A Picture for God

 

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My granddaughter Scarlett 

came with a picture she had drawn.

She held it up with pride and said,

“This is for God.”

A little while later, 

she went into the backyard,

lifted that picture high,

and threw it toward heaven.

It fluttered back down.

She looked at me and said,

“Pop… I drew this picture for God,

but He won’t take it.

How do I get it to Him?”

“Let the little ones come to Me.”

A child’s faith is innocent,

pure,

and astonishingly great.

Scarlett had no doubt

that she could get that picture to God.

No hesitation.

No fear.

Just trust.

Jesus tells us that all we need

is faith the size of a mustard seed—

so small,

so simple,

yet like yeast in bread,

it makes great things rise.

But for many of us,

our faith has become worn —

hidden away,

tucked in a crevice,

left to rot and tear.

Not because we don’t love God,

but because life wears us down.

Lift your heart again.

Lift your prayer again.

Lift your trust again.

Even if it feels small,

even if it feels worn—

offer it to God.

He will take it.

He always does.

Prayer

Lord, 

Awaken in us a simple trust

Let our worn faith be lifted again 

into Your hands.

Heal what has torn, 

restore what has faded.

Teach us to offer 

even our smallest gifts with love.

And receive them, Lord,

as only You can.

Amen

Hearts Called by God - Homily Reflection 17th Sunday OTA

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 Blessed be God. Praise Jesus Christ—now and forever.

And may the Holy Spirit fill us with joy,

set our hearts ablaze,

and make His presence burn within us.

My friends,

Jesus began His public ministry with a message

simple, direct, and urgent:

Metanoia—repent—change your heart—

for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

The Kingdom is not far away.

Not someday.

Not distant.

It is at hand.

Right here.

Right now.

And in today’s Gospel,

Jesus opens that mystery for us wider

with three images—

three windows into the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of Heaven, He says,

is like a treasure buried in a field,

or a pearl of great price.

When someone discovers it,

they give everything—

every possession, every comfort, every plan—

because nothing compares

to the joy of belonging to God.

These images are not only about heaven.

They are about the Kingdom that is at hand—

the way God calls each of us

right where we stand,

right here in the ordinary rhythm of life.

But Jesus also says the Kingdom is like a net

cast into the sea,

gathering fish of every kind.

Some will claim the name Christian

yet never allow their hearts to change.

And at the end of time,

the angels will separate the good from the bad.

A sobering reminder

that the Kingdom demands conversion—

a real turning of the heart.

Saint Paul tells the Romans

that vocation is never accidental:

Those whom God calls, He justifies;

and those He justifies, He glorifies.

God does not call us without purpose.

He does not place us randomly.

He plants us

where our hearts can serve.

There ws a man discerning the diaconate.

But he was also a judge.

As he prayed, the bishop met with him and said:

“A judge must impose the law of man.

A deacon must carry the mercy of God.

These two hearts cannot live in the same place.”

So the man prayed again.

Listened again.

And he remained a judge—

not because he failed,

but because God had already placed him

where his heart could serve best.

Friends, the parables today are not 

just images of heaven.

They are images of our lives,

our vocations,

our daily callings.

Each of us finds our treasure

in the field where we live.

Each of us finds our pearl

in the vocation God has already given.

Each of us discovers God’s will

not by changing roles,

but by letting God shape our hearts

in the place where He planted us.

Because the Kingdom of God

is not only found in sanctuaries.

It is found in courtrooms,

in classrooms,

in kitchens,

in workplaces,

in families—

wherever God has placed you

with a heart called by God.

Trust this promise:

Those He calls, He justifies.

Those He justifies, He glorifies.

So be good.

Be holy.

And preach Jesus Christ

by the example you live,

the love you share,

and the forgiveness you offer.

Praise Jesus Christ—now and forever. Amen.

Prayer

Lord God,

Send the Holy Spirit upon us,  

to shape our hearts for Your Kingdom.  

Let Your light guide us each day.  

Make us faithful 

in the place You have planted us.  

And teach us to love as Christ loves.

Amen

A Treasure in Fragile Hands

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 We have all felt the heavy weight of loss.  

A spouse, a child, a parent, a dear friend—  

grief can shatter the heart  

and threaten to break the spirit.  

In those moments, our own strength isn’t enough…  

and it was never meant to be.

Because loss is the cup each of us must drink—  

a sorrow we never sought,  

a path we all eventually walk.  

Yet even as we walk it,  

life remains a treasure we hold in fragile hands.

Paul reminds us we are 'earthen vessels',  

simple clay jars carrying a priceless grace.  

