And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Mark 1:11

God’s Beloved

 Such heavenly words, God speaks from above,
 Addressed to us all through God's only son:
 “You are the children I can't help but love.”
 Words not yet heard by all under the sun,
 And even when heard, we still at times doubt,
 Struggling to see what our God sees in us. 
 When we displease ourselves, inside and out,
 How then can God's love be something we trust? 
 Come to the manger, the river, the cross,
 See other sinners, loved and forgiven,
 Remember the Shepherd, seeking the lost,
 Not to judge, but that grace might be given. 
 When God looks at us, Love is all God sees,
 Daughters and sons with whom God is well pleased. 

But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,  (28)  Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.  (29) And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.  (30)  Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.  (31)  And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

Luke 6:27-28

Explanation:

It is helpful to understand these verses within the context of which Jesus spoke them and how Luke related them in the flow of thought of the chapter.

In Luke 6:1-5 we find that Jesus had disciples that were following him. Verses 1-5 describes a problem that the pharisees…

We need to focus on (and listen to) the voice of God if we are to be found faithful. Can you imagine playing on a team and never listening to the coach?

But it’s hard in a world of distraction, isn’t it? There are so many other voices and factors trying to throw us off course!

This sermon is based on the story of the boy Jesus in the temple (Luke 2:41-52) and seeks to re-focus us on the voice of God if we are to truly be his people and set priorities that are consistent with his own.

In short, God’s people pursue God’s priorities.

As always, the YouTube version of the sermon is below. However, you will notice that there are TWO audio-only files underneath. The first is the sermon itself.

The SECOND is a new feature. It includes extra material. Why? Because when…

By Nick Jones, University of Rhode Island

You know the drill. It’s the New Year, so everyone is posting or talking about their resolutions. Some seem better, or at least more actionable, than others. Regardless of the specifics, they all seem to hover around the idea of self-improvement. No one’s goal is ever to become a worse person. How should we Catholics understand this notion of self-improvement? Contrary to the culturally woke notion of self-love as an end in itself, we are called to love ourselves for God’s sake. To be sure, we ought to be constantly cooperating with God and His actual graces in order to become more like Him. Consider the Parable of the Talents (cf. Matthew 25:14–30). Much is expected of those of us to whom much has been given. The greatest talent, or gift, entrusted to us is that of the Faith. Thus, if we want…