February 23, 2025
7th Sunday in Ordinary Time For the past several years, we have been involved in what has been termed culture wars. These refer to conflicts between two groups within society. Each group seeks to dominate and force its beliefs, values, and practices upon the other. The word war is justified by the means used to […]
February 22, 2025
There is so much to learn from today’s readings, but one must be understood above all, or the others will have little or no meaning to the reader. When Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” He doesn’t want to hear that he is a prophet, as many others have said. […]
February 21, 2025
“Whosoever shall lose his life for my sake, and the Gospel shall save it.” Being a follower of Jesus and the Gospel was often a dangerous risk, but for so many men and women from the earliest centuries of the Church right up to the present, they found torture and death preferable to denying their […]
February 20, 2025
As Jesus and his disciples walk toward Caesarea Philippi, he asks them, “Who do people say that I am?” A reply is given that some think he is John the Baptist, others believe he is Elijah, and still others think he is one of the prophets. Jesus continues the dialog: “But who do you say […]
February 19, 2025
When Jesus and his disciples arrived at Bethsaida, people brought to him a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. In the passage that precedes this one, Jesus both warned and rebuked his disciples for their dullness of faith. First, Jesus warned them against being deceived by the unbelief of the Pharisees. Then, when […]
February 18, 2025
Leaven is one of those lovely miracles in God’s creation. Those of us who have baked homemade bread relish both seeing the dough rise and the smell. Culinary experts distinguish between yeast and natural leaven. Without going into the chemistry of the rising process, suffice it to say that they are different yet serve the […]
February 17, 2025
Looking For a Sign We are engulfed by signs—directional, seasonal, warning, regulatory, and even our vital signs. The Pharisees in today’s Gospel were looking for a different sort of sign. They were demanding an authenticating signal from God to prove that Jesus was the true Messiah. Jesus sets them straight, saying that no signal at […]
February 16, 2025
6th Sunday in Ordinary Time Recently, I took my grandson to see The Best Ever Christmas Pageant, based on the 1971 book by Barbara Robinson. It tells the story of the Herdmans, six siblings with the reputation of being the worst kids imaginable. They show up at the local church on the promise that they […]
February 15, 2025
An apple, a loaf of bread, a few fish…. what do these have in common? Depending on your perceptions in life, they share either lack or abundance. Don’t be fooled by your apple as lacking when there are others who don’t have an apple. A few fish and a loaf of bread were apparently abundant […]
February 14, 2025
“Ephphatha—Be Open” is our prayer word and challenge today. The Genesis setting brings us to the Garden of Eden. The serpent tempts Eve to share the forbidden fruit with Adam. Deceived by the serpent’s claim, “The moment you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods who know what […]
