Scripture Reflections for the Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“As a 4-year-old, my daughter always wanted to know what her brother was doing rather than focusing on herself. Upon reflection, I now ask myself how often I fall prey to thinking in terms of Evey’s childish question, considering what other people are doing and instead of worrying about my own actions.”

“Jesus teaches us not only about how to become more deeply human, but also how to share in the life of God”

“God needs the space to work in us. And we cannot let Him work, and we cannot do His work out in the world if we ourselves are cluttered with negativity, sin, and pain.”

“First, Jesus teaches that one must learn to be a disciple from a teacher, one who can see. Second, before you can be a good disciple and teach others you must take care of yourself.”

“We owe it to others to make sure that our advice is effective, and it is most sure of being effective when we have struggled ourselves with putting it into practice”

"There are a lot of people claiming to be spiritual gurus, teachers, and guides today. But is the person to whom you’ve entrusted your life spiritually blind? Whom are you..."

“So what might these parables ask of me and of us today? Perhaps just to live more honestly and face the truth of our lives more courageously...to be people open to constant conversion”

"Our Gospel for this weekend comes from the end of the Sermon on the Plain, which is St. Luke’s version, more or less, of the Sermon on the Mount in..."

“We tend to be blind to our own faults and hyperconscious of others. We are aware of all the mitigating factors that go into our own mistakes, but not those influencing others. That’s why patience is in order before judging the actions of others.”

“God’s view includes looking over our shoulder and loving us enough to see what we see. God meets us there. But then, God invites us to look over his shoulder and see what he sees—TO GO WITH HIM WHERE HE GOES.”

“the regrettable gap between someone’s actions and professed standards can be bridged by their humble acknowledgment of the fact. A wise teacher knows their ignorance; a faithful disciple acknowledges that a long road lies ahead.The antidote to hypocrisy is humility, and humility is about truthfulness: not putting yourself any higher, or lower, than you really are”