From His Word to Our Hearts

Jesus is always ready to bestow his mercy upon us; all we have to do is ask sincerely and we will be made clean. Probably not cleansed of leprosy as we hear in this week’s readings, but cleansed, nonetheless. The proper response for such great mercy is to joyously love and praise God in return. But how do we accomplish that? We must live according to the Gospel, the good news Jesus taught – all of it, not some of it. We must love and forgive others as Jesus did – not just some people, but all people… friends, enemies, neighbors, strangers, immigrants… everyone!   This week's readings: Gospel – Luke 17: 11-19 1st Reading – 2 Kings 4: 14-17 Psalm 982nd Reading – 2 Timothy 2: 8-13 Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction & Prayer(00:01:44) - Gospel & Explanation(00:13:55) - First Reading & Explanation(00:23:47) - Psalm & Explanation(00:28:09) - Second Reading & Explanation(00:44:19) - Closing & Credits

God offers us the gift of faith, but each of us must accept it. We must allow it to take root in our hearts and grow but that doesn’t mean that our faith needs to become an imposing monolith; Jesus reminds us that faith the size of a mustard seed is sufficient. It’s not how much faith we have, it’s what God does with our faith that is crucial. God gives us the power, love, and self-control of his Holy Spirit. God gives us the faith and love of his Son, Jesus Christ. God, who is love, gives us everything we need. Our duty is to do what he commands, to love and serve him in faith. So, how do we hold fast to that simple duty?   This week's readings:Gospel – Luke 17: 5-101st Reading – Habakkuk 1: 2-3; 2: 2-4Psalm 952nd Reading – 2 Timothy 1: 6-8, 13-14 Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction & Prayer(00:01:48) - Gospel & Explanation(00:11:50) - First Reading & Explanation(00:21:02) - Psalm & Explanation(00:26:42) - Second Reading & Explanation(00:38:12) - Closing & Credits

Jesus tells us another parable this week, the story of the rich man who had good things in this life but was tormented in the next and Lazarus who suffered in this life but received comfort in the next. When we separate ourselves from others here on earth – when we neglect the poor, the sick, and the needy – we create a deep chasm between them and us that will follow us into the afterlife. So, what do we want the next life to look like? Will we choose to suffer eternal torment because we’re too selfish to care for others? Or will we choose to be generous with the things we have and fill in any chasms that develop before it’s too late?   This week's readings:Gospel – Luke 16: 19-311st Reading – Amos 6: 1a, 4-7Psalm 1462nd Reading – 1 Timothy 6: 11-16 Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction & Prayer(00:01:53) - Gospel & Explanation(00:21:07) - First Reading & Explanation(00:31:09) - Psalm & Explanation(00:32:49) - Second Reading & Explanation(00:44:01) - Closing & Credits

Jesus tells us we cannot pursue wealth and, at the same time, be his faithful disciples since our loyalties will be divided. He also tells us not to be consumed by the things of this world but rather use them to help the poor and the needy. If we are found faithful to Jesus amidst the things of this world, we will receive true riches in the kingdom of heaven. So, how do we accomplish that? This week's readings:Gospel – Luke 16: 1-131st Reading – Amos 8: 4-7Psalm 1132nd Reading – 1 Timothy 2: 1-8 Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction & Prayer(00:01:44) - Gospel & Explanation(00:20:37) - First Reading & Explanation(00:32:39) - Psalm & Explanation(00:36:07) - Second Reading & Explanation(00:52:55) - Closing & Credits

This year we have a rare Sunday occurrence of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and each of our readings sheds some light on the mystery of the Cross through which Jesus accomplished God’s plan for our salvation. God created us and the world in which we live out of love; when we sinned, he sent his Son to save us out of love. We may not deserve such great love, but God showers it upon us anyway and Jesus’ Sacrifice on the Cross is the ultimate proof. Our challenge is to love God in return, so how can we do that well enough?   This week's readings:Gospel – John 3: 13-171st Reading – Numbers 21: 4b-9Psalm 782nd Reading – Philippians 2: 6-11 Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction & Prayer(00:01:44) - Explanation of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross(00:08:43) - Gospel & Explanation(00:14:45) - First Reading & Explanation(00:24:11) - Psalm & Explanation(00:26:51) - Second Reading & Explanation(00:37:37) - Closing & Credits

