Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP

In today's first reading, Moses tells us that what God wants from his people: to "befriend" the immigrant, because we were once ourselves all immigrants. What was true of the Jewish people, is true of most Americans—98% of us were once aliens. As we deal with our broken immigration system, we need to recognize that God requires us to befriend immigrants, to feed and clothe them. Do we live up to that minimum standard?

In the Letter to the Ephesians, we see Paul's vision that the Church is called to proclaim Christ to the entire universe, even the "principalities and authorities in the heavens." As we ponder our own role in God's plan, know that it includes even one day preaching to extraterrestrials, and let that broaden out your vision.

When the Israelites left Egypt, they also left with "people of various ancestry" who joined them in the desert. This diversity became problematic in the desert, but by God's plan, it is an essential part of the story of God's "chosen people." The parishes of St. Patrick and St. Hedwig were separated int eh 19th Century to accommodate diversity and now have to work to manage that diversity as they once again become one parish. Managing diversity is always difficult, but it is essential if we are going to all be God's children.

In our Gospel today, Jesus argues with the Pharisees and declares definitively that God desires mercy more than following the letter of the law. In our dealing with ourselves and with others, are we more concerned about making sure that everyone is following the rules or about helping the people who are suffering?

Join Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP in this Know Before You Go video for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. In our first reading, we have a lovely image of God as our Mother. We know that God transcends our human male/female divides, but we don't often use these feminine images of God, so they are to be treasured.

In the Gospel we have Jesus sending out the 72 ahead of him to prepare the way. They are to take nothing for the journey, and are to preach a simple message of peace and to heal those who are willing to accept it. Can we be simply people of peace instead of people who argue for our point of view? Can we measure success by finding signs of the Kingdom of Heaven in our world and bringing it peace rather than using other "worldly" measures?

On this Memorial of the First Martyrs of Rome, we hear Jesus tell a reluctant disciple, "Let the dead bury the dead, you come follow me," reminding us that we do not celebrate the martyrs' deaths but the fact that life and the faith endure no matter what. Christians are called to go out and preach that Good News. In parallel, the first reading recounts Abraham bargaining with God to not destroy Sodom because of the sins of the society for the sake of the just people who also live there. We are not to look only at the sins of a society without also seeing the good in it as well, and rather than simply condemning the sin, we can call forth and nurture the good.