I Met God Today

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Reflection on the Gospel Matthew 13:1-23 16 July 2017 Jesus said, “Imagine a sower going out to sow.” In his Gospel, Matthew gives this parable a title, calling it the Parable of the Sower. However, Matthew has Jesus provide an interpretation of the parable that, like the parable itself, focuses not so much on the sower, as on that which is sown and what happens to it. The attention is on what happens after the sowing, in other words, on the varied outcomes of the sowing and on the varied responses to the revelation of the kingdom. Interesting, then, to discover that in the Greek text, while the sower sows, there is no mention of the word ‘seed.’ To the disciples then, and to us now, this interpretation provides both an explanation as to why the kingdom is not accepted and encouragement to persevere with the assurance that remarkable results will ensue. However, in some ways, interpretation, even one offered by Jesus, deadens the parable and curtails...

Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time - Reflection on the Gospel Luke 19:1-10 30 October 2016 Zacchaeus was anxious to see to see what kind of man Jesus was Zacchaeus desires to see Jesus. In order to do so, he does the unthinkable. He climbs a sycamore tree, risking derision, particularly as a public figure in an unpopular and much-maligned profession. The attraction of Jesus is so powerful for Zacchaeus that fear of what others might think and potential ridicule cannot deter him. His eagerness to see Jesus is sufficiently strong to overcome any negative response he might encounter. What had he heard about this man that made him want to see Jesus? Luke tells us that Zacchaeus wants to see Jesus, but this appears to be more than simply idle curiosity about physically seeing Jesus. Perhaps, God has been working in Zacchaeus so that he has already moved towards conversion in his heart. In seeking to see Jesus, Zacchaeus takes a first step and Jesus responds. Then, when Jesus addresses him...

Palm Sunday  Mark 14:1-15:47 29 March 2015 Is. 50:4-7; Ps. 22; Phil. 2:6-11; Mark 14:1-15:47 Throughout his Gospel, Mark forewarns of Jesus’ ultimate fate - opposition and misunderstanding accompany his public ministry. We have been propelled, almost relentlessly, with Jesus towards Jerusalem and the cross. This Sunday, we have arrived. In the text for the Procession, we hear of Jesus’ dramatic entry into the city of Jerusalem. We can only assume that among the enthusiastic crowd are some who will soon shout for Jesus to be crucified and mock him as he dies. Mark’s Gospel is concerned with Jesus’ identity and with discipleship. The opening verse tells us Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God. But what this means – both for Jesus and for us as his disciples – can be known only at the cross. Without seeing the centrality of suffering to his mission, and correspondingly to ours as his followers, we cannot understand Jesus or be true disciples. Watching Jesus suffer and die, one of his k...