The Better Part

Matthew 14.22-33 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection We know so much about Jesus. We know he is the Good Shepherd who calls each of his sheep by name. We know they listen to his voice and follow him. We know that when a sheep is lost, he finds his sheep. How good it is to be a sheep of the Good Shepherd! He gives all that he has to those sheep. We wonder who those sheep might be... People love to hear Jesus talk about the Good Shepherd and the sheep. They love to hear hi

Matthew 14.22-33 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection In the Gospel this Sunday, we hear one of Jesus' miracles. Miracles are signs that show us something of the Kingdom of God. Sometimes it can be difficult to figure out what the sign means. In this miracle account, St. Matthew helps us. He repeats one word three times. When something repeats in the Bible, we pay attention because repetition is a signpost for us. It points us in the right direction; it focuses our attent

Matthew 14.22-33 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection Much of the time, Jesus tells us something of the Kingdom of God in parables. In the Gospel for this Sunday, though, Jesus does not tell a parable of the Kingdom. Instead, he performs a miracle. Miracles, we know, are signs of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God makes itself fully known through Jesus. Miracles show us something of the Kingdom of God. We have to wonder what we are being shown. Immediately he made the

Matthew 14.13-21 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection Over the past few weeks, we listened to Jesus teaching the people in parables so that we could think about what the Kingdom of God is like. In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus is finished with teaching. Now he shows us what the Kingdom of God is like. At the beginning of the Gospel, Jesus rows away in a boat by himself. He wants some quiet time alone. But the people in the town figure out where he is going. They know

Matthew 14.13-21 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection For four weeks now we have thought about parables. Parables cause us to do a lot of work! We have to think about what more Jesus means. In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus does not tell us a parable. He is finished talking. Now he acts. And still we have to think about what this all means. At the beginning of the Gospel, Jesus learns that his cousin, John the Baptist, has been killed. He wants some time alone, so he r

Matthew 14.13-21 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection Each Gospel reading for the last four weeks has been filled with parables. Our heads swim in parables! In fact last week, in considering the parable of the Kingdom of God like a net that was thrown into the sea...we thought, we swim in it, right now! How can this be? This week, Jesus is through with parables (for now). He is finished talking. Now he acts. Jesus performs a miracle. Miracles, we know, are signs of the Ki

Matthew 13.44-52 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus again tells three parables, just like last week! He must really like telling parables. He knows that listening to parables helps us to think about the Kingdom of God. Last week, when there were three parables, we thought about the middle parable—the Parable of the Mustard Seed, that teeny-tiny seed that somehow grows and changes into a tree! This week, let's again look at the middle

Matthew 13.44-52 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus still tells parables! He knows that people enjoy listening to parables, these stories that are both interesting and somewhat strange. They help us consider the Kingdom of God and what it could be like. Jesus says, “The kingdom of God is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” The Kingdom of

Matthew 13.44-52 Listen here to the Gospel and Reflection In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus again gives us three parables. Three parables and then an instruction that sounds like yet another parable. Perhaps he thinks we can handle all this! Let's think about what he can mean. Photo by Sebastian Pena Lambarri on Unsplash Jesus begins with two parables that sound very similar:, “The kingdom of God is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his