As followers of Jesus and the Gospel, we know we have a duty to contribute to making a difference for good and that will usually come at some cost to us, writes Christian Brother Julian McDonald.

In the person of Jesus, God entered fully into human experience, living our life and embracing the challenges, distress and fear that touch us all, writes Christian Brother Julian McDonald. In so doing, Jesus taught us how to transform our lives and live in the love God extends to us.

In essence, this Sunday’s parable is a condemnation of anyone whose faith and religious practice is limited to words and ritual, writes Christian Brother Julian McDonald. Moreover, the very people who are disowned and rejected by those who only look religious will be the ones whom God welcomes with open arms. Tolerance, compassion, mercy and selflessness are just words and concepts until they are brought to life in our actions and relationships with everyone we encounter.

Today’s readings disturb my comfort in ways they are surely meant to do, writes Christian Brother Julian McDonald. They push me to reflect on the way I think about justice, about my efforts to contain God, and my tendency to think I am entitled to this or that. It’s one thing to ponder such matters, but what am I going to do about them?

When all is said and done, today’s readings are all about the limitlessness of God’s mercy and forgiveness and the need for us to imitate that to the best of our ability if we really want to be credible as disciples of Jesus, writes Christian Brother Julian McDonald.