This week the Pharisees and the Sadducees, strange bedfellows indeed, unite to challenge Jesus about the Law. They hoped to create a question too controversial for Jesus to answer, but Jesus’ creates an answer that is irrefutable… love God and love neighbor! The passage from Exodus helps us understand who we must see as our neighbor: strangers, foreigners, widows and orphans, the poor, and the vulnerable. And God reminds us that when those who are mistreated cry to him, he hears them in his compassion… meaning that we should not mistreat anyone! Like the Thessalonians, we too are called to serve God who is living and true, so why aren’t we always true to that calling?

This week's readings:
Gospel – Matthew 22: 34-40
1st Reading – Exodus 22: 21-26
Psalm 18
2nd Reading – 1 Thessalonians 1: 5c-10

• (00:00:00) - Introduction & Prayer
• (00:02:23) - Gospel (Matthew 22) & Explanation
• (00:13:30) - First Reading (Exodus 22) & Explanation
• (00:27:06) - Psalm 18 & Explanation
• (00:31:45) - Second Reading (1 Thessalonians 1) & Explanation
• (00:44:54) - Closing & Credits

This week, we are reminded that Jesus is the humble Messiah promised by Zechariah, that he has come to teach his followers about the Father who, our Psalm reminds us, is good and merciful, compassionate and gracious, slow to become angry with us and abounding in mercy for us when we stumble. While Paul’s message this week focuses on the Spirit, teaching that when we live according to the Spirit, rather than the demands of human flesh, then we belong to Christ and will have eternal life. Every year when Ordinary Time rolls around, our challenge is to rededicate ourselves as Jesus’ followers… to listen to his teachings and learn from him… to find rest and renewal through our connection to him. Are we up for the challenge?

This week's readings:
Gospel – Matthew 11: 25-30
1st Reading –Zechariah 9: 9-10
Psalm 145
2nd Reading – Romans 8: 9, 11-13

• (00:00:00) - Introduction & Prayer
• (00:02:17) - Gospel & Explanation
• (00:14:38) - First Reading & Explanation
• (00:24:51) - Psalm & Explanation
• (00:27:22) - Second Reading & Explanation
• (00:41:14) - Closing & Credits

Peter goes from being a hero to becoming a stumbling block, from having the right answer to getting things all wrong. That can happen to us, too! That happens when we deceive ourselves, when we listen to the wrong messages, when we misunderstand Scripture, when we distort the Gospel, and when we pick and choose what we like rather than accepting everything Jesus said. Paul tells us we must not be conformed to this world, that we must become a living sacrifice that is holy and acceptable to God, that we must serve God and others every day. But how can we do that when we spend too much time worrying about what the world thinks and not enough time concentrating on what Jesus teaches in the Gospel?

This week's readings:
Gospel – Matthew 16: 21-27
1st Reading – Jeremiah 20: 7-9
Psalm 63
2nd Reading – Romans 12: 1-2

• (00:00:00) - Introduction & Prayer
• (00:03:35) - Gospel & Explanation
• (00:21:45) - First Reading & Explanation
• (00:31:07) - Psalm & Explanation
• (00:33:02) - Second Reading & Explanation
• (00:47:57) - Closing & Credits