One of my favorite things about work is that we’re right across the street from a Chick-Fil-A. Besides it being “God’s chicken”, Chick-Fil-A is a great corporation for one specific thing: Mobile Monday.

There are few things that I can think of that have excited me more over the past summer than rolling up on a random Monday afternoon to find out I was getting a free sandwich on top of my mobile order (plenty of more exciting things happened, but c’mon…free sandwich!) The anticipation I had while sitting in my car on the drive back to the office was probably way more than it should have been, but I couldn’t help it, to get something completely free on top of what I had already wanted just made everything better.

In a way, this is what the early disciples of Jesus must have felt after hearing his words, recorded in today’s Gospel. “Something greater than Solomon is here…something greater than Jonah”. To us, this may not sound like much, but for the Jews of that time, who knew their history and the prophets, this was a huge claim! The Jews looked back on the time of Solomon’s reign as a Golden Age, just like we may look back on our own histories and think of the “good ole days”. The Temple was built, the kingdom of Israel was at its biggest ever, and there was a wise king ruling. This is the time that people remembered during the hard days of exile, like when Jonah came to preach repentance to Nineveh. So, to hear that something greater than a prophecy of the good age to come, and something greater than the greatest moment of their nation’s history, would be a really big deal.

Jesus made these bold claims for a reason: because they are the truth! Jesus is the new King who will rule perfectly and bring about the eternal Kingdom of God. He is the fulfillment of every promise and every prophecy, and then some. Jesus is, in an infinitely greater way, the free sandwich that comes on Mobile Mondays at Chick-Fil-A!

It isn’t easy to understand the exact feelings of those first-century Jews, but we get to experience this truth in an even greater way. The intimacy we experience with Jesus through the Blessed Sacrament, through the healing and mercy of Reconciliation, is far greater than what they could have imagined. Truly, something greater is here, and it has the name and face of Jesus Christ.

What is something you are really looking forward to? Why is Jesus greater? 

Jesus is the greatest, what role does He play in your life?

Jesus fulfills every prophecy, how have you seen Him impact your life? 

"Jesus is the greatest."
​
"Jesus fulfills every prophecy."

​"Lord I need you."

I went to confession yesterday and the priest told me to reflect on today's Gospel as my penance, and it really hit me in a new way. I mean I have heard this story at least 30 times, probably way more, and it always seemed like a nice story, but sort of unrelatable. I mean I thought that God likes it when we are thankful, then just moved on to the next story. Yesterday though, was different.

For the first time in my life, I saw my sin as leprosy. Sin is the disease that makes me unclean and disfigures my body and my soul. It causes anxiety and depression and selfishness and pride and more sin, etc. Sin is the disease that literally cast me out of the community like leprosy did, because I choose myself over God and others. The similarities go on and on. Maybe to some of you, this is obvious and you are shocked it took me 30 years to figure this out, but legit, this changed my whole worldview today.

So if sin is like leprosy, then we need to go to the priests to be healed from it as well, just like the lepers in today's Gospel were instructed to do. And here is where my life got shook. My whole life I have gone to confession and carried on with my life, a little lighter and more joyful, but kind of nonchalant. I was thankful, but not "run back to Jesus and fall at His feet" thankful. Something clicked this time and my thanks was more sincere and deep. The healing of my soul is just as real and miraculous as the healing of leprosy, I just can't see it as obviously.

And even more than this, Jesus says to the one who ran back, "stand up and go; your faith has saved you." I pondered this line for awhile. I kept thinking, no God, You saved me, I literally did nothing. And while that is completely true, God also saved all 10 of those lepers from leprosy and all of us from sin, yet some people are still sick with sin. So why is that one different; why am I different today? Because of faith. My faith - which is merely a response to the love of God which is truly unconditional - is the difference. God's love, God's grace, is there for all of us everyday, but do we open our hearts to receive it and do we humbly respond to that love and grace by falling at Jesus' feet to thank and worship Him. That's honestly the difference. It's nothing of our own merit or effort, just a humble, sincere, thankful response to what God unconditional gives us every moment of every day.

I know that's a lot, but I honestly believe if we take that to heart everyday, it can be life changing. We can be saved from this leprosy of our souls which we call sin. And the only proper response, the response that saves us eternally, is to fall at His feet and thank Him for loving us. 

Do you let yourself receive God's loving mercy and grace through reconciliation? 

How can you be more thankful to God for this amazing healing He freely gives us?

Are you one of the 9 who takes this miracle for granted or are you the 1 who falls at the feet of Jesus? How can you be more like the 1 each and every day?

"Thank You Jesus."

"Heal me Lord."

"Here's my heart Lord."

Take a look at your sin as leprosy on your soul. Run to the priests to be cleansed as the lepers did. Then truly come back to Jesus' feet and be thankful for the miracle He has given you.

Today's gospel is one I find particularly frustrating. Not because of what Jesus said, but because of how many people misinterpret it. At first glance, it almost seems that Jesus is putting His mother down; but that is not the case at all. Jesus loved His mother. He loved her very much. So much that some of His last words to make sure that she, who had no other living children or living husband, would be provided for after His death. He gave His mother to John, His beloved disciple.

He didn't have a will and didn't spend time saying you take this, or the money I've saved goes to you. His last words were about ensuring that His mother was cared for and loved. And when He gave her to John, He was giving her so that all of us might have as a mother.

One of the most beautiful examples I saw recently of this was in a book about St John Paul II. His mother died at an early age, and after her death his father took John Paul II (or Karol as he was known then) and his brother to church and told them that Mary was now their mother and they were never alone.

So in this passage, Jesus is rather saying: you don't have to be my mother to love me. You don't have to be my mother to grow close to me. Instead, how do we get close to Jesus? The Scriptures – we study His words and take them to heart.

And, no one wants us to be close to her son more than Mary does. Mary wants to lead you to encounter Christ. She wants to help you know Him and to love Him. She guides us there with her mother's heart.

October is the month of the rosary. Each mystery of the rosary is looking at part of Jesus's life through His mother's eyes. The mysteries, from Scripture, lead us to encounter not just Mary, but also Jesus. So this month, spend some time getting to know Mary through Scripture with the rosary, and in that deepen your own relationship with Jesus.

In your life, how can you respond more readily to God's Word, getting to know him through the Scriptures?

What is your relationship with the Blessed Mother like? How can you grow in your relationship with her so that she can point you to her son? 

In your own walk with Jesus, how is God calling you deeper? 

"Hail Mary, full of grace."

"Help me to know you Jesus."

"I want to know you more, oh Lord."

Pray a rosary today, reflecting on the mysteries and what they tell you about Jesus, letting those mysteries lead you deeper into a relationship with Jesus.