We get chipped, pressed, and shaken.  

We are afflicted, yet not crushed.  

Struck down, yet not destroyed.  

For the strength that carries us  

is not our own—  

it is God’s surpassing power alive within us.

And Jesus Himself walked the road of suffering.  

He came not to be served,  

but to ‘give His life as a ransom for many’—  

turning sacrifice into hope,  

and death into the doorway of life.

So when grief feels close  

and the weight becomes too much,  

remember: Christ’s life is active in you today.  

You do not carry this burden alone.  

Lean into His strength,  

and let His power hold you together.

For our hope is not in our fragile hands,  

but in the God who never leaves us—  

the One who holds us  

even when we cannot hold ourselves.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, 

Cradle our fragile lives

in Your unwavering hands.  

When sorrow presses in, 

let Your strength rise quietly within.  

Hold what our trembling hearts 

cannot bear alone.  

Let Christ’s light 

steady every faltering step we take.  

Keep us anchored in the God 

who never leaves His own.

Amen

Roller Coaster & Rich Soil

 

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I know a man raised in faith.  

Life happened—  

and life can be a roller coaster.  

Ups and downs.  

Highs and lows.  

Good and bad.  

Debauchery and piousness,  

woven together in the same human heart.

But even in the sway of that ride,  

there comes a moment of clarity—  

a moment when a man remembers  

the One who loved him  

and gave Himself for him.  

A moment when he can say with St. Paul:  

“The life I now live in this body,  

I live by putting my trust  

in the Son of God.”

And the Lord, in His mercy,  

still speaks:  

“Return, rebellious children,  

for I am your Master.”

Not to shame,  

not to scold,  

but to gather,  

to heal,  

to restore.

Because God knows the soil of a soul.  

He knows when it has been trampled,  

when it has been dry,  

and when—by grace—  

it becomes rich again.

And Jesus tells us:  

The seed sown on rich soil  

is the one who hears the word,  

understands it,  

and bears fruit—  

a hundred, sixty, thirtyfold.

Remember the man raised in faith.  

Remember the God who never stopped calling.  

Remember that every heart—  

even one weathered by the roller coaster of life—  

can become rich soil again  

when it trusts the Son of God  

who loved us first.

Prayer  

Lord Jesus Christ, 

Let my wandering heart 

remember Your steady love,  

turning rebellions into pathways 

that lead me home.

Make the soil of my soul 

rich again with grace,  

plant Your Word deep 

where fruit can rise and shine.  

Let my life lift in trust of the Son 

who loved me first. 

Amen

The Parable on the Goal Line

 

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Last night at my grandson’s summer football drills,  

I watched a parable unfold on a goal line.

After an hour of speed, strength, and agility work,  

the boys were worn out.  

Then came the 100‑yard dashes.  

Some glided across the field—  

smooth, effortless, almost floating.  

Most ran steady, including my grandson.  

And then came the big boys—  

the ones I know well from my own life—  

slow, heavy, determined.

By the fourth sprint, one seventh‑grader—  

well over six feet, close to 300 pounds—  

bent over in agony,  

crying, unable to go on.  

But the coaches ran to him.  

His friends ran to him.  

They lifted him, encouraged him,  

and with their help,  

he finished the run…  

and even two more afterward.  

Never the fastest,  

but unmistakably the most determined.

And that is where the Gospel speaks.

The disciples ask Jesus,  

“Why do You speak in parables?”  

And Jesus replies:  

Some look but do not see,  

some hear but do not understand—  

their hearts grown heavy, closed, tired.  

But blessed are the ones  

whose eyes still see  

and whose ears still hear.

That young man could have quit.  

His body said “stop,”  

but his heart said “go.”  

And when he could not lift himself,  

others lifted him.

This is what it means  

to have eyes that see  

and ears that hear.

To recognize mercy when it comes running toward you.  

To accept help when your strength runs out.  

To trust that God sends people  

to pull you forward  

when you cannot move on your own.

Many longed to see what we see—  

the God who meets us in weakness,  

the Christ who speaks in stories  

so our tired hearts can understand.

So keep running your race—  

not the fastest,  

but the most faithful—  

with eyes open,  

ears open,  

and a heart ready  

to be lifted by God  

and by the people He sends.

Prayer

Lord, 

Open my eyes to the grace 

that meets me in my weakness.

Steady my steps when life 

feels long and heavy.

Send companions who lift me 

when I cannot lift myself.

Keep my heart soft, listening, and ready 

to understand Your Word.

Make me faithful in  trusting You 

Amen