Today's Gospel

Do You Question God?

Hi, I'm Matthew Kelly, and welcome back to Radical and Relevant, where each day we explore the genius of the Gospel and take a few moments to reflect on it together. Today's reading is from the Gospel of Matthew 9:14-17. When the disciples of John came to Jesus saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" And Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the wedding groom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. And no one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wine skins. If it is, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wine skins, and so both are preserved."

Is there a word, a phrase, or an idea that jumps out at you today? The first thing that jumps out at me is that John's disciples come to Jesus and they ask him a question, but do they ask him a question, or are they questioning him? And there is a difference. We ask a question. We're seeking knowledge. We're seeking understanding. We're seeking wisdom. When we're questioning somebody, we're basically saying their judgment is off, or we disagree, or we have a problem with what they're saying or doing. And obviously, questioning God isn't a very healthy pastime for a Christian, for a disciple. But I imagine we all do it at different times, either overtly or subtly or passive aggressively or whatever, but I think we all can fall into that trap. The second thing that strikes me here is that the disciples of John have fallen into sort of the trap of comparison or even the sin of comparison. They're saying, "Hey, Jesus, the Pharisees fast, we fast, your disciples don't fast." So why does that matter to them? If the fasting is good for them and if the fasting is good for the Pharisees and obviously has been part of Jewish tradition for thousands of years, why does it matter if Jesus' disciples are fasting or aren't fasting? And of course, we, in our modern society, especially in the realm of social media, I think the trap of comparison, the sin of comparison is vast and almost at every turn. And I think that there's something that we really need to be on the lookout for. Are we relating directly with God or are we comparing ourselves to other people? Are we relating directly with the people in our lives, or are we comparing our relationships with the people in our lives with other people's relationships with other people?

And so this comparison, it's a serious psychological trap, it's a serious emotional trap, and it is absolutely a serious spiritual trap. So let's be extra vigilant whenever we're comparing ourselves to other people or other people to each other, because that is a massive trap. Have a great day, and remember, Be Bold, Be Catholic.

The Seven Pillars of Catholic Spirituality has just been released. I want to read you just the first line. What if everything the Catholic Church teaches is true? This is the one question most people never consider when it comes to the Catholic faith. The Seven Pillars transformed my life when I was a teenager. I was 15 years old. A spiritual mentor entered my life and taught me about the Seven Pillars, challenged me to ingrain them into my life as habits, and I would not be sitting here today if it were not The Seven Pillars of Catholic Spirituality. They are ancient habits that are ever-new, that are ever-relevant, that are ever-willing to transform our lives if we're willing to embrace them. Question is, are we willing to embrace them? And that's my challenge for you today. Wherever you are in your journey, maybe you've practiced the Seven Pillars for a long time. Discover them anew. Enter into them at a new level, at a new depth with new commitment. Have a great day. Enjoy The Seven Pillars of Catholic Spirituality. And remember, Be Bold, Be Catholic.