Jesus challenges us to love him more than anyone or anything else in our lives, even our own families. That is part of the cost of being his disciple, but only part! He also tells us that we must renounce all we have in order to pursue heavenly wisdom… and we must do it willingly, without compulsion, and of our own free will. That’s a tall order, but he promises us help in the form of the Holy Spirit. How can we turn down so great a gift?   This week's readings:Gospel – Luke 14: 25-331st Reading – Wisdom 9: 13-18bPsalm 902nd Reading – Philemon 9b-10, 12-17 Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction & Prayer(00:01:44) - Gospel & Explanation(00:12:27) - First Reading & Explanation(00:23:19) - Psalm & Explanation(00:26:17) - Second Reading & Explanation(00:41:26) - Closing & Credits

In a parable, Jesus warns the Pharisees not to assume places of honor lest they be shamed when someone of greater import arrives for anyone who exalts himself will be humbled. The Scriptures remind us, repeatedly, that humility and meekness are qualities most to be valued, but the world tells us the opposite. How can we be expected to navigate such conflicting messages? How do we reconcile the demands of the world with the teachings of Jesus?   This week's readings:Gospel – Luke 14: 1, 7-141st Reading – Sirach 3: 17-18, 20, 28-29Psalm 682nd Reading – Hebrews 12: 18-19, 22-24 Chapters (00:00:00) - Intro & Prayer(00:01:32) - Gospel & Explanation(00:10:54) - First Reading & Explanation(00:19:18) - Psalm & Explanation(00:20:54) - Second Reading & Explanation(00:28:37) - Closing & Credits

The path of discipleship is difficult and requires unwavering commitment on our part. Jesus assures us that, along the way, we will be challenged, chastised, and disciplined. But if we are faithful, if we carry our own individual crosses, and if we strive to enter through the narrow gate we find before us, Jesus promises us a place in the kingdom. We may not be the first, we may not be the last, but we will be welcome as long as we are faithful. With everything that is before us, are we willing to help each other reach our homeland in heaven? This week's readings:Gospel – Luke 13: 22-301st Reading – Isaiah 66: 18-21Psalm 1172nd Reading – Hebrews 12: 5-7, 11-13 Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction & Prayer(00:00:05) - Closing & Credits(00:01:48) - Gospel & Explanation(00:19:37) - First Reading & Explanation(00:26:56) - Psalm & Explanation(00:28:08) - Second Reading & Explanation

Jesus tells us this week he came to bring division and cast fire upon the earth, but that runs counter to the gentle Savior we so often picture. That’s because we don’t rightly understand what Jesus means when he talks about fire. The fire Jesus means isn’t the destructive fire we might imagine… it's the fire of judgement, certainly, but it is also a fire that purifies us, that ignites our passions, that sparks positive change, and one that inspires us to make ourselves people and the world a better place. Isn’t that the type of fire we should all be willing to start?   This week's readings:Gospel – Luke 12: 49-531st Reading – Jeremiah 38: 4-6, 8-10Psalm 402nd Reading – Hebrews 12: 1-4 Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction & Prayer(00:01:40) - Gospel & Explanation(00:11:13) - First Reading & Explanation(00:21:26) - Psalm & Explanation(00:23:53) - Second Reading & Explanation(00:35:52) - Closing & Credits

Last week Jesus told us that worldly riches don’t ensure heavenly happiness; this week he tells us to store up treasure in heaven… for where our treasure is, there our heart will be also. As citizens of the world, we are expected to behave in predictable ways and meet certain benchmarks: successful jobs, nice houses, good families, new cars, and the latest tech. But as followers of Jesus, we learn that something quite different is expected of us. We are told that we must be prepared at all times for the return of Jesus who will judge us not by worldly standards but by heavenly ones. If Jesus came tonight, would we be ready?   This week's readings:Gospel – Luke 12: 32-481st Reading – Wisdom 18: 6-9aPsalm 332nd Reading – Hebrews 11: 1-2, 8-19 Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction & Prayer(00:01:56) - Gospel & Explanation(00:23:43) - First Reading & Explanation(00:32:31) - Psalm & Explanation(00:36:42) - Second Reading & Explanation(00:56:15) - Closing & Credits

Jesus tells us that worldly riches don’t ensure heavenly happiness. He reminds us that our success cannot be measured by the abundance of our possessions, that building bigger barns to store more stuff won’t ensure happiness, and worldly wealth won’t impress God or gain us a place in the kingdom of heaven. So, what does make us right with God? Saint Paul advises us to seek the things that are above, not the things of this earth. That’s good advice, but how do we follow that in a world that values a different message?   This week's readings:Gospel – Luke 12: 13-211st Reading – Ecclesiastes 1: 2, 2: 21-23Psalm 902nd Reading – Colossians 3: 1-5, 9-11 Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction & Prayer(00:01:55) - Gospel & Explanation(00:15:55) - First Reading & Explanation(00:25:05) - Psalm & Explanation(00:28:28) - Second Reading & Explanation(00:42:53) - Closing & Credits

