Rev. Daniel E. Pilarczyk

The lesson offered in today’s parable is that if the kingdom doesn’t seem to be growing as one would like, the fault lies not with the seed of the word, but with the quality of the soil.

Jesus didn’t seem to pay much attention to social convention when it came to laying the foundations of the kingdom. What counted was how much you loved him.

The sorrows of Mary do not find their significance in the pain that they caused Mary, but rather in the faithfulness that they expressed. Jesus also calls us to faithfulness. We shouldn’t be surprised if that involves suffering.

The suffering of Jesus is the source of salvation. The cross is not just a symbol of death but also of faithfulness and victory.

The Roman centurion’s soldiers obey him because he has authority over them. He has faith in Jesus’s authority. How have I experienced the authority of Jesus in my life?

Jesus tells his hearers what it takes to be a good disciple of his. First of all, your life and work has to yield results that nourish and energize those to whom they are directed. Secondly, what you leave behind at the end should have a certain tenacity about it.

It’s generally not appropriate for us to judge another because we’re generally not qualified to judge. We’re all limited in one way or another. None of us is fully equipped to render judgment.