July 2, 2025
Thereupon, the whole town came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their district. This is one of the more interesting passages in Matthew’s Gospel, not only in the cure of the two possessed men, but in the aftermath. The people in the town ask, no beg, Jesus […]
July 1, 2025
As we hear in our first reading with the angel urging Lot onward, we cannot help but think of the early settlers of this great country who trusted in God, and the angels led them through the many journeys to this sacred land. Today, the United States church remembers Franciscan Junipero Serra, who founded the […]
June 30, 2025
Tempus Fugit There certainly is an awareness that time is being wasted. See the impatient one in a long line at the store. See the walking-talking phone operator trotting to the car to get on with the business at hand. Hear the complaining that the Mass went nine minutes overtime. Such hurrying, such rushing, and […]
June 29, 2025
Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles In Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, we read: Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas and remained with him for fifteen days. Can you imagine what they shared with one another? Both were called to leadership. Both experienced failures—Peter’s denial and Paul’s […]
June 28, 2025
It is interesting to me that of all the verses in scripture, the Roman Catholic Church could select to pray the words of Matthew 8:8 right before Holy Communion. The centurion knows he is not worthy to have his servant healed by Jesus. The centurion had heard and seen Jesus perform miracles and obviously had […]
June 27, 2025
Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus The first reading says, “The lost I will seek out, the stray I will bring back.” We read in St. Luke, “Rejoice with me for I have found my lost sheep.” The Sacred Heart of Jesus loves his people immensely. Our response to a loving God should […]
June 26, 2025
This is such a beautiful liturgical time of the year. Today, we find ourselves between the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ last Sunday and the Feast of the Sacred Heart tomorrow, Friday. Meditating on the meaning of these feast days helps us have a more personal encounter with Jesus, our […]
June 25, 2025
In the Northern Hemisphere, the seasons have moved along from Spring to early Summer. The significant growth of sprouting plants and flowers marked the joyful season of Easter, and the green explosion of new tree leaves has transformed the empty dormant branches of Winter. Farmers and gardeners cherish this time, and Jesus’ teaching today (Matthew […]
June 24, 2025
Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist Today, we celebrate the birth of three figures we greatly admire in the liturgical year: Jesus, Mary, and John the Baptist. The birth of John, like that of Jesus and Mary, is a significant event in the history of our salvation. For Saint Luke, John serves […]
June 23, 2025
There is a theme for today’s reflection that links the reading from Genesis to the Gospel: “He speaks with authority.” Especially in Saint Mark’s Gospel, we see how often the crowds that watched Jesus’ teaching and healing were impressed by his authoritative manner; he did not teach as other rabbis did, providing interpretation of Jewish […]