Jesus taught us to pray boldly, persistently, and rightly. Abraham reminds us that our prayers should benefit others not only ourselves. God is perfect, faithful, merciful, and just… our prayers do not add anything to God’s glory, but they do help transform us. We are told to ask, seek, and knock, and are assured we will be heard. So, why do we still struggle so much with prayer? Because we are impatient. We want to be heard now… we want an answer now… and not just any answer, but the answer we want… now! Our problem may be less about prayer and more about patience and persistence. Our challenge is how to develop those characteristics… right now!   This week's readings:Gospel – Luke 11: 1-131st Reading – Genesis 18: 20-32Psalm 1382nd Reading – Colossians 2: 12-14 Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction & Prayer(00:02:10) - Gospel & Explanation(00:25:10) - First Reading & Explanation(00:40:05) - Psalm & Explanation(00:44:21) - Second Reading & Explanation(00:53:30) - Closing & Credits

It is easy to resent the demands placed upon us by proper etiquette, especially in the privacy of our own homes. Yet in biblical times, hospitality was paramount! We hear two stories of hospitality this week, each with its own focus but the same central idea: that we must be open to God. We must welcome him into our homes, our families, our communities, and our society. But there are so many parts of our lives we isolate from God… our politics, our social media presence, our workplaces. That misguided thinking encourages habits that run counter to God’s teaching… things like discrimination, cruelty, hostility, intolerance. Can we allow God into every part of our lives? It won’t be easy, but it will help us become better people, the people God intends us to be.   This week's readings:Gospel – Luke 10: 38b-421st Reading – Genesis 18: 1-10aPsalm 152nd Reading – Colossians 1: 24-28 Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction & Prayer(00:01:57) - Gospel & Explanation(00:14:39) - First Reading & Explanation(00:26:43) - Psalm & Explanation(00:31:40) - Second Reading & Explanation(00:43:22) - Closing & Credits

We tend to think of our neighbors as only those who live near where we live, people who look like us, who live like we do, who think and act the same way we do. Jesus challenges that notion and invites us to see every other person as a neighbor… regardless of who they are, where they live, what the look like, or how they think. That’s a big ask in a society, and a world, that has become divided along political and social ideological lines. Jesus presents the same challenge to us today! When our ideologies don’t agree with what Jesus teaches, we have to be willing to discard them and realign our thinking. That, too, is a big ask… are we up for it? This week's readings:Gospel – Luke 10: 25-371st Reading – Deuteronomy 30: 10-14Psalm 69 OR Psalm 192nd Reading – Colossians 1: 15-20 Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction & Prayer(00:01:59) - Gospel & Explanation(00:24:06) - First Reading & Explanation(00:31:09) - Psalm Choice A & Explanation(00:33:02) - Psalm Choice B & Explanation(00:35:01) - Second Reading & Explanation(00:44:17) - Closing & Credits

We are all called to be disciples of Jesus and that path can lead us in many different directions. Sometimes the way is easy, often it is not; sometimes we receive accolades for our efforts, often we do not; sometimes we earn earthly rewards… some of which are good, some are hard, but often our rewards will not be seen in this life – only in the next. Yet, we are still called… even if we don’t listen, even when we don’t respond, even though we don’t feel worthy. Discipleship is a choice, so what choice will we make?   This week's readings:Gospel – Luke 10: 1-12, 17-201st Reading – Isaiah 66: 10-14Psalm 662nd Reading – Galatians 6: 14-18 Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction & Prayer(00:01:32) - Gospel & Explanation(00:20:53) - First Reading & Prayer(00:28:15) - Psalm & Explanation(00:30:45) - Second Reading & Explanation(00:40:54) - Closing & Credits

