February 7, 2024
In today’s Gospel, Jesus offers a new orientation to kashrut, the Jewish dietary laws. These laws prohibit Jews from eating pork and crustaceans but allow them to eat the meat of other animals that have been ritually slaughtered under the supervision of a rabbi. Meat and dairy could not be eaten in the same meal. […]
February 6, 2024
Memorial of Saint Paul Miki (1562-1597) and Companions, Martyrs in Japan Paul Miki was born into a wealthy Japanese family and educated by the Society of Jesus. He would be inspired to join the Jesuits and live his life to help others grow in their faith. Miki was arrested and jailed with other Catholics, marching […]
February 5, 2024
Saint Peter Julian Eymard’s Baptism in LaMure d’Isère, France, in 1811 Today, we celebrate the baptism of Saint Eymard, which occurred the day after his birth on February 5, 1811. In letters written by Father Eymard, he would recognize his baptism as “the most beautiful day of my life.” He wrote that through Baptism, “I […]
February 4, 2024
5th Sunday in Ordinary Time Birthday of Saint Peter Julian Eymard in LaMure d’Isère, France, in 1811 It has been remarked that the gospel of Mark is a gospel in a hurry. We are still in the gospel’s first chapter, and much has happened already. John the Baptist appeared in the desert, announcing the coming […]
February 3, 2024
Most of us do not appreciate unsolicited advice. Yet, it is something entirely different when we find answers to the questions our heart is ready to ask. They hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them. When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved […]
February 2, 2024
Feast of the Presentation of the Lord Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. The Torah required that every firstborn son be consecrated to the Lord. The ritual asked poorer couples to sacrifice a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons when the boy was presented in the […]
February 1, 2024
We live in a time where utilitarianism abounds, and it shows in our interest in what is possible to obtain from a situation or relationship. This utilitarianism is a selfish way of looking at life, and it begs the question, what are we bringing that we expect someone else to match or surpass? Is this […]
January 31, 2024
Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest An old saying from the title of a 1940 Thomas Wolfe novel states, “You can never go home again.” This statement is meant to infer how we remember people and places from our upbringing in static terms. This old adage was proven true when Jesus returned to his hometown […]
January 30, 2024
Fans of the show The Chosen know the episode well from which today’s Gospel is taken. The writer/director also captures the energy and the characters in this story and the tremendous amount of anguish, hope, and struggles the different folks have for seeking Christ and their healing. They each lamented in different ways but also […]
January 29, 2024
The evangelist, Mark, paints a dramatic picture of Jesus and the possessed man in today’s gospel. I think this kind of description can assist us in our meditation and reflection today. In our imaginations, let us look at the picture that Mark places before us. First, allow us to begin with the possessed man who, […]