José Ricardo Bezerra and Felipe Bezerra On this Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A), we enter chapter 13 of the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus’ great discourse in parables. Today’s longer Gospel passage (Matthew 13:1-23) presents the Parable of the Sower together with its explanation. “A sower went out to sow” (Matthew 13:3). Who is the sower? Who are the different kinds of soil? Let us reflect on these questions by drawing a connection between the three kinds of soil that failed to bear fruit, the three cardinal virtues, and the teaching of Saint Teresa of Jesus (Teresa of Ávila) on prayer, so that we may become wiser than the Evil One, who seeks to steal the Lord’s good ...

José Ricardo Bezerra e Felipe Bezerra Introduction On this 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, we continue with the Gospel of Matthew, and the Lord makes us an invitation that lifts the heart: “Take my yoke upon you, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Mt 11:29-30). The burden of the world is heavy, but the Lord’s is light. They are only six verses, yet so rich that one thing keeps drawing out the next. As always, we have chosen five points for your meditation and prayer with this Gospel, which we share on the podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oswcLCBoK88 (with subtitles in your language). The Gospel “At that time Jesus said in reply, ‘I give praise to you, ...

José Ricardo Bezerra and Felipe Bezerra This Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles. Although the calendar marks the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, in Brazil we follow the liturgy of the CNBB, which transfers to this Sunday, the nearest to the 29th, the feast of the two great apostles. In some places the solemnity is celebrated on June 29 itself. The liturgy offers us two Gospels, that of the vigil (John 21:15-19) and that of the day (Matthew 16:13-19), which we chose for our meditation. It is the text in which Jesus asks the disciples who people say He is, and Peter answers in the name of all; Jesus then makes him the foundation stone ...

Blessed are those who hear the Word of God You are worth more than many sparrows José Ricardo Bezerra and Felipe Bezerra Gospel: Matthew 10:26-33 Introduction The Gospel of this Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) is Matthew 10:26-33, and it continues the missionary discourse we followed last Sunday. After gathering and sending out the Twelve, Jesus prepares them for persecution and, three times in the same passage, repeats the same warning: “Do not be afraid.” It is a Gospel that speaks not only of fear, but also of the holy Fear of God and of the infinite worth of every human life before the Father. Before we comment point by point, an observation is worth making that sheds ...

José Ricardo Bezerra and Felipe Bezerra Introduction We are in the month of June, the month of the Heart of Jesus, and the liturgy of this Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time sets before us a scene full of tenderness: Jesus who sees the crowds and is moved with compassion for them. Today’s Gospel, from Matthew 9:36–10:8, is the calling and sending of the Twelve Apostles. Last week we followed the call of Matthew; now Jesus gathers the Twelve and sends them out on mission. Before we comment point by point on this Gospel, an observation is worth making that illuminates the whole passage. The fact that Jesus chose twelve apostles and was the Master of the Twelve is, in a ...

José Ricardo F. Bezerra and Felipe Bezerra Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. The day’s Gospel is very brief, just three verses, yet it holds the very heart of the Christian message. There is a Tradition that says if we lost the entire Bible and were left with only John 3:16, we would still have kept the heart of the Gospel: the love of the Father, the sending of the Son, the new life offered in the Spirit. It is also the Sunday on which we celebrate a mystery that no one will ever fully grasp. The word “Trinity” does not appear in the Bible, but it was consecrated by the Fathers of the Church (Tertullian ...