It is easy to hear Jesus’ words in Matthew 18 as a three step process to getting rid of unrepentant sinners. But actually, it’s a challenge for us to love our neighbor in a very concrete (albeit challenging) way.

What is the standard of faith? Attending church? It is heroic witness, the ability to give heroic witness to our faith. But what holds us back? A need for a renewal of mind, of heart. And how do we get there? “Denying” ourself.

What is really going on with Peter’s confession of Jesus as “Christ” and “Son of the living God”? And what does it have to do with me?

It is often said that we’ve moved passed the need for God or faith in God. Why? Because we’ve been to the moon, we’re technologically passed the need to behave like that. That is, until we really evaluate the human condition.

Fear isn’t the issue. Fear is the fruit. Fear is a symptom of a much deeper problem: our relationship with Jesus is in need of work.

Transitions are difficult. For Jesus, the Transfiguration was not just an important manifestation of divinity, but also a concrete beginning of his journey toward calvary, and resurrection! Today, we begin a new stage in the life of our parish.

Many people see the faith as a bet: “It’s better to bet that God exists and find out he doesn’t, then to bet he doesn’t exists and find out he does.” But as Jesus makes clear: there is something of the Kingdom we can experience even now…and it’s worth selling everything for it!

The famous parable of the sower is Jesus’ way of pointing out three common pitfalls to our relationship with him: a lack of understanding, a lack of discipline, and a lack of prioritization. Just like any relationship falls apart when it comes to these pitfalls, so too in our relationship with Christ.

Science shows us that relationships are the surest path to happiness. And so when Christ comes, he’s not looking for us to check off some boxes for him, but to enter into relationship with him. This is the Kingdom.