Podcasts

Trying to Trick Jesus

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

This past Sunday we read one of my favorite passages. It comes from Matthew 22. You know the story. It is where the Pharisees were trying to trick Jesus.

They went off and plotted. Then they came back to Jesus and with honey dripping off their lips, they posed a question, “Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. And you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion, for you do not regard a person’s status. Tell us, then, what is your opinion: Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?”

Jesus knew better than to fall for their trap. Instead, He answered those crafty old Pharisees with a question of His own, “Show me the coin. Whose image is this?”

Since Caesar created that coin and his image is on it, It is his coin. Jesus says to repay to Caesar what is Caesar’s. As we are created in God’s image, it is God’s image stamped on our hearts. We are His. So, we are to give to God what belongs to God – our very selves. Our hearts.

Give your heart to Jesus. Courageously do what you believe in your heart that He is calling you to do, and give what you believe He is calling you to give. We give to who and what we love, so giving to God draws our heart to Him. He tells us this in Mt 6:21, “Where your treasure is there is your heart. “Giving your heart, your time, talent, and treasure to God and the ministries of the church draws us into a deeper relationship with Jesus. In doing so, you will create a legacy of kindness and generosity that will impact your loved ones and the church for generations to come!

                                                                                                                                                             Photo Credit: Robert Davis

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Come Holy Spirit

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

These weekly reflections are what I believe the Holy Spirit gives me based on Sunday’s readings. I’m a day late recording this one and I thought that was because family was in town this weekend. But now I know the Holy Spirit had me wait for today’s Gospel reading. Amen – come Holy Spirit!

That reading is in Luke 11: 37-41. Here we see Jesus invited to dine with a Pharisee. Maybe Jesus was a little too casual for him. He went straight in and reclined at the table, not taking the time to observe the prescribed washing ritual. The Pharisee was aghast!

You know the story. Jesus calls the man out for expressing his displeasure of Jesus’s ignoring the external practices of cleanliness. This essentially exposes the internal clutter in the Pharisee’s heart. He is obviously more concerned about the things of this world, about how he looks to others, the external show. Aren’t we all guilty of that sometimes?

Now watch what Jesus says at the end of the passage. In verse 41, He instructs, “But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.” This man’s soul needed cleaning and almsgiving is the cleansing agent. He needed a change of heart.

Jesus will go on to tell us in the next chapter that where our treasure is, there also will be our heart (Lk 12:34). Giving alms provides for our treasure to go to the needs of the poor. It changes our heart. When we give to the poor, our hearts begin to fall in love with them as the sisters and brothers in Christ that they are. This is so much more important to our spiritual wellbeing than what anyone thinks about what we wear, what car we drive, or the social engagements we attend.

So, give alms and be made clean.

Give to express your love for those most vulnerable.

Give because INYM.

                                                                                                                                                          Photo Credit: Robert Davis

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Your Legacy Matters

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

What do you desire most? What is it that you truly want in life? Isn’t it ultimately to have peace in the knowledge that you provided for your loved ones, that you have made an impact on them and your community by how you’ve lived. In other words, don’t you truly want the satisfaction of knowing your legacy matters? How can you be intentional about that?

St Paul show us the way in Philippians 4. He tells us how to create our legacy by imitating him in these ways:

  • Rejoice in the Lord always.
  • Let your kindness be known to all
  • Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
  • make your requests known to God.

Paul goes on to give more specifics. He says, “whatever is true, honorable, just, whatever is pure, lovely, and gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Finally, Paul invites us to keep on doing what we have learned and received, heard and seen in him. Because when you do, then the God of peace will be with you.

Contrast that with the world’s way to peace. Culture is constantly enticing us with images of the things we think we need, inviting us to pleasurable social activities we think we need to do, and luring us to the adventures we think we need to have in order to be happy. While this stuff may make us happy for a while, we know that happiness of this kind is fleeting.

Instead, let’s obtain God’s peace, the peace beyond understanding by imitating Paul in the truth of this passage. Keep on doing what you learn from it: rejoice, don’t worry, trust in God, and put Him first in all things. Padre Pio advises us to, “Pray, hope, and don’t worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer.”

What a legacy we would create if we lived this way. Legacy isn’t so much about leaving stuff behind. It’s the impact you make on others by how you live. You know your legacy matters when other people do good because of you.

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Attitude Adjustment

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

Attitude is everything. We all probably need an attitude adjustment. Pop-psychology tells us that our happiness and success depend on having a positive attitude. Our health depends on a positive attitude. Have you ever been told that you can beat your ailment or disease if you just have a positive attitude?

Back in grammar school, did Sister ever tell you to wipe that attitude off your face or she’ll do it for you? If so, you know how important attitude is to your wellbeing.

As Christian disciples, we may need an attitude adjustment to be in line with Jesus. St. Paul tells us this truth in Philippians 2: 5 where he says, “Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus.” What are the attitudes of Christ? To be a good steward, consider these three:

1st: Humility.  We go on to read about Jesus’s humility in verse 6. Here is Jesus, you know, God, “who, though he was in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.”

2nd: Obedience.  Jesus’s main concern was to do the will of God. In obedience to His Father, He humbled himself and became like us. He took on our sin becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross (8).

3rd: Detachment.  King Jesus cared nothing about what the world thinks is important. Our vision of the power and wealth that a ruler should wield are anathema to Him. We know that rulers lord it over people. But Lord Jesus ruled by serving others.

So as good stewards of God’s many gifts, in humble obedience, let’s detach from our desire for more and our fear of not having enough. Let us “do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also for those of others (Phil 2:3-4).”

Fr. Richard Rohr shared, “To know and to follow Christ crucified is to know and love those children, women, and men who are poor, excluded, and despised.” He went on to say that we should despise what Jesus despised on the cross: wealth, pleasure, power, and honor. (CAC, April 2022)..

“The love of worldly possessions is a sort of bird line which entangles the soul and prevents it flying to God.” St. Augustine

                                                                                                                                                                      Photo Credit: Robert Davis

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Live Worthy of the Gospel

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

Stewardship is a way of life. It is a way to live worthy of the Gospel. Fr. Richard Rohr, founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation teaches the Gospel is a call to live life differently; simple, humble, generous, accepting that nothing is perfect. In fact, God loves imperfect things and people.

St. Paul tells us in 1 Cor 1:27 that we are called to conduct ourselves in a way worthy of the Gospel. This might sound out of reach, but it is not a call to some self-created notion of perfection. After all, we all are imperfect and broken. Besides, only God can lay claim to being perfect. But, we are called to live worthy of the Gospel. What does that mean? How are we to do that?

It means as stewards, we are to put God first in every area of life, time, talent, and treasure. We seek God’s kingdom first above all things, trusting that He will provide all we need. And in humble gratitude for His love and mercy and all of His blessings, we live a life that builds the legacy we are created to leave, one of intentional kindness and courageous generosity.

St Therese of Lisieux said, “Kindness is my only guiding star. In its light, I sail a straight route. I have my motto written on my sail, ‘To live in love.”

Our Christian faith calls us to live in love, to live life differently, to be humble, other-centered, and self-sacrificing. How does the way you conduct your life, manage your time, forgiving and loving your neighbor, using your talents, and spending your money reveal a lifestyle and a mindset that is Christian, different from what our culture advocates and rewards? In other words, how does your stewardship demonstrate your worthiness of the Gospel?

                                                                                                                                           Photo Credit: Robert Davis

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