Cup o' Joe

The Feast of St. Pope Gregory, the Great.  Gospel of Luke, Chapter 5, verses 33-39 Jesus is asked about why His disciples don't fast, and once again He uses the beautiful imagery of a wedding banquet.  But have we thrown out the discipline of fasting too quickly in recent times?  Is it a tool that can still serve us?  I also explore the parable of the wine/wineskins that Jesus...

Gospel of Luke, Chapter 5, verses 1-11 We hear the call of the first disciples today, but it happens in a different way than it does in Matthew or Mark's Gospel.  It's more gradual rather than instantaneous.  That's important, because I think that is not all that different than how we have heard the call and responded.   Peter reaches a tipping point and realizes not only who J...

Gospel of Luke, Chapter 4, verses 38-44 Jesus stays at the house of Simon Peter, and "they" bring before Him Simon's ailing mother in law.  His healing of the woman sets off a rash of healings within Capernaum.  But then Jesus has a decision to make.  Stay there and be a big fish in a small pond.  Be known and well loved.  Or - pick up and bring that same active presence o...

Paul's First Letter to the Thessalonians, Chapter 5, verses 1-6, 9-11 Along with a special guest - FOCUS Minister, Eileen Piper - we discuss the entirety of Paul's First Letter to the Thessalonians and how it is one example after another of our call to be missionary disciples and what that life looks like.  And what it looks like might surprise you. A wonderful back and forth discussion with...

Gospel of Luke, Chapter 4, verses 16-30 A bit longer of a pod today.  We change from the Gospel of Matthew to the Gospel of Luke, so I look into the differences between Matthew, Mark and Luke and where those come from.  But then we get to the meat on the bone with today's Gospel which is essentially Jesus's thesis statement and mission statement for his ministry.  And, of course, if...

The Feast of St. Monica:  Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 25, verses 1-13 Jesus continues to share with his disciples in parables, today speaking about a wedding feast with 10 bridesmaids waiting in anticipation for the bridegroom.  But when He finally comes, some find themselves running out of oil and are unable to get some from the other young women.  But why not?  Why couldn't th...

Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 24, verses 42-51 Jesus's Second Coming seems delayed to the early Church, and so Matthew reminds us through Jesus that we must remain awake and vigilant for we know not the hour of the return.  Nor do we know the hour of our return to God.  But here's what I know: Our God comes to us today in unexpected ways and at unexpected times and in unexpected disguises.&...

Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 23, verses 27-32 We are back to a confrontation between Jesus and the Scribes and Pharisees.  Jesus shows his strength by directly exposing the deceit and corruption below the surface of the religious leaders of the day.  They wanted to only be thought of as outwardly holy, but instead Jesus exposes what is going on beneath the surface. What about us?  Wha...

Gospel of John, Chapter 1, verses 45-51 We celebrate the feast of St. Bartholomew today.  Or do we?  He's nowhere to be found within our reading, but yet he (and Philip) extraordinarily point the way for us to follow in this short but beautiful Gospel.  Jesus quotes Genesis, Chapter 28 (Jacob's Ladder) as an image for himself.  And in doing so, invites us into that same image.&...

Paul's First Letter to the Thessalonians, Chapter One, Verses 1-5, 8b-10 Karen Hennings once again is a guest on the pod and she talks about Paul's emphasis on faith, hope and love in the introduction to this short letter to the Thessalonians.  She talks about how good things come in threes and compares this with the Trinity.  Of course, I can't stay silent and throw my own two cents in...

Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 22, verses 34-40 Jesus is being tested by the Pharisees and is asked what the greatest commandment in all of Scripture is.  But He doesn't land on just one.  He gives two.  And in doing so, He sums up the entirety of the Hebrew Scriptures.  Paul reminds us in Romans 13 that love is the fulfillment of the law.  What was true for them back then rem...

Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 22, verses 1-14 Jesus, in a parable, invites us to the wedding banquet today.  Only we are not a mere guest.  We are the main participant.  All we need to do is say yes, I do.

Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 20, verses 1-16 Jesus tells a parable of a landowner who owns a vineyard, and his invitation to workers at various times of the day to come out and work.  But when the time for payment come around, frustration and envy enter into the picture. Of course, the parable invites us into the story.  Have we said yes to the invitation to work in the field?  And, i...

Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 19, verses 23-30 Jesus picks up where he left off yesterday, after the rich young man had left and speaks of the difficulty of wealth.  But when Peter asks what's in it for them, he turns and speaks of the responsibility the wealthy carry.  Brothers and sisters, make no mistake - we are the wealthy.  The same pitfalls and responsibilities lie before us.

Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 19, verses 16-22 Jesus encounters a rich young man who wishes to gain the Kingdom.  It seems he has given much to God in order to move in that direction.  But he has not given all.  Is there something we hold on to, something that God is asking of us that we are not quite ready to let go of yet? Special Guest - My beautiful bride, Renee.  

Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 19, verses 3-12 We see a dichotomy once again in today's Gospel: The Pharisees wish to speak about divorce but Jesus wants to speak of marriage.  One wants to speak of division, one of union.  We live in a world that shows forth so much of the former, how can we be examples of the latter?

Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 18, verse 21 - Chapter 19, verse 1 Peter & Jesus have a conversation about the different worlds that they live in.  One lives in a world where forgiveness has an end point and he's seeking to go back there.  The other lives in a world where there is no end to forgiveness.  One enslaves us and keeps us in Egypt.  The other allows and invites us to...

The Feast of St. Clare: Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 18, verses 15-20 My friends, we live in a world of division and sides.  Today's Gospel is exactly what we need to hear.  But I'm not so sure that I really want to listen...

Feast of St. Lawrence: Gospel of John, Chapter 12, verses 24-26 Karen Hennings joins as a special guest today and we talk about Jesus preparing the disciples for his death.  He talks about grains of wheat and unless they die, they remain simply themselves.  But if they die, they can produce much fruit.  We all know this truth.  It is nothing new.  But putting it into pract...

Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 17, verses 22-27 It's best to couple today's Gospel reading with the first reading from Deuteronomy.  In that first reading, Moses is reminding the people that when they take the Promised Land and make it their own, they are to set up a society created in God's image.  But in the Gospel, we see how some members of the Jews had forgotten that lesson.  We ar...

Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord:  Gospel of Mark, Chapter 9, verses 2-10 We veer off of our journey through Matthew's Gospel to hear Mark's rendition of Jesus's Transfiguration.  He summons his closest friends to spend some time separate with him, and transfigures before their eyes.  His clothes become dazzling white and he is joined by Moses and Elijah.  The disciples...

Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 16, verses 13-23 The disciples return from being sent out in the Spirit to work miracles among the people.  So Jesus takes them away to relax and debrief from their experiences.  And there, among the large cliffs of Caesarea Philippi, he asks them the most important question.  The Gospel, and our lives, hinge on the answer.  

Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 15, verses 21-28 We leave behind the 14th chapter of Matthew and dive head first into the middle of chapter 15 with a story of Jesus bantering with a Canaanite woman.  Jesus keeps her at arms length but her persistence, like that of St. John Vianney, will win the day.  Do we let the obstacles in our way defeat us?  Or can we continue to look for ways aroun...

Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 14, verses 22-36 Jesus, after feeding the 5,000, sends the crowds away and takes time for prayer.  Following the time spent in union with God strengthening His spirit, he makes for the quickest way to catch up with his friends.  Fastest way?  Walking on water, of course.  The disciples are terrified but Jesus calms them with these words: "Take courage...

Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 14, verses 13-21 Jesus hears of the death of John the Baptist and goes off on His own.  But when He arrives on the other side, the crowd is there waiting for Him.  And like Jesus did at the Sermon on the Mount, He saw the people.  Really saw them and their situation.  And His heart was moved with pity.  So what does He do?  He begins to heal...