Jesus wore out His welcome in Nazareth by pointing out that God didn't limit miracles to the Israelites. When Peter asked if he had to forgive someone as many as seven times, Jesus said seventy-seven. In a parable of two people praying, the Pharisee thought highly of himself, while a tax collector with downcast eyes prayed for mercy. When counting our blessings, how do they stack up against our sins?

Children learn from "show and tell." Jesus told His followers not to follow the Pharisees' show of hypocrisy. For their part, Pharisees took offense at parables that clearly applied to them. The Lord challenged His disciples to give as much mercy and forgiveness as they wanted to receive from God. Jesus modeled humility. Still, when He told the Twelve of His looming Crucifixion, the mother of James and John asked the Lord to promise her sons places of honor in the Kingdom. When push comes to shove, would we rather take a shortcut or follow in t

Love of neighbor means treating people the way we want others to treat us or doing for others what we would do directly for Jesus. Instead, we sometimes turn away from the poor, ignore the sick, dehumanize prisoners, or exclude newcomers. Our Lord readily opens the drawbridge to help us pass over sin’s moat and come to Him. Jesus taught us to pray for anything we desire. When prayers seem to go unanswered, do we consider that God always knows the perfect gift and never gives half-heartedly?

After a man asked how to gain eternal life, the Lord said to sell all that he had, give to the poor, and catch up with Him. Peter pointed out to Jesus that the Disciples had already given up everything to follow Him, and the Lord promised that they would receive a hundred times more, plus persecution and eternal life. In any event, they shouldn’t grandstand when fasting, praying, or doing good deeds. Through the yoke of Lenten practices, what do we expect to harness?

When a father asks Jesus to cure his son, if He can, Jesus heals the son’s convulsions while helping the parent come to greater faith. After Peter calls Jesus the Christ, the Lord gives him the keys of heaven—the ability to pardon and bring sinners into reconciliation with God and Church. The Disciples wanted to stop others from healing in Jesus’ name, but the Lord approved of anyone sharing in His ministry. If someone has strayed from faith, do we keep our distance or look for a way to invite the person back?

Jesus warned about “the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod”—people focused on raising their own level of authority. Rejecting the challenge of religious leaders to give them a sign by doing something flashy, Jesus took a blind man aside to cure him without fanfare. High on a mountain, the Transfigured Lord appeared in glory, but only to Peter, James, and John. Afterward, Peter really did not want to hear about Jesus’ impending suffering and death. He wanted the Messiah to carry a scepter, not a Cross! The Letter of Saint James reminds us

After coming back with empty nets after a night out fishing, Peter made his skepticism plain when Jesus suggested going back out for a catch. The haul of fish filled Peter’s boat and another one. When a Greek woman asked the Lord to cure her daughter, she couldn’t claim ancestry among the “chosen people.” Things didn’t look good when the Lord compared helping her to giving food meant for children to the dogs. When she answered that even dogs get table scraps, Jesus did as she asked. A crowd had followed Jesus for days, and He did not