October 4, 2020
Leif Kehrwald

There are two parables in our readings today, and they are very similar. In our first reading from Isaiah, and in our Gospel reading from Matthew, we have a landowner who lavishes extraordinary care on his vineyard. He digs it, clears it of stones, plants it with choice vines, builds a watchtower, hews out a wine vat in it.

September 20, 2020
Leif Kehrwald

​Apparently, since biblical times, there have been valid reasons why workers are discouraged from talking about how much they make.
 
In this section of the Gospel, three times Matthew has Jesus say, “The first shall be last, and the last shall be first.” One can only conclude that in Matthew’s view, Jesus seeks to reorder the relationship between those who have and those who struggle.
 
Let’s focus, of course, on today’s story.

August 23, 2020
Leif Kehrwald

There’s a great quip attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt that goes something like this:
You wouldn’t worry so much about what other people think of you . . .
if you know how little they did.
 
When I become over concerned about the impression I leave, I take comfort in these words. They, you, care a lot less than I sometimes imagine. It doesn’t excuse rudeness or cavalier behavior, it just means I need to have a healthy, balanced self-awareness in order to just be me, and in order to relate well to you, and the world around me.

August 16, 202
Sr. Phyllis Jaszkowiak

Today’s gospel tells of a mother who wouldn’t take no for an answer.  Her daughter was ill and she wanted a cure from the one who cured.  When Jesus ignored her, she called out louder.
 
Jesus’ response was less than inviting as he said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”  This time she simply said, “Lord, help me,” as she did him homage.

Leif Kehrwald
August 2, 2020

Huge crowds followed Jesus. He felt compassion for them and healed their sick. He saw that they were hungry and, rather than send them away empty, he fed them on just five loaves and two fish . . . and there was an abundance of leftovers. The twelve baskets of leftovers is a symbolic way of saying there is enough to feed the entire world, and there will be plenty leftover.
​

July 26, 2020
Sr Phyllis Jaszkowiak

Unexpectedly, a treasure is found, what a happy surprise!  Unexpectedly, a pearl of great price is discovered, another happy surprise.  It seems, in these parables, that people were just going about their everyday work, and suddenly this treasure, this pearl was discovered.  So the people react by selling everything they had to purchase the field with the treasure and to purchase the pearl of great price.
​