September 24, 2024
OPENING OUR EARS TO THE POOR The first reading comes from the book of Proverbs. I invite you to reflect, especially on the last phrase of the text, which calls our attention to the poor. He who shuts his ear to the poor man’s cry shall himself plead and not be heard. (Proverbs 21:13) Last […]
September 23, 2024
Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest The readings for Mass on Monday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time seem deliberately chosen for this commemoration of Padre Pio. It is possible to imagine Padre Pio writing words in the Book of Proverbs: “Say not to your neighbor, ‘Go, and come again; tomorrow I will […]
September 22, 2024
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Have you ever been caught arguing or gossiping and thought you were not heard, only to find out you were? My dad would line us up as kids, and we remained loyal to each other by being silent. There was fear, absolutely! Inevitably, if the guilty party did not come […]
September 21, 2024
Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle, and Evangelist Jesus asks many questions and gives many blunt directions to the apostles and disciples throughout the four gospels. Questions like “Who do you say that I am?” or “Can you drink the cup I must drink?” Directions like “Let the dead bury the dead.” or “Pick up your […]
September 20, 2024
Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, Paul Chŏng Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs Accompanying him were the Twelve…. and some women who provided for them out of their resources. Interestingly, several women were among Jesus’ close followers. The lesson is that some people responded to their healing by helping provide Jesus with his mission. What Luke […]
September 19, 2024
Who is the mystery woman in today’s Gospel reading? Some scholars claim she is Mary Magdalene; other academics maintain she is probably some prostitute or adulteress. Names do matter, but they do not have to define who we are. Although nameless, she is a woman of great faith who risks social scorn to pay homage […]
September 18, 2024
Today’s reflection is centered on today’s Responsorial Psalm: Blessed are the people that God has chosen to be his own. We notice that God is the one who chooses; it is God’s invitation. Who are those invited persons God has chosen? It is important to remember that in the creation story, God made human persons […]
September 17, 2024
Today’s reading from 1st Corinthians reminds us that we are part of the Body of Christ. We all have our specific part to play as part of the Body of Christ. How do we know what our part is? I saw a possible answer to this question in Father Paul Bernier SSS’s book “Eucharist, Celebrating […]
September 16, 2024
Lord, I am not worthy. I would like to have a time machine to make some changes in how we pray at the Eucharist. I simply want to instantly create a few pauses to absorb the magnificence of what is before us. There are special moments during Mass when I want to say, “Stop! Listen […]
September 15, 2024
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time Today, Jesus asks his apostles: “Who do people say that I am?” The answers that came back attested to the fact that Jesus was well-respected. People felt God sent him but weren’t convinced he was the Messiah. During the interchange, Peter chimed in with a clear and robust proclamation: “You […]