August 30, 2024
The parable of the ten virgins underscores the necessity of being spiritually prepared for Christ’s return. Saint Peter Julian Eymard uses this parable at least forty times in his conferences. When he speaks of the oil of the wise virgins, he says of the purity of heart and spirit: “What is the burning lamp? It […]
August 29, 2024
Passion of Saint John the Baptist The gruesome account of King Herod having John the Baptist beheaded and brought to him on a platter elicits a feeling of repulsiveness. Our Gospel reading is not unlike a modern-day shoddy soap opera plot: it’s the truly “culpable” who are highly offended and seek revenge on their truly […]
August 28, 2024
Imagine a nighttime view of the Bible lands from far above. It is thirty years after the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ: pretend you can see a gleam of light in the darkness for every baptized Christian below. The district of Galilee in the North of Israel blazes with […]
August 27, 2024
Memorial of Saint Monica Saint Monica was the mother to Saint Augustine, who had very little or no interest in matters of faith in the initial stages of his life. The husband of Saint Monica was equally not interested. Saint Monica decided to cry out to God in prayer day and night for the conversion […]
August 26, 2024
What a wonderful week of spiritual reading for those who make the daily Gospel a central focus of their spirituality. This 21st week in Ordinary Time offers readings from Chapter 23 of Matthew’s Gospel, where the focus is on the Scribes and Pharisees and what Jesus sees as the hypocrisy of their religious practices, which impose […]
August 25, 2024
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time We experience moments of truth throughout our lives. Is it a boy or a girl? Will I get the job or promotion I have worked so hard for? Am I or my loved one in remission? Will I stay or will I go? Some moments are joy-filled, and others are […]
August 24, 2024
Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle Today’s Gospel is not a parable but a true story of the encounter with Jesus for Philip and Nathaniel (thought to be the Apostle Bartholomew by many scholars). It is also true for us and everyone who is ever born. Verse 48 caught my attention when Nathaniel said to Jesus, […]
August 23, 2024
Commandments have been in the news a lot lately. The governor of Louisiana wants to display the Ten Commandments in his state’s public school classrooms. The state legislature in Oklahoma wants them in the 5th through 12th grade classrooms. This is not a new movement in recent history. And it’s always controversial. I understand the […]
August 22, 2024
Memorial of the Queenship of Mary The Gospels often present us with parables about banquets. We always like a good story and wonder where it leads. Spontaneously, we want to connect this parable with the Eucharist, the most extraordinary banquet of all. What is particularly interesting is that all are invited, but surprisingly, not All […]
August 21, 2024
Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope Our Gospel reading today dramatically expresses God’s absolute grace and mercy. It is not what we do for God but what God does for us. No matter how far from God we stray or “how late we are in the game,” God offers us the merciful wage, not what […]