Reflection for Sunday September 27, 2020 by Andrew Kallmeyer

​Gospel: Matthew 21:28-32

This week, we read Matthew's account of the parable of the two sons. In this story, Jesus speaks to his audience about a father who has his two sons work in his vineyard. The first son, reluctant, initially tells his father that he refuses to work in the vineyard, but eventually has a change of heart. The second son tells his father he will do the work but later does not follow through. Jesus' assertion was that the first son was the one who truly obeyed his father's will. We recognize that in this parable, the first son represents prior non-believers who were converted by John the Baptist, and the second son personifies believers in God who profess faith but do not try to live it in their actions. Jesus delineates in this story that God cares not how long you have believed in Him, or even if you verbally believed in Him, but that self-acclaimed believers who go against His teachings are not welcome in the Kingdom of Heaven. We must ask ourselves, in times of great strife and division- how are we personally employing God's message by spreading His teachings of love and acceptance? Are we more synonymous to the second son, who preaches God's teachings but doesn't live them himself? Or are we more like the first son, who acts out God's teachings? As Christians, we need to strive to spread the message of love, while making sure we do our best to live these principles ourselves.

This week's reflection is by Andrew Kallmeyer, St. Joe's Prep class of 2021. If you would like to write a reflection for October 18th or 25th please let Mr. Cillo know.

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Reflection for Sunday 20, 2020 by Paul Cillo

Matthew 20:1-16

The Gospel today addresses God’s generosity, justice, and the danger of comparison. While some laborers worked all day and others worked for a few hours they all received the same payment. This leads those who worked all day to become upset as they believe they should receive more. It can be easy to think that we deserve certain things and to begin to compare ourselves to others. We try to hold God to our own sense of justice which is usually focused on what God owes us. God has already given all of us the greatest gift: life. Through Jesus, God also extends salvation as a gift to everyone. Whether a person comes to God early in life or near the end of their life, we should rejoice that they came to God and accepted His gift. We may think that the laborers who worked less received the better deal and in the parable maybe they did. In real life, however, we know that it is better to live a life with and for God then to try and do it on our own. A life of virtue and holiness is its own reward! 

Think about how comparison can prevent us from recognizing our own blessings and gifts from God. Spend some time praying and reflecting on God’s generosity in your life. 

Reflection for Sunday September 13, 2020 by Joe Baker

Matthew 18:21-35

This Gospel by Saint Matthew teaches us to be the type of people that treat others the way we would want to be treated, in a kind and merciful way. The master forgave his servant when he did not have the amount he owed, just as God forgives us when we seek forgiveness. Instead of being sold, the servant who wanted more time to pay back his debt was forgiven. Like the king in the parable, God gives us time to repent and forgives us entirely when we ask for it. Later that same servant asked for the money a fellow servant owed him. When the other servant could not pay, he was put in the dungeon until he paid back his full debt. When the master was informed of this, he was upset because the servant had not forgiven as the master had. The servant represents us, imperfect humans. God is telling us to forgive from the heart, not the mouth, and to forgive as God forgives. It can be difficult to forgive but we have already been forgiven and we will receive a greater reward. How would you treat a fellow person who has wronged you and is looking for mercy and forgiveness?

This week's reflection is by Joe Baker, SCH 8th grader.

Reflection for Sunday September 6, 2020 by Nora Furletti

Matthew 18:15-20

In different times during our lives, we will face different challenges where we will sin. None of us are perfect because we are human beings who will mess up sometimes. However, God is very forgiving, and knows this world is not the end for us. In this Gospel, Jesus tells His disciples that if someone sins against you, you should forgive them just as God does for us. If they repeatedly sin, and do not listen to others or the church, then it is God who will judge them. You should still treat them with respect and pray for them. By praying, God works through us and can help us avoid sin. This will allow us to become closer to Him, and share His love with everyone we meet in our lives. ⁠ ⁠

So, how can you forgive others? How can you make time in your day to pray? If God is willing to forgive us, we should be able to do the same for others.⁠ ⁠  

​​This week's reflection is by Nora Furletti, Mount Saint Joseph Academy class of 2022.