October 23, 2023
The parable in today’s Gospel is not at all puzzling. Jesus tells the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, life does not consist of possessions.” Indeed, as Our Lord concludes, it is foolish to “store up treasure for [oneself] and not be rich in what matters to […]
October 22, 2023
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Our daughters were born six years apart. As little girls, they played well together. When the oldest entered middle school, their relationship changed, and frequent bickering was heard – the oldest was loud and emotional, and the youngest was quiet and sneaky. When they would come to us united, we […]
October 21, 2023
I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man, will acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. (Luke 12:8-9) What does it look like to deny Jesus before men? We can think of the explicit case of being […]
October 20, 2023
Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples, “Beware of the leaven — that is, the hypocrisy — of the Pharisees….” We know well that the Pharisees generally were no great fans of Jesus. Here, Jesus accuses them of hypocrisy — a seemingly strange accusation. The Pharisees attracted a large following because they were the […]
October 19, 2023
A martyr is a person who chooses to suffer or die rather than renounce their faith in God – this is called “red martyrdom.” Martyrs offer their suffering and life, not because they want to suffer and die but because by choosing to do so, they offer themselves in a similar manner as Christ, our […]
October 18, 2023
Feast of Saint Luke, Evangelist Today, we celebrate the feast of Saint Luke, a Gentile Convert and a companion of Saint Paul on his missionary journeys. He wrote the Gospel that bears his name and the Acts of the Apostles. We believe Jesus was the Son of God and a human person. In the past, […]
October 17, 2023
Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr The heavens proclaim the glory of God. Psalm 19:2a God reveals to us in Genesis 1:27 God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. In today’s gospel, Jesus uses the metaphor of a clean […]
October 16, 2023
What tricks do you have to remind yourself to do something? A string around your finger, a kitchen timer, your cell phone, or computer alerts? Is the engine light “on” in your car telling you your car needs attention? Today’s first reading strongly reminds us of who we were called to be. Saint Paul received […]
October 15, 2023
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time Today, we have two linked parables. The first is very well known: the story of a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. (This is a big-time celebration—no sane person would skip this bash.) But… in the story, people found excuses not to come! They were too preoccupied […]
October 14, 2023
Let our thoughts of the Lord’s greatness and the promise of salvation in his glorious presence fill our hearts with hope and joy! Looking around today, we may observe leaves turning color and falling. Perhaps we are picking the last of the bounty in our gardens, and if you are like me, you may be […]