A good friend of mine taught spirituality and evangelization at a seminary in India. While there, there was one individual who did all the cooking and served the meals to the staff and seminarians daily. Upon the course completion my friend announced there would be a test with only one question. The following morning, he…
Let’s see now – today we hear about lost sheep, lost coins, a lost son. We could almost call this the “lost and found” Gospel. If we’re not paying attention, we might think this is about a bunch of absent-minded people. But, of course, that isn’t the point Jesus is making. Jesus is actually talking…
Our Lord was deeply disturbed by the attitudes of many Jews of his day. at times said some angry things. He shocked several by stating outright that outsiders could inherit the kingdom of God, while among the Jews there would be “wailing and gnashing of teeth.” Others will be first, and you will be last.…
The movie Finding Nemo came out a few years ago now, but today’s gospel still reminds me of a scene from that movie. Maybe you remember it. It’s where a bunch of hungry seagulls spot some food, and they’re all yelling, ‘mine, mine, mine!’
Well, the rich man that Jesus talks about is a lot like those seagulls. Can’t you just see Him? – there is so much here and it’s all mine!
The Good Samaritan Being a good Catholic means doing- not debating. The result: and then ‘ you will live ‘- you will have a long life on the land- what every Jew wanted- prosperity, flocks, peace, joy- every good thing only God can give. The catch here in the story of the Good Samaritan- don’t…
Luke 10:1-12, 17-20 Sometimes, when we’re reading a passage from Scripture, something will jump out that we don’t expect. That’s what happened to me as I was preparing this homily. When I read today’s gospel, the phrase that stood out to me was this: Jesus told the disciples that their names are written in heaven.…
John 10:27-30 I want to tell you the story of an eight-year-old boy. His name was Jamie. Jamie was dying of cancer. In the final stages of his illness Jamie started talking out loud when he was all alone, day or night. When his mom heard him, she’d come into his room to see if…
John 9:1-41 Did you ever stop to notice that the Pharisees were powerful and wealthy, but they lived in constant fear. In contrast to that, the man born blind was absolutely destitute, yet he was the one who actually lived in freedom…
LUKE 6:17, 20-16 The words we hear in today’s gospel are sometimes called the Sermon on the Plain. They are Luke’s version of the Beatitudes. They are similar to Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, but with some striking differences…
If you listened attentively to the reading today, you’ve noticed that the Holy Spirit is mentioned in each of the readings. It is clear from these readings that the Christian community is indebted to the Spirit for its very existence and well-being. It is the Sprit who stirs up in us the waters of our…