There’s a great deal that could be said about today’s Gospel, but one thing that calls our attention immediately is the great difference between Mary and Judas.
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Mary gives Jesus a very generous gift; we know that the oil is valued at 300 days’ wages. If we think about it, we know that she must have saved up for a long time to buy it, since obviously she had to eat and buy some things in order to obtain it; even if she went without eating every other day, it would’ve taken her at least two years to save up that amount. We can think of all of the sacrifices, all of the work and all of the love that went into that gift. What’s the result? John the Evangelist tells us “The house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.” Her good deed spread throughout the entire building; her actions benefited, not only Jesus, but everyone else in the house as well, who were able to partake of her good deed.

Today’s Gospel presents us with Christ in Cana in Galilee, and a royal official who comes to asks for a miracle on behalf of his son. Yet Jesus gives the man a surprising response, and the official repeats his request, which is then answered. There’s a lot we could say about this passage, but one of the most beautiful teachings, and most pertinent to this Lenten season, is about prayer. John gives us two insights into the official’s prayer, two elements that need to be corrected, and then shows us how Christ responds to sincere and humble prayer.

Today’s Gospel gives us some beautiful insights into the nature of anger. Christ says, “I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.” An ancient commentary on this text from the Gospel of Matthew says that Christ’s commandment is even more perfect than the law, since “often an individual does not kill because he fears punishment, but nonetheless he is angry,” [1] and wishes evil on his brother; we could say that anger would kill if it could get away with it. There is, of course, such a thing as righteous anger, and we can find a test in the last chapter of the book of Jonah. After God spares the citizens of Nineveh, Jonah throws a fit. Although translations vary, often God’s question to Jonah is rendered “Do you do well to be angry?” This is a question that, very often, we must answer “No,” since our anger doesn’t usually fulfill God’s righteousness, as Saint James writes (cf. 1:20). However, many times we try to convince ourselves that it does. 

As some of you might know, this year is the first year since 1945 that Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday have coincided. At first, it might seem that the two celebrations couldn’t be any more different, since Valentine’s Day has become the rather worldly, sentimental, and saccharine carnival of earthly, emotional love, and Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season, with its somber liturgies, fasting, abstinence from meat, almsgiving, and the like.  
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Yet, as strange as it might seem, Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday are closer than we might think: both point us beyond that one day, on towards the greatest love that there is. 

​“They begged Jesus that they might touch only the tassel on His cloak” (Mk 6:56). If we meditate on the request of the citizens of Gennesaret, there are two truths that emerge. First, notice that, out of all the things the citizens of Gennesaret could’ve asked Jesus for, they asked only to touch His cloak, and not even the whole cloak, but just the tassel, the smallest part. They could’ve asked for spiritual healing, or salvation, or to love Him more, but they didn’t. Now, it’s not evil to ask to touch His cloak, and clearly they had enough faith in Jesus for Him to be able to work miracles for them, but Mark gives us the impression that they’ve missed the point: it’s as though they’ve forgotten which was greater: the tassel, or the One wearing the clock. 

Fr. Theodore Trinko, IVE
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time - World Mission Sunday
Preached at The National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

“Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” This is the response which stumped the Pharisees’ minions. We didn’t read it today but the very next verse describes how these henchmen were “amazed” or dumbfounded at the response. They attempted to corner Jesus with a moral conundrum only to be taught a profound lesson which requires some attention from us: give to each what is his due. The lesson of the dual citizenship.

While the US Government might not formally recognize any dual citizenship, it’s good for us that God above does. Not only are we citizens of this earth, with earthly homes, earthly connections, and earthly duties, but we are also citizens of heaven.

Fr. Nathaniel Dreyer, IVE
Tuesday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time

In today’s Gospel, Jesus continues with His rebukes of the unbelieving Pharisees. Here, a Pharisee invited Him to partake of a meal at his house, and is astonished when Jesus doesn’t perform the ceremonial washing of hands as prescribed by the law.

The word Luke uses to describe the Pharisee’s reaction is ἐθαύμασεν (ethaumasen); it means to be awestruck or even astonished out of one’s senses, but it’s a word that’s usually used to describe the reaction that people have to Jesus’ miracles or His grace-filled words.[1] Here we can see just how backwards the Pharisees have understood things:

In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives His apostles authority and sends them out. There are two things that call our attention: first, Luke tells us that Christ “sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” There’s two things: preaching, and healing. Indeed, they do just that, as Luke ends the passage by saying: “Then they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere.” Secondly, we notice that Christ is adamant that the apostles take nothing with them for the journey.

​Today’s Gospel should be one of great relief for us. In it we heard Jesus lay down the conditions of being in his family:1) hearing the word of God and 2) acting on it.

​This was a great change from the belief of the Jewish people up to that point. In order to belong to God’s Chosen People in the fullest sense of the word, one had to be born into that nation. The divide was so great between Jew and Gentile that even individuals born into non-Jewish families who converted to Judaism were always considered a sort of second class citizen. But that chasm which separated the two peoples was bridged by the cross of Christ so that one’s relationship with God was no longer based on racial background. 

Fr. Christopher Etheridge, IVE
Independence Day

Today is a day of national celebration, and a day of national thanksgiving to God for the gift of our sovereignty as a United States of America. Liberty, as it is so connected to today’s celebration is probably the pinnacle of American values. This can be seen clearly in some of our national expressions of patriotism.