In his response to the Pharisees in today's reading, Jesus quotes the Shema, the great prayer from Deuteronomy 6:4, which begins, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord” (RSV). However, Jesus subtly changes the wording. Instead of saying that we are to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and might, Jesus says we must love with our heart, soul, and mind. So what’s the big deal? What’s the difference between might and mind?

In the parable of the workers in the vineyard, we are confronted with what we might consider an unfair situation. The owner of the vineyard goes out and hires workers, starting in the early morning and ending close to sundown. But no matter what time of day the workers are hired, all get the same daily wage, even if they only worked for one hour. Most of us probably will think how very unfair it was that some had to labor all day and others got to waltz in at the last minute, but everyone got the same reward. In fact, the characters in the parable felt the same way and most likely so did Jesus’ audience.

Since most of us have trouble forgiving even once or twice, the standard set in today's Gospel is hard to comprehend. To help Peter, and us, understand that we are to forgive so much because we have been forgiven so much, Jesus tells the parable of the servant who owed a great debt to his master.

One of the great spiritual truths is that forgiveness is as much for ourselves as it is for the other person. If we do not forgive, we hold that person in bondage to their sin. And we hold ourselves in bondage both to the sin and the sinner as well.

When the Word of God burns within us, it can be sweet, but sometimes it can be very difficult. If we are to faithfully pronounce that Word, we must be totally in love with the Lord, for it is only when we are enamored with God that we can do what St. Paul says: offer our entire lives as a sacrifice to God to be consumed.

“Who do you say that I am?” That question, asked by Jesus to Simon Peter in today’s Gospel, sets the stage for a key foundation of the Catholic Church. Once Simon states that Jesus is the Messiah, then Jesus blesses him, changes his name to Peter (which means rock), and says that he will build his church upon that rock.

Since many of us have had the experience of praying when it seems as if our prayers are battering against a brick wall, this Gospel story of the persistent woman serves to increase our faith in the love and mercy of the Lord for each one of us.

Together all of these Scripture passages point toward the divinity of Jesus Christ, one of the most important points of our faith as Christians. This key doctrine is also a great mystery: How can Jesus be fully man? What does that mean? How well do we understand this claim? Can we explain it and defend it?

Today’s Scriptures focus on comparing God’s Word, law, commands, and will with earthly goods and riches. Psalm 119 tells us that while gold and silver are valuable, God’s wisdom is even more valuable. The relative good of precious metals pales in comparison with the good to be found in God.

This week we read three of Jesus’s most famous parables: the sower and the seed, the mustard seed, and the yeast in the three measures of flour. What do all of these have in common? You might say they are stories about faith and how it grows and develops. This is correct, but they also have something else in common: the theme of patience.

When we hear the parable of the sower and seed, it can be easy to assume it is meant for someone else. After all, we are good soil, right?

Sometimes we are tempted to think that it would be so much easier to believe in Jesus if we were living when he was on earth. Maybe ... but maybe not. Today’s Gospel tells us that it has never been easy to understand all of Jesus’s teachings, even for those who heard him in person.

If you ask people what they want, they'll often say that they want a new car, a better job, a bigger house, or some other possession. But if you probe a little deeper, you'll find that they don't really want possessions. Rather, they desire a sense of fulfillment, a feeling of being loved and cherished.

When we receive Holy Communion, we hear the words, “This is my Body” and “This is my Blood,” to which we dutifully answer, “Amen.” But have you ever considered exactly what those words mean?

This week's readings highlight two of the key actions of God: first his love, and second, his giving. Through this we learn that love is an action, not a feeling, and that love is expressed in giving.

This week we celebrate Pentecost, the feast of the Church’s birth. With a roaring of the heavens and in tongues of fire, the Holy Spirit comes and enlightens the Apostles. Peter begins to preach with boldness and authority what Christ’s life and Death truly means. From that moment, the great mission of the Church begins.

Jesus returned to the right hand of the Father, not to leave us but to lead us all the way to heaven. The great paradox is because he has ascended, he is able to remain with us in a profound new way.

In today’s Gospel, a passage known as the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus in John 17, Jesus talks about the work the Father gave him to do. We might ask, “Exactly what is his work?” And many Christians probably would answer, “Dying on the Cross for the salvation of humanity.” But as we unpack this reading, it becomes apparent that Jesus had something more in mind.

While our salvation was won by Jesus’s Death, our lives in Christ are not completely fulfilled until we receive the Advocate, the Spirit of truth, that Jesus promised to send us. That Spirit of truth is the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. It is only through the Spirit that we are able to enter into the fullness of communion with the Father and the Son and embrace the Good News of the Gospel in our daily lives.

Most of us have been either literally or figuratively lost at some time, not knowing which way to go, and feeling a surge of fear and panic. The Apostles in today’s Gospel were feeling lost, because Jesus had just told them he was going to leave them in order to be crucified and die. Thomas said what must have been in all their hearts: “We do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus’s answer might have been confusing. He didn’t give instructions or directions. Instead he told them that he himself was the direction. He said that he was the way, the truth, and the life.