Heart to Heart: Fr. Jim Willig - Gospel Teachings

Fr. Jim asks: "If you could ask God for one gift or blessing, what would it be?" The apostles said, "Increase our faith." and Jesus compares their faith to a tiny mustard seed and the power even that tiny bit would bring. Can we even wrap our heads around the enormity of God and the true gift of faith?

from Luke 17:5-10
The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."
The Lord repl...

Lazarus, a poor sick man covered in sores is ignored by the rich man living near him. They both die. Who gets the royal treatment in heaven? Listen to Fr. Jim's gospel teaching to find out.

from Luke 16:19-31
Jesus said to the Pharisees:
"There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen
and dined sumptuously each day.
And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered wi...

from Luke 16:1-13

Jesus said to his disciples,
"A rich man had a steward
who was reported to him for squandering his property.
He summoned him and said,
'What is this I hear about you?
Prepare a full account of your stewardship,
because you can no longer be my steward.'
The steward said to himself, 'What shall I do,
now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me?...

Fr. Jim teaches on the living water of Christ based on this passage from the Gospel of John extolling us to recognize God's gift.

from John 4:5-42

Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, 
near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
Jacob's well was there.
Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.
It was about noon.

A woman of Samaria came to draw water.
...

from Luke 9:28B-36

Jesus took Peter, John, and James 
and went up the mountain to pray.
While he was praying his face changed in appearance 
and his clothing became dazzling white.
And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, 
who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus 
that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, 
but becomin...

How often in our lives do we have a powerful spiritual moment only to be faced with a similarly profound challenge or struggle? Listen today as Fr. Jim teaches about the challenge in the desert Jesus faced right after being baptized "and the holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, 'You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.'" (Luke 3:22)

Heart to Hear...

from Luke 16:1-13

Jesus said to his disciples,
"A rich man had a steward
who was reported to him for squandering his property.
He summoned him and said,
'What is this I hear about you?
Prepare a full account of your stewardship,
because you can no longer be my steward.'
The steward said to himself, 'What shall I do,
now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me?...

This Gospel Study addresses the time Peter asked Jesus, “How many times are we called to forgive another?” Jesus surprised Peter and the disciples when he said to forgive 70 times 7 times.

Jesus uses the parable of the master who forgave the full debt of one of his servants after showing compassion to his plea. Then this same servant held a friend in contempt for a much smaller debt owed to him. When the master learned of ...

Jesus tells us that we need to stop living by "an eye for an eye" and instead start loving our enemies. As Fr. Jim reminds us, this is much easier said than done, even in our "enlightened" age [emphasis mine].

Matthew 5:38-48

Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
When someon...

from Luke 5:1-11

While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening
to the word of God,
he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.
He saw two boats there alongside the lake;
the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,
he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.
Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.

In this Gospel on the presentation of Jesus in the Temple, Fr. Jim reminds us that Mary and Joseph went out of their way to bring Jesus to Jerusalem; a journey that was not easy but foreshadows the ultimate sacrifice Jesus would make for us.

from Luke 2:22-40
When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lo...

Fr. Jim explores the baptism story of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke and asks, "Are we ready and willing to totally immerse ourselves in God's love and be of greater service to God and one another?"

from Luke 3:15-16, 21-22
The people were filled with expectation,
and all were asking in their hearts
whether John might be the Christ.
John answered them all, saying,
“I am baptizing you with...

Fr. Jim asks: Will we be the wise men and women taking up the journey to Jesus? Like the Magi, will we take a different path than the world would have us go?

from Matthew 2:1-12
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him hom...

Fr. Jim Willig reflects on the Visitation of Mary and Elizabeth, highlighting Mary’s faith, obedience, and perseverance during her journey to Elizabeth. Through this reflection, he invites us to recognize the Spirit’s stirring in our own lives and embrace the hope and renewal offered by the Advent season.

from Luke 1:39-45
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah, 
where she entered the hous...

from Luke 3:10-18

The crowds asked John the Baptist,
“What should we do?”
He said to them in reply,
“Whoever has two cloaks
should share with the person who has none.
And whoever has food should do likewise.”
Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him,
“Teacher, what should we do?”
He answered them,
“Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.”
Soldiers also ask...

Fr. Jim teaches that if John the Baptist came today he would not mince words. He would call a sin, a sin and challenge each of us to identify the sin within our lives and urge us to turn away. Click play above to hear Fr. Jim's full Advent message.

Luke 3:1-6
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,
when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea,
and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee,
and his br...

Our world is increasingly holiday focused, not Holy Day focused. The season of Christmas does not begin for the Church until Christmas Day. Father Jim encourages us to celebrate Advent for what it is, a time of preparation.

Luke 21:25-28, 34-36
Jesus said to his disciples:
“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,
and on earth nations will be in dismay,
perplexed by the roaring of the sea ...

Jesus goes before Pilate and says, "My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here."

from John 18:33b-37
Pilate said to Jesus,
"Are you the King of the Jews?"
Jesus answered, "Do you say this on your own
or have others told you about...

In this deeply symbolic gospel addressing the end times, Fr. Jim explains that Mark's message calls for a profound transformation of the entire world as we know it. However, as the gospel reminds us, even Jesus did not know the exact moment of His return. Only the Father holds that knowledge.

from Mark 13:24-32
Jesus said to his disciples:
"In those days after that tribulation
the sun will be darkened...