Day 263: The Father's Generosity (2026)

Fr. Mike Schmitz (0:04)

Hi, my name is Fr. Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to The Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using The Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is day 263 We are reading Matthew chapter 18, 19, 20, and 21, four chapters in Matthew's gospel. We are also reading Proverbs chapter 19, verses 13-16. As always, the Bible translation I am reading from is the Revised Standard Version, 2nd Catholic Edition. I am using The Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com/bible in a Year. You can also subscribe to this podcast and receive daily episodes and daily updates. Someone told me recently that they said, the reason why I haven't subscribed is because I am trying to catch up and I don't want all those episodes backing up and piling up on me. And so they are doing their best to catch up. But as I always say, whatever day you are on now is the day you are on, which is great. For us, it's day 263 For you, it's day 263 For everyone, that's one of the ways we are united in this day 263, Matthew 18, 19, and 21, 20 and 21, as well as Proverbs 19, verses 13 through 16

The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 18, True Greatness. At that time, the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Temptations to Sin Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me. But, whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Woe to the world for temptations to sin, for it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the man by whom the temptation comes. And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my father who is in heaven. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

Binding and Loosing of Sins If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again, I say to you, If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Repeated Forgiveness Then Peter came up and said to him, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? As many as seven times? Jesus said to him, I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.