Jesus says “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.” This command to love one another as God loves us will challenge our attitudes, actions and prayer as we strive to follow the Lord’s example of love.
On the mountain Jesus is transfigured, appearing to three disciples as he stands in Heaven. His transfiguration offers us hope, that as we carry our crosses and face the challenges of life we will have the strength and guidance we need.
Jesus invites us to “take up our Cross” and follow him. While God does not will suffering, the Lord permits it for the sake of a far greater commandment: Love one another. As we carry our crosses today, we do so out of love for one another, as the Lord – who shows his love on the Cross – loves us.
When Jesus asks the disciples “Who do you say that I am?” Peter gets it right…and then he gets it wrong. The Lord reminds us that we are called to think as God does…and not as human beings do!
As Jesus heals the blind man in the Gospel today, he shows how healing is often an intimate process that leads back to our relationships at home. May we set before the Lord whatever is wounded in our lives, trust in his process of healing, and renew the relationships within our families and friendships.
Jesus recalls how a little yeast can transform dough – making it grow larger into something new. In our spiritual lives this process can work for both good or evil, and we are invited today to embrace God’s grace into our hearts, changing us into daughters and sons of God.
The Book of Sirach, the Psalm response, and the Gospel of Matthew all highlight the crucial power we have to choose the course of our lives. May we put Christ at the center of our hearts, so that everything we say and do will be touched by his grace.
Adam and Eve experience the natural consequences of sin as they face new challenges in their lives and leave the Garden of Eden; Jesus looks on the crowd with pity and responds to the natural consequences of their needs with compassion – inspiring us to face the consequences of our own sins with the compassion of Christ.
The temptation of Adam & Eve illustrates for us how sin can erode our relationships with God and one another. As we come to understand their temptation, we seek the Lord in our moments of trial, asking for the grace (and when necessary, forgiveness) of Jesus Christ.
A Greek woman who is Syrophoenician by birth expresses a mother’s love through her simple and direct faith in the healing power of Christ. Her one line response to Jesus inspires us to embrace our faith with conviction and power as we face the challenges in our lives.