and then healing them. Peace and healing is a sign of the New Kingdom, the Kingdom of God. And in this passage, we see the beginning of that marvelous work established by Jesus. Closing Prayer Father, we have a clear indication of what you do not want. You do not want us judging and condemning each other. But you want us to be loving and caring for each other. Help us to understand this message and draw us away from the things that keep the kingdom of God from finding root and being fruitful within the lives of those who are touched by it. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Luke 11:47-54 The Lord said: “Woe to you who build the memorials of the prophets whom your fathers killed. Consequently, you bear witness and give consent to the deeds of your ancestors, for they killed them and you do the building. Therefore, the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and Apostles; some of them they will kill and persecute’ in order that this generation might be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who died between the altar and the temple building. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood! Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.” When Jesus left, the scribes and Pharisees began to act with hostility toward him and to interrogate him about many things, for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say. Reflection When you look at the evil there was in the system of the scribes and Pharisees, the loss of real truth, real purpose, we’re given an insight into the way in which it works in human nature, that when you live in a system that's corrupt, it will always corrupt you. It was only with the coming of Jesus that this whole system was blown apart and healed by the love of God for everyone who seeks the truth. Closing prayer Father, your condemnation of the religious practices of the times underscores the importance of redemption that you have to enter into any system, any process has to be based in you before it can produce the abundance of goodness that is your will. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices