Do you know your next door neighbor?

It is not enough for us to say: "I love God," but I also have to love my neighbor.
St. John says that you are a liar if you say you love God
and you don't love your neighbor.
How can you love God whom you do not see,
if you do not love your neighbor whom you see, whom you touch, with whom you live? – Mother Teresa

Gospel Text: (LK 10:25-37)

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said,

“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law?

How do you read it?”

He said in reply,

“You shall love the Lord, your God,

with all your heart,

with all your being,

with all your strength,

and with all your mind,

and your neighbor as yourself.”

He replied to him, “You have answered correctly;

do this and you will live.”

But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus,

“And who is my neighbor?”

Jesus replied,

“A man fell victim to robbers

as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.

They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.

A priest happened to be going down that road,

but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.

Likewise a Levite came to the place,

and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.

But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him

was moved with compassion at the sight.

He approached the victim,

poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.

Then he lifted him up on his own animal,

took him to an inn, and cared for him.

The next day he took out two silver coins

and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,

‘Take care of him.

If you spend more than what I have given you,

I shall repay you on my way back.’

Which of these three, in your opinion,

was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”

He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.”

Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

How do we know whether we love our neighbors? We love them if we are willing to spend time and energy on them. We love our neighbors if we are willing to give hands-on, sacrificial service to them, as did the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:33-35). We love our neighbors if we are willing to lay down our lives for them (1 Jn 3:16), even if they are our enemies (see Rm 5:8). We love our neighbors if we love as the crucified Jesus loves. Consequently, we love our neighbors by grace, not by any power of our own.

Is there any person, group, or class of people you won't get near? Do you stay away from the poor, uneducated, crippled, retarded, aged, criminals, unrepentant, or those of a different race or religion? These may be your "wounded victims," your chance to be a good Samaritan.

Jesus may be saying that as often as you neglected to get near these people, you neglected to get near Him (Mt 25:45).

We need to be like the Good Samaritan. 

We are going to find Jesus by reaching out and immersing ourselves into the wounded.  Moreover, we are all wounded, because we are all part of a world that has forgotten how to love. 

Jesus tells us the same thing he told the lawyer today in the gospel, “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37). It’s that simple. It’s that clear.

"Love has no room for fear"

“Fear is such a powerful emotion for humans that when we allow it to take us over, it drives compassion right out of our hearts.”― St. Thomas Aquinas

Gospel Text: (MT 10:24-33)

Jesus said to his Apostles:

“No disciple is above his teacher,

no slave above his master.

It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher,

for the slave that he become like his master.

If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul,

how much more those of his household!

“Therefore do not be afraid of them.

Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,

nor secret that will not be known.

What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;

what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.

And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;

rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy

both soul and body in Gehenna.

Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?

Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.

Even all the hairs of your head are counted.

So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Everyone who acknowledges me before others

I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.

But whoever denies me before others,

I will deny before my heavenly Father.”

The Lord tells us 365 times in the Bible "Do not fear." That's one for every day of the year. In our Gospel reading today, Jesus commands: "Do not let them intimidate you" (Mt 10:26). "Do not be afraid of anything" (Mt 10:31). Notice the Lord not only frequently tells us not to fear but makes this a commandment.

Realistically speaking, we cannot just throw out fear. Fear must be displaced. Jesus doesn't merely tell us not to fear, but He says fear of man must be pushed out of our lives by fear of God (Mt 10:28).

The fear of the Lord, that is, a respectful awe in His presence, is the beginning of wisdom, and the end of fear of man (Ps 111:10). "He who fears the Lord is never alarmed, never afraid; for the Lord is his hope" (Sir 34:14).

As Catholics, at our Confirmations, each of our bishops or his delegate specifically prayed for us to receive the fear of the Lord (see Is 11:2-3). Therefore, we have this gift. Then, if we deepen our fear of the Lord (see Acts 9:31), we will deepen our faith and love, and we will be fearless and free.

“Sometimes it’s not the strength but gentleness that cracks the hardest shells.”

“When lenity and cruelty play for a kingdom, the gentler gamester is the soonest winner” ― William Shakespeare, Henry V

Gospel Text: (Mt 10:16-23)

Jesus said to his Apostles:
“Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves;
so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.
But beware of men, 
for they will hand you over to courts
and scourge you in their synagogues,
and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake
as a witness before them and the pagans.
When they hand you over,
do not worry about how you are to speak
or what you are to say.
You will be given at that moment what you are to say.
For it will not be you who speak
but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Brother will hand over brother to death,
and the father his child;
children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but whoever endures to the end will be saved.
When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.
Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel
before the Son of Man comes.”

In today's culture, sheep-among-wolves seems to still be a valid image. Our world is becoming more and more hostile to the cause of the gospel. Christians are being painted, especially by those who passionately embrace practices that are condemned by Holy Scripture and Catholic teaching, as intolerant extremists. As a side note, I'm still amazed when people use the label "intolerant" when making statements that are in themselves intolerant.

Jesus adds in today’s gospel an interesting twist to the sheep among wolves imagery. He says we are to be simple, or innocent, as doves. This counteracts any inclination that we, like the snake, need to attack with a poisonous bite.

Simplicity - or innocence - as a virtue is easy to explain: "what you see is what you get." The word in the Greek here means to be "pure" or "unmixed." It is the same word used in the Beatitudes when Jesus says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

As a virtue, what we want to develop is a life that does not have many layers of complexity. People with the virtue of simplicity are clear and transparent, and their relationships are honest and solid. There is no secret agenda, no hidden intentions. The simple person is never two-faced; he or she is sincere and straight, with nothing to hide.



Again, as sheep among wolves, we can easily be tempted to morph into different personas depending on the circumstance. We can skip a private prayer before a business lunch, choose to add salty language at the office to fit in, or do a number of other things as a cover-up for who we really are. 


Not only will those around be presented with a false image of who we are, but the gospel message - both in word and action - will also be hidden as well. When we live lives of simplicity, not only will we see God, as we read in the Beatitudes, but those around us will be able to see him as well.



Prudence and simplicity are two virtues worth cultivating. These seeds are planted by those who are able to successfully navigate through the world of wolves by virtuous living and, in the love of Christ, clearly and simply deliver the message of light.

Be it Food or Faith – Our God Provides

'The more you abandon to God the care of all temporal things the more He will take care to provide for all your wants. But if on the contrary you try to supply all your needs Providence will allow you to continue to do just that, and then it may very well happen that even necessity will be lacking to you. For God will reprove you for your lack of faith in reliance on self.'  - St. Jean-Baptiste de la Salle

Gospel Text: (Mt 10:7-15)

Jesus said to his Apostles:
“As you go, make this proclamation:
‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts;
no sack for the journey, or a second tunic,
or sandals, or walking stick.
The laborer deserves his keep.
Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it,
and stay there until you leave.
As you enter a house, wish it peace.
If the house is worthy,
let your peace come upon it;
if not, let your peace return to you.
Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words—
go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.
Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment
than for that town.”

“Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack for the journey” – What are you crazy!


Divine Providence is a heavily disputed subject even among many of the faithful followers of Christ. So what is Divine Providence? I would say that it is what Jesus talked about when He said: "So do not worry and say,  'What are we to eat?' or 'What are we to drink?' or 'What are we to wear?' ...But seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides." (Matthew 6:31,33).

Divine Providence is trusting in God - believing that He would provide what we need when we need it. But we no longer live in a society that depends on God for food and shelter. We are rational beings - people who know that unless we show up to work in the morning everyday, there won't be any food on the table. Even as I grow in my faith, I found it hard to believe in a God who can also be a Provider. And I know that I am not the only one to have this attitude as I find many people with strong faith who simply refuse to believe that God can provide them with everything they need as long as they are willing to follow Him with all their heart. 

Thank goodness the saints think differently and show us the way.

Mother Teresa was a very ordinary person. Neither was she highly educated, nor was she gifted with supreme managerial or people skills. Instead she listened to God, and God provided her with everything she wanted to get the job done.

Here are a few instances from Mother's life where God directly got involved:

There was the time in Calcutta when Mother ran out of food and the next food supply was two days away. She had about seven thousand people expecting to get fed those two days. For some unanticipated reason the government closed down schools for two days, and all the bread that would have been provided for the schoolchildren was sent to Missionaries of Charity. She received just enough bread to serve everybody for two days. On another occasion a sister telephoned from Agra to say that a children's home was desperately needed there. It would have taken about 50,000 rupees to do so and Mother was compelled to tell her that it was impossible at that time due to lack of funds. The phone rang again as soon as she hung up with the sister to inform her that she had been awarded the Magsaysay Award from the Philippines. The award money amounted to some 50,000 rupees. In 1971, Mother Teresa found a house in Southall, England to start a novitiate, but the owner wanted 9,000 Pounds for it. She placed a small miraculous medal in the garden of the property and prayed, then offered 6,000 Pounds for it. Though the offer was significantly lower than the market value, the owner of the property immediately accepted the offer. A problem arose when she tried to bring money from India to buy the house, as banking regulations prevented such a transfer. She set off on a tour of England and spoke at different places, briefly mentioning about her intention to open a novitiate in Southall. She made no appeal for money, however, people still gave her small donations as she travelled. At the end of the tour, the total donations received was counted and it totaled to 5,995 Pounds!

God wanted Mother Teresa to see Jesus in the poorest of the poor in this world. In return for her obedience, God provided her with everything she ever needed. He did the same for the first apostles when they were told by Jesus to go out with “no gold or silver or copper for their belts and no sack for the journey’ in today’s gospel. And he will do the same for us, if only we are obedient to God’s will – Believe it!