July 17, 2024
“I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding these things from the learned and clever and revealing them to little children.” I spent a long time reflecting on this verse and how it intersected and enlightened my life. I am the father of three children who are now happy and successful young […]
July 16, 2024
I thought I needed only be concerned about myself getting into heaven. I will be judged according to my deeds. Today’s readings awakened me to God’s judgments on big and small communities, from the nation of Ephraim to the small towns of Chorazin and Bethsaida. They were all subject to God’s just judgment. Were the […]
July 15, 2024
Memorial of Saint Bonaventure To be named first a Bishop, then a Doctor of the Church, a person must have exhibited an outstanding standard of perfection regarding their spirituality and religiosity. They should be an exact model of how to practice one’s faith and understand theology above comparison. Though not flawless, their theological teachings must […]
July 14, 2024
15th Sunday in Ordinary Time I was no prophet…The Lord said to me, Go prophesy to my people Israel. Many of us can relate to Amos, the reluctant prophet. We are asked to serve as a liturgical minister, on a parish commission, or help with a parish project, and we are tempted to say others […]
July 13, 2024
“The Lord is King; He is robed in majesty.” Matthew’s Gospel recounts that Jesus taught humility and respect for authority. If we think of how we were all brought up, we probably recall the respect we were taught to have for our parents, elders, teachers, and, of course, the law and those entrusted with carrying […]
July 12, 2024
Today’s Responsorial Psalm 51 is prayed every Friday at Morning Prayer. It is one of my favorite psalms. The third stanza from today’s reading captures a profound aspect of our relationship with God: A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. “Steadfast” is an important biblical idea. In […]
July 11, 2024
Memorial of Saint Benedict, abbot A Parent’s Lament: Where did we go wrong? Our babies do not come with an operating manual or a warranty. Parents wonder what will become of this infant in their arms. Or ‘What were we thinking!’ Regardless of any emotional reaction at first, there is always hope that everything will […]
July 10, 2024
In the seven verses of today’s Gospel, Jesus has three distinct actions toward the chosen twelve apostles; he calls them together, gives them authority, and then sends them out on a mission as his twelve. Over the past three years, in the United States, we Catholics have been involved in a movement of Eucharistic Revival, […]
July 9, 2024
In the reading from Hosea, the prophet, the people of Israel decide that they don’t need to consult God anymore and instead worship the gods they made. They chose to turn away from God. If we look at our lives in our society, this occurrence is still happening today. How many times have we made […]
July 8, 2024
The Genesis story tells us Adam and Eve were living in Eden and given a choice. They ate the apple — and were kicked out. In the book of Hosea we read that people hadn’t changed much and made the same mistakes. But that’s part of learning. Today’s gospel reminds us how Jesus shares God’s […]