Reflection for Sunday March 27th, 2022

​ Sunday Gospel: Lk 15:1-3, 11-32
This Sunday Gospel is a parable by Christ commonly called The Prodigal Son (Also called the Parable of the Two Brothers, Lost Son, Loving Father, or the Forgiving Father). Jesus tells a group of Pharisees and Scribes this story: A man has two sons and splits up the land equally amongst them. One son leaves for a distant country where he squanders his money and lives a life of overindulgent pleasure. After a famine hits the country, the son is penniless and is hired to take care of pigs at a farm where he starves. He leaves the farm for his father where he plans to ask for his father’s forgiveness and to be treated as a servant. Instead, upon seeing his son, the father embraces him and begins a celebratory party where the father’s fattest calf is served. The other son finds out about the celebration through another servant and demands his father to tell him why he never received similar treatment though he never left his father. His father replies famously, “...your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.”
    I once heard this followup to the story. Rather it be true or not, I think it puts someone in the right mindset for thinking about this parable. Apparently, Christ’s ending is not the original ending to the story. It’s all the same up to the moment where the runaway son returns to his father. Originally, the father took one look at his son and turned him away for betraying him. Let’s presume for a moment that Jesus did change the ending. Why? Was there any real reason to do so? Nobody changes the ending to Cinderella or Little Red Ridinghood. He must have had a severe reason to do so. I believe that it was because God was trying to prove a point: the father in this story is extremely kind and perfect, a representation of the ultimate Father - God. The runaway son disobeys his father, just like a son or daughter of God falling to sin, and even through all the ways he lost the money and fell to temptation, his father restores him and forgives him. The other son, of course, never disobeyed his father and the father in the story (just like God) does not forget this and makes sure we get our warranted reward. But when we return to God, he throws a party in heaven. Just imagine a heaven party - Angels on the disco floor, the twelve apostles doing the worm! But that’s what happens whenever we return to God: we are back in our loving Father’s arms. Doesn’t matter what we did. That is what I challenge anyone reading this: Don’t be afraid when you stray from God. He’ll always welcome you back with open arms.
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This week’s reflection is written by Brendan, an 8th grader at OMC.
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Reflection for Sunday March 6th, 2022 

Gospel Reading: Lk 4:1-13 

This week is the first Sunday of Lent. In the days leading up to Lent, Christians around the world think about what they are going to do or “give up” for Lent. I always take this time to think about what is the purpose of Lent and how it is different from New Years. During New Years and Lent many people try to develop good habits or to stop bad habits. Outwardly they can look similar to an observer. The difference is why we are working on these habits. Hopefully when it comes to Lent we are doing things to strengthen our relationship with God, to love other people better, and to cut out sins that affect God, others, and ourselves. In today’s Gospel Jesus is faced with temptation. Our lenten practices provide opportunities to increase our reliance on God and reduce our attachment to the things Jesus is tempted by. So what does Satan tempt Jesus with? Comfort, power, and self reliance. This Lent, lets reduce our attachment to comfort, power, and self reliance, as we seek to rely on God and love others with humility as Jesus loves us. ​⁠

Reflection for Sunday March 13th, 2022

Sunday Gospel: Lk 9:28b-36

This Sunday’s gospel starts off with Jesus taking some of His apostles, including Peter, into the mountains to pray (but we know that just means that Peter and the apostles will sleep). While Jesus is praying, He transforms into dazzling clothes and starts talking to Moses and Elijah. When the apostles wake, they ask Jesus if they can make three tents: one for Him, Moses, and Elijah. Jesus doesn’t hear what they’re saying, and, as they move closer to Him, a dark cloud appears over them. A voice from the cloud said, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” As soon as the voice finished, Jesus appeared, with Elijah and Moses nowhere in sight. The apostles decided to not share with anyone what had conversed.

This passage is hard to relate to and understand, since clouds generally don’t speak and dead people don’t generally appear in real life. But really, the message we should get from this is to listen to what Jesus is telling us. The cloud voice‒which is obviously God‒tells us this, and it is a good idea to listen to Him. The rest of the passage is hard to understand, other than that Jesus is able to communicate with people who are dead and (most likely) in heaven. How do you interpret this passage? How can you better listen to Jesus?

This week's reflection is by Charlotte, an 8th grader at OMC.

Reflection for Sunday  March 20th, 2022

Sunday Gospel: Lk 13:1-9

This week’s gospel kicks off with Jesus talking to a group of people about the Galileans Pilate sacrificed for things he wanted done. Jesus wanted to show them the importance of repenting so he brought up the two incidents saying evil doesn't fall onto someone who sins more than them. It can fall on all of us. When Pilate ordered Galileans to be killed and when the tower of Siloam fell on a group of Galileans, that group was not guilty of any sins, but if we don't repent we will perish beyond simply dying. Jesus also tells the parable of the fig tree. A man had a fig tree and for three years he had looked to see if it had any fruit but found none, he asked a farmer why should it exhaust the soil if it’s not bearing fruit. The farmer simply replied, leave it for one more year if it still has no fruit I will cut it down. Jesus uses this parable to show God's patience, we need time to repent and grow in prayer and faith. Versus 1-9 show us the justices in God's judgment and the importance of bearing fruit. How can you show the importance of repenting and growing in your faith with God?

This week's reflection is by Maggie, an 8th grader at OMC.