In our readings this week, Eldad, Medad, and the man driving out demons were all doing the work of God. They had been entrusted with a gift and used it to glorify the Lord. Joshua and John should have responded in joy and appreciation for another’s gifts and talents. 
 
We oftentimes look at another’s strengths as our weakness whether it be in parish life, in the workforce, or even in our own families. 
 
Jesus is calling us to cut out those sinful thoughts and attitudes from our lives. The next time we witness someone being a good steward of God’s gifts — rejoice! And continue to examine how you are using your gifts and talents to ensure you are being a good steward of what God has entrusted to you. 
 
We do not want to end up like the rich in our Second Reading from St. James. They stored up their riches to the point where they withheld wages from their workers! They clenched tightly to the pleasures and luxuries that the world offers and put it in front of both God and their neighbor. They misused the gifts God bestowed on them. 
 
We must keep this in perspective as we journey on our path as Christian stewards. We do not live for this life, but for the next. 
 
He has given us time every day, countless talents, and numerous treasures. Are we using them for His glory?
 
This week when we witness other people in our lives using the gifts God has given to them, instead of becoming jealous or critical, say a prayer of thanksgiving and take time to reflect on what God has gifted you and how you can offer it to Him for His glory.

Our readings today bring to light the daily struggle between good and evil and how we can combat this struggle through gratitude. 
 
In our Gospel, we see an example of how surrendering to our passions negatively affects us. Jesus was with His disciples when they began to argue amongst themselves as to who was the greatest in the group. 
 
If we look at our own lives, we might find many instances where we fall into the same tendencies — we constantly compare ourselves to others, out of pride we feel the need to point out another’s faults or choose to fight back in an argument. We know we should act one way but choose another. 
 
When Jesus hears what the apostles are discussing, He has them focus on a child. “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me.”
 
If we reflect on the moment someone receives a child, oftentimes their hearts are overwhelmed with joy and gratitude for this gift. There is no jealousy or anger, just thanksgiving, and appreciation. 
 
The apostles are busy bickering about who was the best. Their vision was clouded, and they could not even stop and be grateful for the gift to be so close to our Savior and that they were chosen to be His closest followers. 
 
When we are caught in the raging war of jealousy, fighting, and pride, and begin to become enslaved to our passions we are ultimately being ungrateful for what we have been given. We overlook the blessing God has given us and the gifts and talents He has entrusted to us. 
 
Today, let us recall that we have an infinitely loving God who cares deeply for us. Consider all that He has blessed you with, and how you can use those blessings for His glory.

Jesus addresses His disciples saying, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” We are Jesus’ disciples, and He is speaking those same words to us here and now. 
 
Living a life of discipleship is not always easy. It requires us to be imitators of Christ — who suffered, died, and rose from the dead out of total love for each one of us. This means we are called to share in Christ’s sufferings by taking up our cross and following Him daily. 
 
But what does this look like in our day-to-day lives? 
 
We can start by making a firm resolution to follow Christ today, here and now, and renewing that resolution each day when we rise. This requires time with Him each day — speaking and listening.  
 
We should also strive to pick up our crosses each day with Christ by our side. Our cross might be suffering from an illness, fighting an addiction, a day of screaming kids, or a period where things just don’t seem to go our way. Instead of avoiding these sufferings or complaining about them, we are called to carry them with Christ, allowing Him to transform us through them. 
 
If we live life constantly focused on us, we will ultimately lose ourselves, but if we surrender our lives for Christ and His mission, we will gain eternal life and become more alive than we could have ever imagined, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.” This takes daily commitment and requires endurance in our faith, which can only be done through active discipleship.

Our readings today offer us a message of hope — God is with us and wants to heal us. May this message come ablaze in our hearts so that we might live with unwavering faith. 
 
The Gospel presents us with the story of the profound physical healing of a deaf man with a speech impediment. People brought him to Jesus and begged for his healing. Jesus took the man off by himself, touched his ears and his tongue, then proclaimed, “Be opened!” Immediately he was healed. 
 
This story in our Gospel overwhelms us with comfort and peace because we have a compassionate God who sees our physical needs. Yet if we reflect further on this reading, we see that God uses this moment of physical healing as an opportunity to restore something much deeper — our souls. 
 
Oftentimes we are blind and deaf to God in our lives. We miss countless opportunities to see God working in our day-to-day moments — through our loved ones, our community, or even a stranger. We miss the quiet voice of Jesus in our hearts telling us to choose Him instead of sin, respond in love instead of anger, or care for someone else in a moment instead of ourselves. 
 
These are how we need to be spiritually healed. And the scriptures remind us that God is with us and wants to heal us. 
 
This week let us seek God to heal our souls and transform our hearts. Let us pray that our eyes and our ears might “be open” to His workings, words, and promptings in our lives.  

Our readings today call us to pause for a moment and consider how we respond to God’s love for us each day. 
 
Our Gospel recounts a dialogue between the Pharisees and Jesus. The Pharisees questioned why Jesus’ disciples did not practice the ritual washing before eating a meal. 
 
Jesus’ response reminds us to ask ourselves ‘why.’ Why do we remain faithful to God’s commands? Why do we pray or go to Mass? Why do we participate in the sacraments? Why do we love others?
 
Often, we are living our faith a certain way out of obligation, fear, or duty. But Jesus reminds us that the greatest way to live out our faith is through love. Our faith has obligations to provide us opportunities to love, honor, and praise the Lord. They are meant to aid us on our personal journey with Jesus Christ. 
 
St. James reminds us that every moment of each day is an opportunity to respond to God’s infinite love for us with love and gratitude in return. 
 
If we approach our relationship with Jesus with this in mind, then we begin to realize that the gift of the Mass is an opportunity to worship God, the sacraments are ways to draw us closer to Him and His commandments are opportunities to love Him more faithfully. 
 
And if we approach our day-to-day moments with this in mind, then we begin to see just how many blessings God has given us. Looking at life through the lens of gratitude helps us to see each moment as a gift with endless opportunities to respond in love. 
 
This is how we ought to live our lives as Christian stewards — by recognizing our lives as a gift and an opportunity to love God in response to how He has loved us.