November 10, 2023
Memorial of Saint Leo the Great, Pope, and Doctor of the Church Saint Paul wrote sometime in the mid-first century to the community he founded in Rome: “. . . You yourselves are full of goodness . . .” Four hundred years later, the Roman aristocrat who had become Pope Leo wrote in a Christmas […]
November 9, 2023
Order and Purpose We live in the present and future; the calendar is the proof. But we need order and balance. Now, a government building, a church, a synagogue, or a temple are all subject to an imbalance, that is, to what purpose the building was designed, its function is interrupted by vandals, madcaps, and […]
November 8, 2023
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Some might hear today’s gospel and immediately think, that’s asking a lot! We are told in Luke’s Gospel that we need to carry our own cross and are called to place Jesus before all of our family members, ourselves, and […]
November 7, 2023
So, what’s your excuse? Do you want to hear mine? Today’s point of our gospel is our call, to be honest with God and one another. We should strive to relate and serve each other to the best of our abilities. How do we respond when we receive that question, call, and invitation? God’s invitations […]
November 6, 2023
When I moved to San Antonio in 2013, I was excited about the many things that were going to transpire – I was in a new city with a new job opportunity and so ready to build a new community with the hope of meeting my future spouse. But in time, things were progressing slowly. […]
November 5, 2023
31st Sunday in Ordinary Time We have only one Father and master – Christ in heaven and the Eucharist. Jesus is kind and merciful. He wanted his disciples like himself, not like the Pharisees and scribes who preached but did not practice. They wanted to be called Rabbi, teacher, or master. In a word, they […]
November 4, 2023
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 14:11). Everyone loves an underdog. Something is uplifting about rooting for someone with the odds stacked against them. There is a contagious kind of joy, an unleashing of hope. Perhaps, when we see a fellow human overcoming […]
November 3, 2023
Jesus spoke to the scholars of the law and Pharisees in reply, asking, “Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?” It would seem that the answer to such a question would be: “Of course! It’s always lawful to do good.” Sadly, we are told that such was not the case. We are […]
November 2, 2023
The Commemoration of All the Faithfully Departed (All Souls’ Day) I often think of my ancestors who walked this earth before my time and gave rise to me through their actions in the world. I feel gratitude for their time here, but I wonder if they were good, just, faithful, hopeful, and kind. Did they […]
November 1, 2023
Solemnity of All Saints Today is the feast of all of us and our ancestors for generations who followed the teachings of Jesus. But becoming a saint is not only following Jesus’ teaching; it is coming to know and have an ever-deepening relationship with him. Father Pedro Arrupe SJ, a former Superior General of the […]