Geeky Catholic Dad

Gospel Reading: Luke 14:1, 7-14 Highlight:  "For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." Reflection: To a lot of people, the life Christ calls us to might look bleak. He asks us to let go of our earthly possessions, put others first in everything, and embrace suffering. Meanwhile, what are we supposed to do with all these desires we have? Ignore them? Not quite. God gave us these desires. He doesn't intend for us to ignore them or suppress them, but rather to order them properly. He wants us to point those desires at the right goal - heaven. And that involves patience. Just look at how Jesus delivers the message in the gospel. First he talks about choosing the lowest place at the table, so that the host can later invite you up to a higher position. That reward follows the sacrifice pretty quickly, but the next example requires more patience. When you invite guests to a meal, don't invite those who can pay you back, because - and here's where ...

Gospel Reading: Luke 13:22-30 Highlight:  "Then he will say to you, 'I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers.'" Reflection: This week presents another difficult gospel passage. Jesus is asked if only a few people will be saved, and his response seems to indicate that most people will not go to heaven. That contrasts sharply with the modern idea that most people are "good people" with good intentions, and that all "good people" will go to heaven. But that's not Christ's teaching. In fact, Jesus goes so far as to say that there are people who think they will be saved, who will be in for a rude awakening after their deaths. So if being "good" isn't enough, then how can we be saved? Jesus extends the gift of salvation to us through a covenant relationship, just as God did with his chosen people in the Old Testament. For those of us who have heard the gospel, that means we need to do what Jesus told ...

Gospel Reading: Luke 12:49-53 Highlight:  "Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division." Reflection: This gospel passage is a jarring contrast to the popular perception of Jesus and his mission. Especially when you look at non-Christian perceptions of Jesus. I can think of at least two different works of fiction written by atheists or agnostics that claimed the central message of Jesus was to "be nice to each other." I'm sorry, but they don't execute people for telling others to "be nice." So what is Jesus saying here? He's here to disrupt families? Is that because families are inherently a bad thing? We can't conclude that, because it would be contrary to the rest of revelation. So here's my take on it. Jesus calls us to enter into - and remain in - a covenant relationship with God. If our children, or parents, or siblings, or spouses choose to turn away from this invitation, t...

Gospel Reading: Luke 12:32-48 Highlight:  "Your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom." Reflection: God loves us so much that he has prepared a kingdom for us. Heaven will be so much better than anything we can imagine, and certainly better than anything we could earn. The catch is that we can't settle for something less. If we are too greedy, too attached to a "kingdom" in this life, then we give up the infinitely greater kingdom waiting for us in the next life. If it helps, don't think of it as God saying, "Sorry, you messed up. As your consequence, I'm taking this reward away from you." Rather, God is making us an offer. He's telling us that there is something so much better than anything we see in this life. All we have to do is accept that offer. We have to accept God's promise instead of the false promises of the world. Geeky Quote:  "Look, Simba. Everything the light touches is our kingdom." - Mufasa,  The Lio...

Gospel Reading: Luke 12:13-21 Highlight:  "Though one may be rich, one's life does not consist of possessions." Reflection: This is a message we've all probably heard a thousand times. But are we really living it? Are we really making our relationship with God our highest priority? The things of this world are not evil, but they are only good if they lead us to deeper relationship with Christ. If we ever decide to cut  prayer out of our life - or skip Mass on Sunday - for the sake of something material (like a TV show or a movie, or a football game, or a comic book), then that material thing is not leading us to God. When we die, will it matter that we read that comic book, or saw that movie, or watched that game? Geeky Quote:  Billy: "Oh goodness, look at my wrist. I gotta go." Penny: "But what about your clothes?" Billy: [ checks contents of washer ] "I don't love these." - Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Pra...

Gospel Reading: Luke 11:1-13 Highlight:  "What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish?" Reflection: Is the message of this gospel reading that God will always give us what we ask for? Because if that's the measuring stick for prayer, I'd have lost my faith a long time ago. But that's not the message. The point of Jesus's question, "What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish?" is not that a snake is different than what the son asked for. It's that the snake is harmful to the son. When we pray, God gives us what we need, even when we think we need something else. After all, what father among you would hand his son a scorpion, even if he asks for a scorpion? So maybe, instead of asking God for things that we want, we should ask him to help us want the things we need - the things God wants for us. Geeky Quote:  "Okay, you ask for it!" - Short Round,  Indiana Jones and the Temp...

Gospel Reading: Luke 10:38-42 Highlight:  "Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her." Reflection: It might be hard to read this reading and not think that Jesus is missing something. "Jesus," we might say, "that's great that Mary is sitting at your feet and listening to you. But the laundry and the cooking will still need to be done. If we all just sat and listened, the world would fall apart." I don't think Jesus is missing something, though. Perhaps his message is just a little more nuanced. It's not that doing work is always wrong and prayerful stillness is always right. It's a matter of timing and priority. At the moment of this gospel story, Jesus was at Mary and Martha's house. So sitting and listening to him should have been the priority. He would have made sure that everything was taken care of. Martha thought that if she didn't take care of things, they wouldn't get done. We have to trust th...