GOSPEL MEDITATION - ENCOURAGE DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF SCRIPTURE

21^st Sunday in Ordinary Time / August 24, 2025     

SUNDAY READINGS - EXCERPTS TO PLACE IN YOUR COMMUNICATIONS

First Reading:

I know their works and their thoughts,
and I come to gather nations of every language;
 they shall come and see my glory. (Is 66:18)

Psalm:

Go out to all the world and tell the Good News. (Ps 117)

Second Reading:

So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees.
Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed. (Heb 12:12-13)

Gospel:

For behold, some are last who will be first,
and some are first who will be last.” (Lk 13:30)

QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK - INVITE PARISHIONERS TO REFLECT AND RESPOND TO SCRIPTURE

1^st Reading Question:

Isaiah reveals to us God’s plan to gather and unite all His people and witness His glory in the age to come. What are you hoping for in the future?

2^nd Reading Question:

The author of Hebrews offers words of encouragement for community members struggling and discouraged in their faith. Is there a friend or co-worker you could look to support this week?

Gospel Question:

Jesus speaks to the crowds of the dire consequences of rejecting his call to salvation. What could be some effective ways to bring others to faith in Jesus? 

LIVE THE LITURGY - INSPIRATION FOR THE WEEK

Get to Know Jesus

When I speak and write, I mention my family quite often. Those of you who have been reading these reflections for the past 5+ years — or who have read my books — may think you know them. When I travel, I do get asked about my family by those who have entered my life through the words on a page. My hope is that by sharing stories about my family and life the reader gets a chance to see himself or herself in the story as well. Then the point being made in the article or reflection can take on stronger meaning because it hits home. However, no matter how much I write about my family and how much you read about them, you will only have a glimpse as to the real people. It will take an actual relationship with one of them to get you to the point where you can say you know them.

That is the same way with Jesus. First, more Catholics need to read more and learn more about Jesus. Bible studies should be the norm and not the exception in our lives. Second, too many of us in the Church can explain who Jesus is from our past formation classes and reading, but we do not actually know him. Jesus is not a topic, a theological term, or simply a historical figure. He is a real being who is alive! He is not dead, but alive! He calls us to do more than read about him. He calls us into an intimate relationship with him. We grow in relationship with Jesus by worshipping at the Mass, spending time with him in adoration, resting in him in the quiet, and by having the Jesus in us meet the Jesus in others. If you do not know him personally, get to know him. I would love for you all to meet my family in person someday, but I would much rather you get to know Jesus instead.

Do You Know Him, or Just Know About Him?

Facebook, Twitter, and other forms of social media can be powerful tools of communication. They allow people to stay in touch. They provide an avenue for fresh ideas. People can be engaged in conversations and be exposed to issues of the day in ways few could have dreamed of just a few decades ago. But social media can also give the false sense of really knowing someone, when only the surface has been scratched about who a person is in reality.

You don't really know someone just because you know a lot about him or her and are linked to a profile online. Unfortunately, people develop emotional attachments to the idea of a person all the time. If they do find themselves fortunate enough to meet the person face-to-face one day, they can often find out they never really knew the person in the first place.

There are people who believe they know Jesus so very well. They can readily share their view of what Jesus would do or wouldn't do in a given situation. They own items like crosses and Bibles that seem to provide evidence of this person they know so well. Sometimes, they even strongly admonish others because their view of Jesus is certainly not in line with their own.

But in Luke 13, Jesus speaks about those who claim to know him, but they really do not belong to him at all. They make claims based upon what they have seen and heard, but they have never allowed Jesus to truly change them. They are like Facebook followers; seemingly close, but with no real relationship at all.

Do you know Jesus? Don't just be a fan. Invite Jesus into your life and let the real relationship begin.

Chancing the Narrow Gate

From doctors to counselors, anthropologists to schoolteachers, it seems like everyone has their own parenting style to peddle, guaranteeing it will result in a happy and well-adjusted kid.

You’ve got “gentle parenting,” predicated on respect for the child’s feelings and needs. You’ve got “attachment parenting,” based on the belief that kids need time to adjust to being outside of the womb. You’ve got “free-range parenting,” where self-sufficiency reigns supreme.

But of all the parenting approaches I’ve come across, I’ve never encountered a philosophy that rejects discipline altogether. There are lots of conflicting opinions on how best to administer that discipline, but I’ve never heard any parent or parenting “expert” worth their salt say that a mother or father should completely ignore misbehavior that threatens the well-being of the child himself.

Discipline is in our human DNA. Consider for a moment what the world would look like if it came to be filled with people who had never been taught to reflect on their life challenges. People who bristled at the suggestion of personal growth.

And yet we become this way with God. Even the most “devout” among us shy away from occasions of divine constructive criticism. We avoid confession and forego daily examinations of conscience. We keep things superficial in our prayer life, avoiding depth of heart and real intimacy with God, afraid of what He will speak to us.

But when we do this, we rob ourselves of an opportunity to rely on God’s fatherly strength, to rest in His mercy, to fill ourselves up with His goodness. We’re putting up our hands, saying: “No thanks, Father, I’m good. You can keep your discipline. You can keep your grace.”

When we do this, we are making a beeline for the “narrow gate,” sure of our own strength and ability to pass through it. All I can say is this, proceed at your own peril. Are you so sure of yourself?

St. Joseph Cathedral, Hartford

St. Peters Biscilia, Rome