We all have the capacity to reach out in welcome and acceptance to friend and stranger, to everyone in the crowd; to those with whom we are comfortable, as well as to those who look different, and who are different because of their circumstances, their culture, their country of birth, their religion, writes Christian Brother Julian McDonald.. An essential dimension of Eucharist is hospitality, in reference to which St Paul wrote: “Make hospitality your special care” (Romans 12, 13). Let’s not forget that hospitality is first and foremost an attitude of heart, but it requires practice. Perhaps we can make a habit of it by asking ourselves at the start of each day: “How can I be Eucharist - bread broken and given for others, today?”.

By accepting the agenda of Jesus we grow into putting ourselves second, and giving our attention to the people and values that were at the centre of Jesus’ life - the needy, the lonely, the forgotten, the neglected, and we invest our energy in making sure that mercy, compassion, justice and reconciliation are central to the way in which we live and act. But there is a price to be paid for choosing to live like that, writes Christian Brother Julian McDonald.

Together, this Sunday’s parables challenge us to see the potential for good in everyone and in all of life’s circumstances, and to summon up the courage and perseverance to unlock that potential. Even mustard-seed sized faith allows space for the kingdom of God to take root and grow from very ordinary acts of justice, kindness and love, writes Christian Brother Julian McDonald.

he source of good seed for all of us is the Gospel, writes Christian Brother Br Julian McDonald.. It contains all we need for our growth and development as disciples of Jesus. Yet, we know that God’s word can be stifled by our own assumptions and prejudices, and contamination by the expectations our culture can impose on us. While we all have our own favourite parts of scripture and our personal understanding of God, we still have to be ever open to be surprised by the ability of God’s Spirit to show us new meaning in the readings we encounter Sunday after Sunday when we sit expectantly in the pews. How open are we to being surprised this week?

This Sunday’s gospel reading reminds us that there is nothing to be gained from trying to hide from the world of which we are a part nor from letting ourselves be drawn into submitting to the status quo, writes Christian Brother Julian McDonald. But, if we were to live our lives with meekness, gentleness and humility high on our list of priorities, we might find ourselves involved in transforming our world and ourselves into the dream Jesus had for us all.