Fourth Sunday in Lent
So, think about it. Have you ever prayed for something, and then when it happens you convince try yourself that it was a natural consequence for which God played no part? Although sometimes our prayers do not seem to be answered, at other times we have no doubt that we have received a healing, or our needs were heard and answered. For example, after much prayer, a risky pregnancy may end in a healthy baby. You might pray for a new job, and right after prayer, the phone rings
15 hours ago5 min read
Third Sunday in Lent
Some of you may have noticed that the Gospel reading was longer than usual. No apologies: it is Lent, after all, and we have to get in shape for the reading of the Passion stories during Holy Week. Seriously, though, the story of the meeting of Jesus with this self-confident sinner is one of the great moments recorded in Jesus’ preaching and teaching career.
Mar 83 min read
Second Sunday in Lent
A woman was preparing for a vacation in Greece. Because she knew that the liturgical readings might be different, she called a Greek Orthodox church, which graciously offered to provide her with the correct readings. The secretary told her she just had to go to Mass at the Church of Saint Metamorphosis. Puzzled, the woman asked who that saint was, and the answer was “Holy Transfiguration.”
Mar 13 min read
First Sunday in Lent
Today’s readings, as we begin the season of Lent, give us two special reminders that will help us on our journey: Who God is and who we are as human beings.
Feb 223 min read
6th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Coming as they did from a Jewish background, some early Christians, thought that, in order to truly follow the teachings of Jesus, you began by keeping every bit of the Jewish law as handed down by God and interpreted by their ancestors. Other early Christians, equally serious about following Jesus, insisted that Jesus had brought a new way of thinking about the Jewish law, so that keeping the more than 600 laws that had grown up around the Ten Commandments was not the only w
Feb 154 min read
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
There is a story told about Jonathan Swift, the 18th-century Irish writer, when he was quite old. And in case you don’t know who he is, he is the author of Gulliver’s Travels and many other works. He was visiting a friend and was looking out the front window of the house. It was nighttime, and the lamplighter was lighting the streetlamps. From the window, one could only see the lamps that were lit, and the light the lamplighter carried from one lamppost to the next. The lampl
Feb 84 min read
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
I think the prophet Micah perhaps proclaims it best when declaring what is expected by God: “He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Mic 6:8). I ask you to take a moment to remember some of the great members of the Church who have followed that call.
Feb 14 min read
