Heart to Heart: Fr. Jim Willig - Gospel Teachings

In this Gospel of deja vu all over again, Jesus asks Peter, "Do you love me?"

from John 21:1-19
At that time, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself in this way.
Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,
Nathanael from Cana in Galilee,
Zebedee's sons, and two others of his disciples.
Simon Peter said to them, "I am going ...

Fr. Jim teaches that Jesus calls his disciples (and therefore us) to love each other as he has loved them.  That is to say, not to like each other or tolerate each other but to truly Love each other.

John 13:31-33A, 34-35
When Judas had left them, Jesus said,
"Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
If God is glorified in him,
God will also glorify him in himself,
and God will...

Fr. Jim reflects on the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ with dramatic Gospel reading by Fr. Michael Sparough, SJ.

John 20:1-9
On the first day of the week,
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the ...

Fr. Jim reflects on the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. Luke with dramatic Gospel reading by Fr. Michael Sparough, SJ.

from Luke 22:14-23:56
When the hour came,
Jesus took his place at table with the apostles.
He said to them,
“I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer,
for, I tell you, I shall not eat it again
until there is fulfillment in the kingdom of...

Fervent prayer can often lead to unexpected results and a vision of Jesus that we weren't looking for. Are you ready for what the Lord might grant?

from John 12:20-33
Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast
came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, 
and asked him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.”
Philip went and told Andrew; 
then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.<...

Lazarus' friends thought him to be dead. They went so far as to bind his body and entomb it. Jesus challenges their faith and performs one of His greatest miracles in raising Lazarus from the dead; bringing him back to life.

from John 11:1-45
The sisters of Lazarus sent word to Jesus, saying,
"Master, the one you love is ill."
When Jesus heard this he said,
"This illness is not to end in...

Where does change need to begin? Out there in the world or in here, in your heart and mine? Fr. Jim shares a lesson in personal humility as he unpacks the story of Jesus cleansing the Temple.

John 2:13-25
Since the Passover of the Jews was near,
Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, 
as well as the money changers seated there.
He made a whip out o...

Most of us know the story of the Transfiguration. Jesus takes Peter, James and John up to a mountain top and gives them a glimpse of His glory. Fr. Jim takes this well known passage and asks us to find our own mission and our own vision to embrace the glory of God in simple and humble ways.

from Mark 9:2-10
Jesus took Peter, James, and John
and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.
And he was transfi...

Is Lent a time to give up dessert or a time to enter the desert along with Jesus? Fr. Jim suggests the latter. Listen for his profound insight into the healing struggle of this Lenten time.

The full transcript is available here.

Mark 1:12-15
The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, 
and he remained in the desert for forty days,
tempted by Satan.
He was among wild beasts,
and the angels mini...

Father Jim is challenged by a woman: "Why don't you priests really heal anyone?" This gave him pause and inspiration for today's Gospel Study:

A man with leprosy breaks societal convention and approaches Jesus. He kneels down and reaches out to Jesus physically and through faith: "If you wish, you can make me clean." Jesus responds, "I do will it. Be made clean."

Mark 1:40-...

Jesus had his priorities straight. In this Gospel he heals Peter's mother-in-law and then the whole town comes out to be healed. But afterward, what does Jesus do? He goes away to a place of quiet and solitude and prays. We can learn great things from this lesson.

from Mark 1:29-39
On leaving the synagogue
Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with ...

In this Gospel Jesus teaches in the Synagogue in Capernaum and when confronted by a person with an unclean spirit He drives out the demon. In exorcisms, in order to drive out the demons, they must be confronted and they must name themselves. 

Fr. Jim reminds us that we too must confront and name our own demons in order to move beyond them. No sin is too big for God to forgive.

from Mark 1:21-28
Then they came ...

Come. Abandon. Learn. Love: CALL This is the acronym Fr. Jim uses to imagine the call that Jesus used for his disciples; the same call He uses for us today.

from Mark 1:14-20
After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:
"This is the time of fulfillment.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel."

As he passed by the Sea of G...

Fr. Jim asks: Who do you seek? Who do you follow?

John the Baptist sees Jesus and proclaims, "Behold the Lamb of God." At this, Andrew leaves his company and joins Jesus. He then recruits his brother Simon to join them. Jesus became their Rabbi, their teacher.

from John 1:35-42
John was standing with two of his disciples,
and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said,
"Behold, the Lamb of God...

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?

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 homage.”...

The story of this Gospel Study is the Annunciation to Mary by the Angel Gabriel. Fr. Jim reminds us that Mary's role as Mother of Jesus is truly a gift from God because of her deep and profound submission to His will.

from Luke 1:26-38
The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name ...

In this hectic holiday season Fr. Jim reminds us to think of these as Holy Days, not holidays. John the Baptist came to witness to Jesus. As modern disciples of Christ it is our calling to also witness to Him in our daily lives, especially during this Holy Days.

from John 1:6-8; 19-28
A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
H...

In this Gospel Study Fr. Jim explores the challenges presented by John the Baptizer. John challenges the people of his time, just as he does us today.

We are challenged to confess our sin and seek forgiveness so that we can participate on the cause of right and help fight against evil and the powers of darkness.

from Mark 1:1-8
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God.

As it is writ...

In this Gospel Study for the first weekend of Advent, Fr. Jim introduces the Gospel of Mark and provides some keen insight into who Mark was. History lessons aside, the poignancy of Fr. Jim's message comes at the very end where he challenges us to lead ourselves, and others, to Christ this Advent season.

from Mark 13:33-37
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Be watchful! Be alert!
You do not know when the time w...