S1 E10: Are You All In?

Transcript

Carol Vassar:

From SS. Isidore and Maria Parish in Glastonbury, Connecticut, I'm Carol Vassar, and this is Living in Faith, Hope, and Love. Each week, our Pastor, Father Mark Suslenko, delves into Scripture, shares insights from the saints, prophets, and theologians, and discusses practical ways to cultivate faith, strengthen hope, and embody love in the world around us. Through his reflections and spiritual encouragement, this podcast aims to inspire you to live your Catholic faith with joy and purpose. Welcome. 

In a simple yet powerfully rich and meaningful homily, Father Mark reminds us that believing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ means accepting all that Jesus espouses. Not some – all. There is no ala cart option here. It’s an idea closely tied to the Gospel reading for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time for February 16, 2025, which comes to us from Luke, Chapter 6, verses 17 and 20-26: 

Jesus came down with the Twelve and stood on a stretch of level ground with a great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon. And raising his eyes toward his disciples, he said:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven, for their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.

But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.” 

The Gospel of the Lord 

“Are You All In?,” by Father Mark S. Suslenko, Pastor, SS. Isidore and Maria Parish, Glastonbury, Connecticut

Father Mark Suslenko:

If you look out at the secular world without faith in Jesus Christ, you're going to see things one way. The priorities of life are going to be ordered in a particular way. Your value system is going to reflect a particular bent. And so, if you look out at the secular world with secular eyes, you're going to organize things in a secular manner. But if you look out at the world with the eyes of Jesus Christ, with the faith in Jesus Christ, you're going to see things differently. Things are going to be prioritized differently.  Things are going to be more important in one area than another, and life is going to reflect not secular values but the values of the Gospel.  

And here's where it gets a little bit tricky. Sometimes, people say they have faith in Jesus Christ, and they look out at the secular world but still use secular eyes because they believe that faith in Jesus Christ has nothing to do with secular life. It only has to do with salvation and the promise of eternal life. But if we listen very carefully to what Jesus says, that simply is not true. Jesus makes some very, very sharp and distinct remarks about how people who follow him ought to behave in the secular world. Quite often, he turns the tables upside down and the values get turned on their heads, and things begin to look much differently through his eyes than they do through the secular eyes. 

And so in short, Jesus does not fool around, and we cannot pick and choose which parts of the Gospel we like and which parts of the Gospel we don't.  When Jesus says, love your enemy, he's serious.  When Jesus says, “Give to those who are in need,” he's serious.  When Jesus says that those who are now poor will be rich, and those who are hungry now will be filled, and those who are insulted will be satisfied, he's serious. And so, as we go about the business of our lives, let's make sure we're looking at the world with the right set of eyes.

Carol Vassar:

Father Mark Suslenko is the pastor of SS. Isidore and Maria Parish in Glastonbury, Connecticut. If you like what you've heard today, please subscribe to Living in Faith, Hope, and Love on your favorite podcast app, and take a moment to leave a review.

SS. Isidore and Maria is an active parish community, so whether you’re a long-time parishioner or are just getting to know us through this podcast, we welcome you to join us at Masses or any of our other community events and services. Visit our parish website - isidoreandmaria.org - for a full schedule of Masses, services and other happenings. That's isidoreandmaria.org. We're also active on Facebook and Instagram.

On behalf of Father Mark, I'm Carol Vassar, and we thank you for listening to this episode of Living in Faith, Hope, and Love.