Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: Luke 15: 1-10

The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 
So Jesus addressed this parable to them.
“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?
And when he does find it,
he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
and, upon his arrival home,
he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 
I tell you, in just the same way
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous people
who have no need of repentance.

“Or what woman having ten coins and losing one
would not light a lamp and sweep the house,
searching carefully until she finds it?
And when she does find it,
she calls together her friends and neighbors
and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’ 
In just the same way, I tell you,
there will be rejoicing among the angels of God
over one sinner who repents.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Even for his most devout disciples, Jesus stretched the Jewish understanding of God. It’s easy to read through some of the harsh, even violent, language of the Old Testament and develop a narrow understanding of God. 

God is vengeful; judgmental; protective of his chosen people.

Yet in the Gospels, Jesus describes God as overflowing with mercy and compassion. 

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In the parable of the lost sheep, God is the humble shepherd who goes to extraordinary measures – even risking his own life – in order to save a single sheep, causing the angels in heaven to rejoice.

This was scandalous for two reasons. 

First, the religious leaders of Jesus’ day lumped shepherds into the same lowly, ritually unclean lot as thieves and robbers, because shepherds allowed their animals to graze upon private land.

But God is not afraid of identifying with the lowly of society; he himself lived and died as a peasant turned itinerant preacher.

Secondly, sheep are directionless, defenseless creatures with almost no intrinsic value of their own.

The fact that God, the Good Shepherd, is willing to risk his own life for the sake of one of them gives them – and by extension, us – a value beyond measure.

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Perhaps this is what the Lord is reminding us of today.

Our value is not earned; it is given. This can be just as hard for us to accept as it was for law-abiding Jews. 

We are all part of God’s family – even the lost, the stray, the sinful, and the confused.

May God grant us, his Church, the grace to seek and share this love that is given, never earned, with others today.

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Image credits: (1) The Island Parson (2) Crosswalk.com (3) Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope

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Gospel: Luke 14:25-33

Great crowds were traveling with Jesus,
and he turned and addressed them,
“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, 
wife and children, brothers and sisters,
and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple.
Which of you wishing to construct a tower
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if there is enough for its completion? 
Otherwise, after laying the foundation
and finding himself unable to finish the work
the onlookers should laugh at him and say,
‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’ 
Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down
and decide whether with ten thousand troops
he can successfully oppose another king
advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? 
But if not, while he is still far away,
he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. 
In the same way,
everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be my disciple.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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In the ancient world, the verb “hate” simply meant to “choose” one thing over another.

For example, I could say, “I love the summer and hate the winter.” While it’s possible to enjoy both seasons, I am simply stating my preference for warm weather over cold weather.

When the Lord tells us to “hate” our families, friends, and even ourselves, he is not being literal; rather, he is insisting that we choose him over everything else.

This Gospel passage is all about priorities.

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Think about what it meant for Jesus, who gave this command shortly before his entrance into Jerusalem, where he knew he would be crucified.

To “hate” his mother, his disciples, and even his own life meant choosing the cross over his love and concern for Mary; over his affection for his disciples; over the enjoyment of his ministry; and over the natural human desire to avoid pain and suffering.

His Father’s will always came first, even when it meant accepting a hefty amount of suffering. 

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Today we face the same challenge, to put God first, albeit in a far more subtle way. It’s possible for us to have God as a very high priority in our life – as high as second place – while still valuing something or someone else.

Very simply, do we choose Jesus on Sunday mornings, or does something else take priority?

Do we consistently choose the path of forgiveness, instead of resentment?

Do we choose to surrender our lives to God, instead of trying to author it ourselves?

Do we choose to praise God in times of sorrow and difficulty, instead of giving into doubt, even despair?

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“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”

The Lord must come first.

It’s not merely a noble idea.

Choosing him is the only way to follow him, lest other things get in the way.

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Image credits: (1) Facebook (2) Faithful Canvas (3) Perfectinchrist, Daily Devotional

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Gospel: Matthew 22:34-40

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,
they gathered together, and one of them,
a scholar of the law, tested him by asking,
“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”
He said to him,
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Saint Martin de Porres, whose feast day we celebrate today, was known for his overwhelming sense of compassion – perhaps a byproduct of the pain and discrimination he experienced as a child.

Born in 16^th century Peru, Martin was the illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman and a freed African slave. Raised in poverty after his father abandoned his family, Martin faced unrelenting discrimination for being poor and bi-racial.

But his life was forever changed when, at the age of 24, the prior of the local Dominican monastery allowed Martin to enter, taking vows of poverty, chastity, obedience, and prayer.

He was never ordained a priest, but Martin spent the rest of his life as a religious brother, serving in the infirmary, caring for the sick and the dying. He also founded an orphanage and hospital for abandoned children.

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Vignettes describing Martin’s compassion can still speak to us today. 

For example, when an epidemic broke out around him, and the other monks quarantined themselves in their cells out of fear of becoming ill, Martin went out into the streets and brought the sick and homeless into the infirmary.

He even carried a beggar covered in sores into his room, offering the man his bed. 

Martin slept on the floor.

When asked why he was bringing germs into the monastery, Martin replied, “Compassion, my dear friend, is preferable to cleanliness.”

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While we may not find ourselves in Martin’s position, we can all embody his mantra, “compassion is preferable to cleanliness,” in some form.

Generosity is preferable to greed; selflessness is preferable to selfishness; love is preferrable to hatred; and action is preferable to indifference.

May we find some way to be compassionate towards a neighbor today. 

Saint Martin de Porres, pray for us.

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Image credits: (1) Pinterest (2) shinzoo.com (3) anastpaul.com