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Our Gospel today introduces us to Jesus’ discourse on the Holy Eucharist – the central mystery of our Catholic faith. The last few Sundays, we have seen the momentum of Jesus’ public ministry and the reaction of the Jewish people. The gospels of the past few weeks have recounted scenesRead More →
The readings of Today’s Liturgy are filled with images of shepherds and sheep. In biblical times, the word “shepherd” could connote two different notions of shepherds. The first is a man who has care of herds of sheep leading them to food and water; the second was a man whoRead More →
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time There are some very unpopular people in the world; people like dog-catchers, the cop who catches us going 50 m.p.h. in a 35 – mile zone, the parent who says “NO”, the boss who gives his secretary six letters to type at 4:00 PM onRead More →
As the Gospel opens today, Jesus is in the middle of a demanding crowd. There are a couple of people in the crowd who have special needs from Him. They are both at wits’ end, one with a parent’s ultimate and devastating worry, one with a most bothersome and weakeningRead More →
It was the Jewish Feast of Pentecost which means the fiftieth day after the feast of Passover. Pentecost was the celebration of the harvest and the celebration of the First Fruits of the land, and the celebration of the Law given by God to Moses at Mt. Sinai. People cameRead More →
One of the most powerful influences on society and on an individual is our past. The power of the past is felt by all of us. The positive and negative experiences from our past influence our lives even at this very moment; they make us who we are today. OurRead More →
Today’s feast brings us to the conclusion of the Christmas cycle. We move from the crib in Bethlehem to the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. Jesus was walking along the shores of the Jordan River. He was looking for His cousin John the Baptizer. John was the one crying outRead More →
Today the Church celebrates the Feast of All Saints – the faithful people who have gone before us into eternal life with the Risen Lord. These people – the saints – were ordinary people who were faithful to God on earth. They did ordinary things in an extraordinary way becauseRead More →
At the heart of Jesus’ teaching is his command to love. He gave that command at the “Last Supper” with His apostles on the night before He died. He said: “I give you a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you. Live in My love.” This commandRead More →
Today’s Gospel describes a ROYAL WEDDING in which those who were privileged to be invited “ignored” the invitation, or didn’t bother to reply and went about their own concerns. The king became enraged by the arrogance of the guests, punished them, and extended the invitation to others who would welcomeRead More →
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