This weekend we have a rare Sunday occurrence of the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, two very different men both pursuing the same mission… to share their witness of the Risen Christ and spread the Church established by Jesus himself. Peter was a simple fisherman, both imperfect and noble, a man chosen by Jesus to be preeminent among the disciples, yet one who denied even knowing Jesus the night before his Death. Paul was a scholar and a Pharisee, a firebrand determined to persecute the early Christians, yet – after his conversion - he became the Apostle to the Gentiles establishing new churches throughout the region. As Christians today, our faith rests on the shoulders of these two Apostles. Are we willing to take up their mission and share the good news of Jesus? This week's readings:Gospel – Matthew 16: 13-191st Reading – Acts 12: 1-11Psalm 342nd Reading – 2 Timothy 4: 6-8, 17-18   Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction & Prayer(00:01:56) - Gospel & Explanation(00:19:52) - First Reading & Explanation(00:36:58) - Psalm & Explanation(00:41:28) - Second Reading & Explanation(00:53:57) - Closing & Credits

Jesus fed five thousand men starting with just five common loaves of bread and two fish – everyone present ate their fill with plenty of leftovers – no one can say the God isn’t generous! This miraculous event prefigured the Institution of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper when Jesus gave his Body and Blood as food for eternal life. Saint Paul, though he was not present for that meal, beautifully describes it for us in his First Letter to the Corinthians. This weekend the Church celebrates the New Covenant that Jesus established with his disciples and all the faithful down through the centuries. This week's readings:Gospel – Luke 9: 11b-171st Reading – Genesis 14: 18-20Psalm 1102nd Reading – 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26 Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction & Prayer(00:01:56) - Gospel & Explanation(00:15:49) - First Reading & Explanation(00:24:11) - Psalm & Explanation(00:32:38) - Second Reading & Explanation(00:46:21) - Closing & Credits

The Holy Trinity, whose Feast we celebrate this Sunday, is one of the most confounding mysteries that we encounter in the Christian faith. The members of the Trinity – Father, Son, and Spirit – are one God and yet three separate persons, they share one divine substance yet are distinct from each other, each person is entirely God but all three are in relation to each other. It is a stunning mystery we are invited to experience through the grace of Jesus, the love of the Father, and the fellowship of the Spirit.   This week's readings:Gospel – John 16: 12-151st Reading – Proverbs 8: 22-31Psalm 82nd Reading – Romans 5: 1-5 Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction & Prayer(00:02:23) - Gospel & Explanation(00:14:22) - First Reading & Explanation(00:26:48) - Psalm & Explanation(00:29:17) - Second Reading & Explanation(00:40:00) - Closing & Credits

Pentecost celebrates not just the descent of the Holy Spirit, but the birth of the Church as well! Accompanied by the spectacle of a driving wind and tongues of fire, the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus to his disciples, descends upon those gathered together in the Upper Room and they are strengthened to preach the good news of Jesus to the ends of the earth. Jesus offers us that same Holy Spirit… not, perhaps, in quite such a dramatic fashion but a real promise, nonetheless.   This week's readings:Pentecost SequenceGospel (A) – John 20: 19-23 OR Gospel (B) – John 14: 15-16, 23b-261st Reading – Acts 2: 1-11Psalm 1042nd Reading (A) – 1 Corinthians 12: 3b-7, 12-13 OR 2nd Reading (B) – Romans 8: 8-17 Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction & Prayer(00:01:40) - Pentecost Sequence(00:05:42) - Gospel (A) & Explanation(00:13:02) - Gospel (B) & Explanation(00:21:07) - First Reading & Explanation(00:30:49) - Psalm & Explanation(00:32:42) - Second Reading (A) & Explanation(00:44:20) - Second Reading (B) & Explanation(01:01:43) - Closing & Credits

This week we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus into heaven. There is plenty of evidence for the historical person of Jesus and his Crucifixion is well documented. His Ascension, however, is a private affair and the only invitees are the Apostles – the ones who knew him best in life and so could offer reliable, eyewitness testimony regarding his Ascension. Yet, people still doubt… and that’s understandable. In our modern age especially, where truth is no longer objective and facts are always in question, skepticism has almost become a virtue. Maybe faith in Jesus is another thing we should be willing to just simply accept. This week's readings:Gospel – Luke 24: 46-531st Reading – Acts 1: 1-11Psalm 472nd Reading – Ephesians 1: 17-23 OR Hebrews 9: 24-28, 10: 19-23  To see the photos mentioned in this week's episode, follow me on Instagram as @fromhiswordtoourhearts.  Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction & Prayer(00:02:57) - Gospel & Explanation(00:15:51) - First Reading & Explanation(00:29:20) - Psalm & Explanation(00:32:08) - First Reading (Ephesians) & Explanation(00:43:07) - First Reading (Hebrews) & Explanation(00:53:16) - Closing & Credits