January 18, 2026
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Here am I, Lord, I come to do your will. As we begin Ordinary time in the Church year, we pause to reflect on what we have just celebrated—the wonder of God’s will to be God with us, God one of us. We marvel at the great events and those […]
January 17, 2026
Jesus said, “Those who are well, do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” Jesus’ choice to eat with tax collectors and sinners was radical, and let’s face it, Jesus was a maverick. He challenged the boundaries of rituals and outcasting. He challenged the Pharisees and their teachings, their understanding of the Torah, and even […]
January 16, 2026
Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Rise, pick up your mat and walk?” There are many similar stories in the gospels. The pattern is somewhat the same. Jesus does something amazing, and people find a reason to find fault with it. In this case, after Jesus […]
January 15, 2026
The First Reading shows Israel in a time of weak faith. After losing in battle, they treated the Ark of the Covenant like a “good-luck charm,” hoping it would guarantee victory. But they were defeated again, and the Ark was taken. God cannot be forced or manipulated by rituals or holy objects; He asks for […]
January 14, 2026
One theme of the many to be found in today’s readings is the focus of the Responsorial Psalm, and its refrain, “Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.” This could be the prophet Samuel speaking of his experience in the first reading, where he is serving the priest Eli and sleeping near […]
January 13, 2026
Hannah comes before the Lord, weighed down by a sorrow she can no longer carry alone. Scripture tells us that she is deeply distressed, her lips moving without sound, her heart pouring itself out. Like Hannah, we are often downcast not because our burdens are too great, but because we do not know how to […]
January 12, 2026
“Come after Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” In today’s Gospel, Jesus begins His public ministry with urgency and invitation: “This is the time of fulfillment… Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” Then, walking along the familiar shores of Galilee, He calls ordinary fishermen, Simon, Andrew, James, and John, to an extraordinary […]
January 11, 2026
The Baptism of the Lord John the Baptist had a big following. The people were drawn to his message, even though he was pretty blunt and didn’t hold back. He warned the people that the prophesied day of reckoning was upon them, the great day of global purification. The Messianic time was imminent. But he […]
January 10, 2026
When I was 16, my older brother and I borrowed our dad’s Chevy Impala to attend Mass on a fall Sunday morning. However, instead of going to church, we drove past it and pulled into a parking lot so I could practice driving for my Ohio driver’s license test. That afternoon, when our father asked […]
January 9, 2026
Jesus is approached by a man suffering from leprosy seeking to be cleansed from this contagious disease. The law required such a person to live in isolation, forbidding all public contact. They were to call out, “unclean,” warning others of their disease. With compassion, Jesus extends his hand to touch the suffering man, freeing him […]