Father Matthew Wiering Podcast

The parable we hear today, in which an arrogant judge gives justice to a widow only because he gets sick of her asking him, is similar to another parable in Luke's Gospel. There, a man refuses to get out of bed to assist his neighbor in the middle of the night. Jesus simply concludes, "If the man doesn't get up to help his neighbor because of their friendship, he will because of his persistence." I.e. He will get tired of the knocking! The point is similar for both parables: If arrogant or lazy people will do good because of the persistence of the one asking them, how much more will our perfectly good Father in heaven do good to those who ask Him with persistence?!?

Today's first reading gives us the last part of the great story of the healing of Naaman the Syrian. The important military commander, seeking a cure for his leprosy, consistently humbles himself ... and finally receives that for which he had been searching. May we who also need healing imitate him in his humility!

In today's Gospel, Jesus says to us, "If you had faith the size of a mustard tree, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and cast into the sea' and it would happen." While this is impossible for man, nothing is impossible for God. What is the impossible thing -- the miracle -- that you desire of God? May our faith be strengthened so that we will believe that God can do even this!

Today's fascinating Gospel is full of symbolism and vivid details that stick with us as we grapple with the meaning of Jesus' story and reflect on its implications for our lives... A rich man lives in lavish luxury, and he does nothing to help the impoverished man who is, literally, lying in his doorway. The rich man did not share with the poor man, and he was judged accordingly. Who is the needy person whom God has put in front of me?!?

Today's Gospel contains one of the strangest and challenging of Jesus's parables. A steward is about to get fired for stealing his Master's money, so he gives his Master's away, and his Master approves of the action! We reflect on this confusing passage and how God is directing us to think of eternity and invest wisely today.

Today's first reading from the Old Testament is very strange. The people Israel sin against the Lord, and, as a result, serpents invade the land and bite the people, killing many. As a remedy, the Lord directs Moses to make a serpent out of bronze and mount it on a pole; whoever gazes at the bronze snake will be healed. It wasn't until the Passion and Death of Jesus that this mysterious episode was better understood: Just as the people gazed upon the consequence of their sin mounted on a pole, so now, we gaze upon the One who bore the weight of our sin -- "becoming sin" on the Cross as Paul said -- and in gazing at Jesus, we are healed. On this Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, may we appreciate anew this tremendous gift of the forgiveness of our sin and our salvation!

Today we celebrate this morning's canonization in Rome of new Saints Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati. These saints lived today's Gospel: That to love God first means to have our hearts expand so that we love others as we ought.

Our readings today revolve around the theme of humility, and this gives us the opportunity to reflect on the place of pride in our lives. The question we will focus on today is, "Am I willing to ask for the help that I need?" Am I willing to be vulnerable before others? Our experience (and the Scriptures) tells us that, when we are willing to share our struggles openly and honestly, we are loved more, not less. By God and by the people who care about us.

In this third and final "Summer School" presentation, we explore how St. Ignatius's "Rules for the Discernment of Spirits" help us to navigate those times when we are in spiritual desolation.
For the text of the Rules, please visit the following link.

Today Jesus's Gospel message challenges us! He tells us that he did not come to bring peace but rather "division", particularly between family members. To understand this difficult teaching, we explore what Jesus means at the beginning of the passage when he says, "I have come to set fire to the earth!" The Scriptures and the Tradition often speak of God as fire, and as we get close to Him, we will experience the effects of fire: illumination, warmth, and purification. The fire is God's love that does not want to leave us in our impurities and attachments but must burn those things away, so that we can belong completely to Him and become the person that He made us to be.